What is PR24?
PR24 is Ofwat's 2024 price review, which set water company price controls and performance commitments for 2025 to 2030, the AMP8 period. Final determinations were published in December 2024.
What does Ofwat expect on customer engagement under PR24?
Ofwat set standards for high-quality customer research, independent customer challenge and assurance, and public 'Your Water, Your Say' sessions, rather than mandating a single model. Running through all of it is one expectation: that companies can show customer views genuinely shaped their plans, not just that engagement happened.
Do I still need to evidence customer engagement now PR24 is set?
Yes. Through AMP8 delivery, Ofwat's delivery monitoring framework requires progress reporting every six months, with the first assured delivery plan progress report due on 17 August 2026, and companies are expected to keep showing that customer insight is informing delivery.
What's the hardest part of evidencing customer engagement?
Showing what changed as a result, the 'you said, we did', across many activities and teams over five years, in a record that's complete and auditable on demand. That is where the evidence base most often falls short.
Is this pack regulatory advice?
No. It is general guidance reflecting Ofwat's published expectations and the direction of its delivery monitoring framework, which was in consultation at the time of writing. Check current Ofwat guidance for your reporting cycle.
What does 'conscientiously taken into account' mean in practice?
Conscientiously taking responses into account means the decision-maker must genuinely consider what consultees said before reaching a final decision, and must be able to demonstrate that they did. In practice, this requires a complete, auditable record of who responded, what they said, how responses were themed and analysed, and how they influenced the outcome. A summary that cannot be traced back to individual responses is unlikely to be sufficient under scrutiny.
What is a Gunning Principles checklist?
A Gunning Principles checklist is a structured self-assessment tool that tests a consultation against each of the four principles. A good checklist scores the consultation on formative timing, the adequacy of information provided, the time allowed, and the evidence trail for how responses were considered. Tractivity's free self-audit rates each principle and returns an overall readiness result: Defensible, At risk or Vulnerable.
How can stakeholder management software help with Gunning Principles compliance?
Stakeholder relationship management (SRM) software like Tractivity helps most directly with the fourth Gunning Principle by creating the auditable engagement record that organisations need when a decision is scrutinised. Every consultation response is logged against the stakeholder it came from, themed and analysed, and exportable as evidence. This replaces spreadsheet-based tracking, which is difficult to audit and easy to challenge.
Is this kit legal advice?
No. The consultation compliance kit provides general information about the principles of fair consultation. It is not legal advice. For a specific consultation facing legal risk, take advice from a public law specialist.
