Monthly NERC Compliance Program Support Services

Often times, an entity may not have the technical expertise internally to fully understand and develop the approach needed to comply with a given regulatory requirement, or an entity may simply wish to use an objective external third party to answer questions, provide guidance and advice in matters involving satisfaction of the entity’s regulatory obligations. Whatever the need may be, PCS Monthly NERC Compliance Program Support Services provides the entity with years of seasoned technical expertise from our experienced PCS professionals on all matters related to compliance management, critical infrastructure protection, and operations and planning activities. For our Monthly Compliance Program Support, PCS is flexible in the services we provide to assure you receive the necessary support.

These services may include, but is not limited to, providing the following as called upon:

  • Internal Compliance Program Management Support
  • Annual Procedure Review
  • Self-Certification Support and Submittal
  • Spot Check Support
  • Periodic Data Submittal Support
  • Annual RSAW Review and Updating
  • RSAW Development for New Standards and Requirements
  • Annual Updates of Training and Awareness Modules
  • Internal Controls Assessment/Development
  • Interface with the Regions and NERC
  • Monitor/Participate in Industry Meetings
  • NERC and Regional Portal Support
  • NERC Alerts Support
  • Monthly Update Calls with Management and Site Staff, if requested
  • General Compliance Questions/Calls
  • Incident/Event Review & Advice
  • Other Support Services as Reasonably Requested

Benefits

  • We answer the phone!
  • A team of experts available to assist with your compliance needs
  • Covers all aspects of NERC Reliability Standards compliance
  • We have experts in Project management, IT, Physical Security, Transmission, Operations, Auditing, Relay Maintenance, Modeling, Generation and just about any other aspect of the energy business you can imagine

What Is Compliance Management?

Compliance management ensures that an organization adheres to the laws, regulations, standards, and best practices that apply to its industry and operations. Compliance management helps an organization avoid legal risks, financial penalties, reputational damage, and operation inefficiencies. Compliance management also enables an organization to demonstrate its integrity, accountability, and social responsibility to its customers, partners, and stakeholders.

What Is a Compliance Management System?

A compliance management system(CMS) is a set of policies, procedures, and practices an organization implements to achieve and maintain compliance. A CMS covers all aspects of an organization’s compliance activities, such as identifying and assessing compliance risks, establishing and communicating compliance expectations, providing compliance training and education, monitoring and auditing compliance discipline performance, enforcing compliance discipline, and reporting and resolving compliance issues. A CMS is not a state document but a dynamic and evolving framework that adapts to the changing needs and challenges of the organization and its environment.

What Are the Elements of a Compliance Management System?

Compliance Management System consists of seven elements according to the International Organization for Standardization(ISO).

  • Leadership and commitment: The organization’s top management provides the vision, direction, and support for the CMS and fosters a culture of compliance.
  • Planning: The organization identifies its compliance obligations, objectives, and targets and develops plans and strategies to achieve them. 
  • Support: The organization provides the necessary resources, competencies, and awareness to implement and maintain the CMS and ensure effective internal and external communication and consultation on compliance matters. 
  • Operation: The organization executes the compliance policies and procedures and controls the compliance risks and opportunities.
  • Performance evaluation: The organization monitors, measures, analyzes, and evaluates its compliance performance and conducts internal and external audits to verify the effectiveness of the CMS.
  • Improvement: The organization identifies and implements corrective and preventive actions to address non-compliance or potential non-compliance and continually seeks to improve the CMS and its outcomes.
  • Documentation: The organization maintains and updates the documentation of the CMS, such as policies, procedures, records, and reports, and makes them accessible and available as needed.