Case study

Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER)

Establishing a competitive market for electricity supply - a world first for Great Britain

The Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER) was charged by the UK Government with overseeing the establishment of a competitive market for domestic electricity supply in Great Britain by 1998. The scale of the undertaking was massive and unprecedented, effectively requiring an industry to be 're-engineered'. A new legal framework had to be established and nearly all fundamental industry processes needed to change, to enable suppliers to inter-trade and customers to change supplier.

OFFER (now known as the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, or Ofgem) appointed PA to co-ordinate the program of work across the industry, ensuring that all elements necessary to introduce competition were defined, 'owned' and fitted together.

"PA, OFFER and the electricity industry worked together effectively to undertake this highly complex industry transformation."

Tony Boorman, Deputy Director General, Ofgem