Tingwall partnered with Hunter Water in 2024 to navigate a difficult pricing proposal period. When the NSW cabinet approved a major supply augmentation project, a significant increase to customer bills was unavoidable. Together, we designed an engagement program that strengthened Hunter Water’s credibility with its customers and positioned the organisation as a leader in the industry.
Our analysis found that through a comprehensive multi-stage engagement program, Hunter Water demonstrated the customer engagement principle at an Advanced level. Hunter Water involved its customers in setting priorities Hunter Water’s engagement for its pricing proposal builds on previous engagement and interaction with customers, and a strong understanding of customer preferences. Its engagement on key topics for additional investment focused on what it considered customers could have the greatest influence on, priority areas for decision making for the business and where there could be material bill impacts.
IPART, the NSW economic regulator, rated Hunter Water’s proposal as Advanced – it was the only corporation in NSW to achieve a rating above Standard.
“Hunter Water engaged effectively We consider that Hunter Water has demonstrated effective engagement at an Advanced level. Our review of engagement materials finds that overall, the information Hunter Water provided to customers was clear, accessible, and targeted. To address bias, it worked with engagement experts to develop engagement materials and had its engagement experts facilitate direct engagement.” Page 136
Learn more about our approach to engagement for price submissions.
