SMDA Monthly Update – April 2019

Dear SMDA Scheme Members

This is our fourth monthly update, which provides an overview of the latest scheme news and activities. If there is anything additional you would like to see in future updates then please do let us know.

Path to Partial Assurance – Progress Update

In our March update, we informed you of the next steps to attaining Partial Assurance. This involved a full review and analysis session by the Scheme Operator and the Test House of the outcome of all tests completed covering Credit in the Central and South regions. The results were presented to the Management Panel at MP08 last week.

The good news is that the majority of the tests have passed across all Early Mover Model (EMM) devices. The few remaining can be split into two groups, common issues and device specific issues. At MP08, the Management Panel agreed to tolerate those common issues that are being seen across industry and are outside of the SMDA scheme’s control to rectify. This essentially gives us the baseline against which Partial Assurance can be issued.

The next step is to review the device specific issues. This will be undertaken at MP09 which is scheduled for next week. Depending on the outcome of this meeting, it is hoped that we will be in a position to issue Partial Assurance certificates and we will provide you with an update following MP09.

With this in mind, we would encourage device manufacturers to contact the Test House as soon as possible to secure your testing slot. We have already had non-EMM devices submitted to the Test House and are progressing testing these against our agreed baseline. To contact the lab, please email smdalab@nmi.nl.

Annual Membership Fee

 Earlier this month, we communicated to members that the annual membership fee will be increasing this year to £2,250. This was agreed by the SMDA Co Board to enable the scheme to update the testing infrastructure and ensure it remains aligned with industry requirements, specifically around upcoming introduction of Release 2 and Alternate ESME devices. Due diligence has been undertaken to ensure the cost of change is kept as low as possible and we fully anticipate the membership fee to reduce again next year, once this work is complete. Invoices were issued on 24th April.

Benefits of being an SMDA member include:

  • Discounted testing fees, saving manufacturers at least £5,000 per device submitted
  • Access to the Device Assurance Register (DAR), where approved SMDA devices will be displayed
  • Access to SMDA documentation, including test specifications and scheme procedures
  • Access to test reports for manufacturers, and for Supplier members where required by Ofgem
  • Ability to influence the scheme’s development through your member representatives on the Management Panel and SMDA Co Board

 Recent and Forthcoming Meetings

  • The SMDA Management Panel met on 25th April (MP08)
  • The SMDA Management Panel will next meet on 7th May (MP09)
  • The SMDA Co. Board will next meet on 7th May
  • The SO will be presenting at the EUA Joint Members meeting on 21st May
  • The SO will be presenting at the ENA DCC Interaction IT Group meeting on 22nd May
  • The Test House continues to meet with EMM manufacturers and welcomes ongoing engagement

Please contact smdaso@gemserv.com if you have any questions on the information in this update, otherwise we will issue the next update at the end of May.

Best Wishes

Louise Singleton, Head of SMDA Scheme