CASE STUDY
How Rock Creek Energy Group Processes Hundreds of FERC Filings
CASE STUDY
Rock Creek Energy Group LLP
EMPLOYEES
20
TYPE
Law Firm
SOLUTION
eTariffManager + eMBRData
LOCATION
Washington D.C.
JOINED SYSTRENDS
2021
People First
Responsive, reliable, and clear communication from subject matter experts with valuable industry knowledge has earned Rock Creek’s trust.
User Friendly Software
Systrends’ applications are remarkably intuitive, empowering Rock Creek to file tariffs and MBR data at industry-leading volume.
Flexible Offering
Rock Creek appreciates a flexible pay-per-filing fee structure and detailed invoicing to pass costs through to clients seamlessly.
“99% of the time we’re getting sign off at the 11th hour and occasionally we have some random issue arise that we need support to address. Responsiveness and reliability are critical and Systrends consistently meets those needs.”
HALEY FRANCO
Energy Regulatory Advisor
THE COMPANY
Industry leading counsel for federal energy regulatory issues
Based in Washington D.C., Rock Creek Energy Group (RCEG) provides legal counsel on federal energy regulatory matters to clients across the energy sector, including private equity investors, developers, owners, and operators of electric generation and transmission projects subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) throughout the United States. Founded in 2021, the firm is defined by the depth of their expertise in how the electric energy industry is regulated, as their partners boast over 20 years of experience in federal energy regulatory law. While most large law firms have a small group of FERC specialists, RCEG is dedicated solely to FERC matters.
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Since its inception, RCEG and its partners have been recognized consistently by Chambers and The Legal500 for their leadership in energy regulation. Their clients, many of which are key players in the industry, rely on their team to solve complex regulatory issues in a fast-paced commercially sensitive environment.
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Central to their services, RCEG assists clients with complying with their on-going FERC regulatory reporting requirements, including tariff filings and updates to the Market-Based Rate (MBR) relational database. Their team prepares and submits hundreds of FERC filings each year.
THE CHALLENGE
Simplify FERC compliance for clients
Beginning in April 2010, the FERC’s Order 714 required all tariffs, tariff revisions, and rate change applications be filed electronically. Working in partnership with the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), the Commission adopted the first national XML-based standard to collect, manage, and distribute data in the energy industry. XML, or Extensible Markup Language, offered a flexible way to exchange and store data in a structured manner.
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RCEG needed to find a solution to serve their clients efficiently and effectively. Due to the complexity of the new XML-based standard, the RCEG turned to software vendors.
THE SOLUTION
User friendly software with reliable and personal support
RCEG conducted a comprehensive evaluation of potential vendors and ultimately selected Systrends on account of mutual rapport, intuitive functionality, and flexible pricing. At the foundation, the firm found in Systrends’ eTariff filing software an intuitive and logical structure with a user-friendly interface. As external counsel, the partners also appreciated that per filing costs could be allocated by entity and Systrends’ offered a flexible usage-based pricing structure that enabled them to pass costs along to their clients directly. Most importantly, however, RCEG found Systrends’ team reliable and valued their subject matter expertise.
When the FERC issued Order No. 860 effective in February 2022, RCEG quickly committed to Systrends’ MBR application as well and played a critical role in shaping its development.
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Since partnering with Systrends for both eTariff and MBR relational database filing software, RCEG’s FERC compliance practice has continued to grow. As their team has scaled up, the applications’ user-friendly interface and intuitive structure has empowered more senior leaders to train associates and paralegals quickly. While processing a substantial filing volume and often on tight timelines, RCEG leans on their strong relationship with Systrends’ team for responsive, clear, and knowledgeable support.