NPRR330  Change in Frequency of Four Protocol Required Audits from Annual to Periodic (formerly "Change in Frequency of Five Protocol Required Audits from Annual to Periodic")

This Nodal Protocol Revision Request (NPRR) revises the frequency for the ERCOT Internal Audit Department to perform audits from an annual basis to a periodic basis. This NPRR impacts: (1) Three annual ERCOT Internal Audit Department-performed audits that are required by paragraph (2) of Section 1.4.3.1: (a) Ethics Compliance Audit -- Compliance with Code-of-Conduct and Ethics Corporate Standard (b) Confidentiality Compliance Audit -- Compliance with Confidentiality and Protected Information Provisions of Protocols (c) Independence Verification Audit -- ERCOT Administration of Protocols is Independent of Market Participants. The ERCOT Internal Audit Department has performed the above three audits annually since 2008. (2) One independent audit required by paragraph (5) of Section 3.10: (a) Audit of Consistent Information in Operations Models This is a new Nodal Protocol required audit and is being performed for the first time in 2011 by the ERCOT Internal Audit Department. (3) One audit required by Section 17.3.3: (a) Audit of ERCOT Market Monitoring Data Handling Processes This is a new Nodal Protocol required audit and is being performed for the first time in 2011 by the ERCOT Internal Audit Department. The ERCOT Internal Audit Department tentatively plans to perform the above five audits no less than once every three years.