After 10 years of doing this, I still catch mistakes in my own work during final review. What QC steps does everyone use before sending audit results to clients or utilities? I've developed a 15-point checklist but always looking to improve it.
Quality control checklist before submitting claims
Carlos, would love to see your checklist! Mine covers: rate schedule version verification, meter multiplier confirmation, demand window calculations, power factor penalties, tax calculations, and fuel adjustment verification. But I'm probably missing things.
I always have a colleague spot-check my demand calculations and rate applications. Fresh eyes catch things you miss after staring at the same spreadsheet for hours. Especially important on large accounts where a small percentage error means big dollars.
Don't forget to verify your time periods match exactly. I once calculated a perfect refund but used 13 billing periods instead of 12. Client noticed it immediately and questioned everything else in the report. Embarrassing mistake that could have been avoided with better QC.
I created a reconciliation sheet that totals the original bills vs. my recalculated bills vs. the claimed refund amount. All three numbers have to tie out perfectly or I keep digging. Saved me from several calculation errors over the years.
Good point Carol. I also cross-reference my interval data analysis with the monthly bill demands to catch CT ratio errors. If your 15-minute peaks don't align with billed demand (accounting for ratchets), something's wrong with your setup.
Last thing - always print out and review a hard copy of your final calculations. I know it's old school, but I catch formatting errors and transposed numbers on paper that I miss on screen. Georgia Power rejected a claim because I had a typo in the account number. Details matter!