The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) is pleased to publish its Draft Annual Plan and Budget for 2023 (URCA/2023). This document outlines:

A brief review of URCA’s achievements in 2022;

URCA’s focus areas and key priorities for 2023;

URCA’s key projects for 2023, including its planned consultation schedule for the year;

A series of the key performance indicators which URCA shall use to measure its performance during the year; and

URCA’s budget for the upcoming financial year. The Draft Annual Plan can be found here.

URCA invites and welcomes comments and submissions from members of the public, licensees and other interested parties on the matters contained in this Draft Annual Plan.

The timeline and steps for responses to this Draft Annual Plan are as follows:

All submissions to this consultation should be submitted by 5pm on 10 February 2023;

URCA will publish the responses to this Consultation along with its Statement of Results and Final Decision by 5:00 pm on or before 17 March 2023; and

URCA intends to publish the final version of its annual plan by 30 April 2023.

As part of the consultation on this draft Annual Plan, URCA will hold at least one stakeholder forum to present the draft Annual Plan and to allow key stakeholders (licensees, government agencies, and civil society) an opportunity to provide input. URCA has tentatively scheduled a virtual forum for 2 February 2023.

Written submissions or comments on the Draft Annual Plan should be addressed to URCA’s Chief Executive Officer with the subject line, “URCA draft Annual Plan”. Submission can be made by:

• hand, to URCA’s office at Frederick House, Frederick Street, Nassau;
• mail, to P.O. Box N-4860, Nassau, Bahamas; or
• fax, to 242 393 0237; or
• email, to info@urcabahamas.bs