Electricity Service Delivery: Transforming the Transmission Rights Auction System
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Challenge
An electricity service delivery company faced challenges with their transmission rights auction (TRA) system for managing auctions, processing bids on products, and ensuring transmission rights were awarded to the correct organization. Their TRA system lacked the features needed for external administrators to use the system effectively as well as an easy way to add new features. As a result, the company was forced to use additional tools.
With the existing system, many TRA processes were carried out manually using multiple complex spreadsheets that included a high volume of macros, making the processes prone to human error. The complexity of this work required extensive user training and overhead costs.
The electricity service provider needed an easy way to process the bids external customers place on the company’s products during specified auction periods. The company also needed to digitize time-consuming administrative work previously completed using spreadsheets, such as generating and updating reports.
Solution
With Macedon Technologies as a partner, the electricity service provider was able to replace its existing TRA system with a new solution in Appian which delivers additional functionality, is simple to learn, and is easy to modify. Work formerly performed with spreadsheets and emails is now built into the Appian application.
Leveraging the Appian system, Macedon Technologies eliminated the need for a time-consuming manual review by enabling the electricity service company to review bids on products automatically based on the various parameters of the auction and the bid.
This system includes digitized administrative processes for creating, editing, and publishing auction information. Macedon Technologies worked with the electricity service provider to move processes that were accomplished previously using spreadsheets to an administrative portal where reports are updated in real-time to reflect the latest data.
Result
Macedon Technologies was able to rebuild, test, and deploy all the functionality for a TRA system that had been in place for 15 years in just 9 months using only two developers, one from Macedon and one from the electricity service company. Appian is easier to modify than the previous solutions, enabling the company to add new features when necessary. While carrying out the work, Macedon trained the company’s internal developer so they could easily modify the application in the future as business needs change.
The Macedon team delivered a stable environment that external bidders and internal administrators use for all auctioning transmission rights activities. Streamlined features make the use of multiple spreadsheets by administrators unnecessary. The user-friendly Appian system reduces the overall complexity of completing auction processes by directing users on how to complete tasks.
Beyond just a replacement of the old process, the new system includes expanded features that enable the company to import auction data in bulk instead of one piece of information at a time – a valuable feature the team at the electricity service provider did not think could be included in the scope. Now, customers also can place more granular bids to fit their needs.
With the new TRA system that exceeded expectations, tedious manual processes eliminated, a fully trained internal resource who can update the system, and happy customers who can place more granular bids and push them through more quickly, the team at the electricity service provider are elated with the solution Macedon provided.
Simplified internal and external user tasks with digitized auction processes
Ready to Talk?
Curious how Macedon can help simplify your work and processes? Let's get started
