SMDA Newsletter – Quarterly Update

SMDA Review

The Scheme Operator would like to thank everyone who participated in the SMDA review. Stakeholders were interviewed to identify and quantify the costs and benefits of the SMDA Scheme and to highlight improvements.

The results of the review were presented to the SEC Panel meeting on 12 August 2022, where it was agreed to issue a consultation to SEC Parties, requesting further input on the next steps and suggested interventions for the Scheme. The consultation was published on the SEC website here on 13 September 2022.

SEC Parties are invited to submit the response form to SMDASO@gemserv.com with the subject line ‘OC001 – SMDA Review’ by 5pm Monday 3 October 2022.

Restructure

The SEC Panel agreed on 12 August 2022 to restructure the SMDA governance to have one Sub-Committee. The SMDA Technical Sub-Group and the SMDA Sub-Committee will be merged into one SMDA committee to discuss all aspects of the Scheme and make recommendations to the SEC Panel.

Manufacturer NDA

The Scheme Operator with assistance from the SEC legal team have developed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to allow manufacturers to request the SMDA test scripts and assist with submitting devices to the Scheme.

The NDA was approved by the SEC Panel and manufacturers can request access to the test scripts by contacting SMDASO@gemserv.com.

Change Procedure

The updated Change Procedure was published on 25 August 2022 and is available here. The purpose of the changes were to clarify the process for changes to the SMDA test scripts and baselines.

Device Assurance Register

There are currently 38 devices on the Device Assurance Register (DAR). Since the last newsletter in June, nine devices have been awarded Assurance. Eight devices were awarded Full Assurance and one gained Partial Assurance on the November 2019 SEC Release baseline. This is one of the most successful periods of assurance for the Scheme.

SMDA Meetings and Stakeholder Presentation

Alongside the SMDA Sub-Committee and Sub-Group meetings, the Scheme Operator has presented at multiple industry events highlighted below.

Over the next quarter, SMDA will be focusing on:

·       Developing an impact assessment for the November 2022 SEC Release Baseline

·       Developing an impact assessment for DNO test scenarios

·       Developing an impact assessment for Double Band device testing