OPPD here in Omaha said they'll provide 24 months of billing data at no charge but anything beyond that is $25 per month of records. My client wants me to go back 5 years which would be $900 in records fees. Is it normal for utilities to charge for historical data? Who pays — me or the client?
Utility wants a fee to release historical billing records
Some utilities charge for extended historical records, especially for anything beyond their standard retention window. OPPD's $25/month is on the higher end though. I'd push back and ask if they can provide it electronically at a reduced rate — sometimes the fee is based on the cost of physically printing and mailing paper copies. As for who pays, that should be in your engagement agreement. I typically pass records fees through to the client since it's a direct cost of the audit.
Whether the extended records are worth the cost depends on what you expect to find. If you suspect a rate class error that's been in place for 5 years, the potential recovery could be tens of thousands of dollars, making $900 in records fees trivial. If you're just doing a general audit with no specific red flags, the standard 24 months at no charge is probably sufficient. Make a business case to the client: here's what the records will cost, here's what we might find, here's the potential return.
Talked it over with the client. We're going with the standard 24 months first to see if there are any findings. If we find a pattern that suggests the error goes back further, we'll pay for the extended records then. Smarter than paying $900 upfront on a hunch. Found a rate class issue within the first 24 months anyway so now we have justification to request the extended history.