Sec.16-47a-5. Joint purchases. Centralized support services. Shared services and properties

(a) Joint Purchases. Except as otherwise prohibited by the Department, a gas company and its affiliates may make joint purchases of goods and services. Examples of permissible joint purchases shall include joint purchases of general office supplies and telephone services. A gas company shall ensure that all joint purchases are priced, reported, and conducted in a manner that permits clear identification of the gas company and its affiliates' portion(s) of such purchases, and in accordance with the Gas Code of Conduct as well as other applicable Department pricing, allocation and reporting requirements.

(b) Centralized Support Services. A gas company, its parent holding company, or any other affiliate may share joint corporate oversight, governance, management and administrative activities, support systems, personnel and shared corporate support services. Any shared or joint corporate support services, management or administrative activities shall be priced, reported and conducted in accordance with the Gas Code of Conduct as well as other applicable Department pricing and reporting requirements.

(c) Shared Employees, Equipment and Properties.

(1) Except as otherwise prohibited by the Department, a gas company and its affiliates may share employees. However, with the exception of other Connecticut regulated public service companies, or in connection with shared corporate support services, the use of shared employees shall be minimized and shall be subject to all of the following limitations and requirements:

(A) If a shared employee acquires knowledge of any private market sensitive information, such employee is prohibited from sharing such information or using such information to the unfair competitive advantage of any company; and

(B) A gas company shall ensure that all shared employees shall record time in a manner consistent with a master service framework or service agreement, which shall be maintained routinely and available for Department review upon request. A master service framework or service agreement shall clearly indentify the job titles or positions, the salary and benefits or each position and the portion or percentage of such salary or benefits to be borne by the gas company and each affiliate.

(2) Except as otherwise prohibited by the Department, a gas company and its affiliates may share the use of vehicles, equipment and office space provided the provision of such services is established in a master framework or service agreement that is available for Department review and is not anticompetitive or discriminatory.

(d) A gas company shall not share with an unregulated affiliate any market analysis report, survey, research or any other type of report that is proprietary or not available to the public, including, without limitation, a forecast, planning or strategic report.

(Adopted effective February 8, 2011)