REGULATORY AND LITIGATION SUPPORT SERVICES
SAGE Management Consultants, LLC (SAGE) provides Regulatory and Litigation Support Services, including Expert Witness Testimony, to public utility regulators, regulated utilities, law firms, public advocates, and related clients in a wide array of areas including:
SAGE consultants have provided expert witness testimony and reports to: regulatory commissions, federal and state district courts, and a legislative committee in conjunction with lawsuits, rate cases, and other regulatory proceedings.
CASE TEAMS
SAGE is a consortium model firm with a core of key staff members supplemented by associated independent consultants and specialty firms. The consortium members work together regularly and have long personal and professional relationships. SAGE has found that this is a highly effective and efficient model for clients. Each client receives exactly the right consulting team for its needs rather than whomever the consultancy has available at the moment. As a consortium model firm, our partners’ wide network of consultants, specialists, and experts is available to each client. Our management review and audit teams are specifically tailored to each case and can include:
CLIENTELE
Representative clients of the firm’s founders are shown below.
SAGE Management Consultants, LLC (SAGE) provides Regulatory and Litigation Support Services, including Expert Witness Testimony, to public utility regulators, regulated utilities, law firms, public advocates, and related clients in a wide array of areas including:
- Rate Cases and Other Regulatory Proceedings
- Lawsuits and Contract Disputes
- Affiliate Relationships and Transactions
- Storm Cost Recovery
- Contracts, Contracting, and Contractor Performance
- Management and Capital Program Prudence
- Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity
- Energy Commodity Procurement and Contracting
- Customer Service, Credit, and Collections
- Fuel Adjustment Mechanisms
- Legal, Regulatory, and Governance Board Compliance Audits
- Emergency Planning and Response
- Storm Response Preparation and Recovery
SAGE consultants have provided expert witness testimony and reports to: regulatory commissions, federal and state district courts, and a legislative committee in conjunction with lawsuits, rate cases, and other regulatory proceedings.
CASE TEAMS
SAGE is a consortium model firm with a core of key staff members supplemented by associated independent consultants and specialty firms. The consortium members work together regularly and have long personal and professional relationships. SAGE has found that this is a highly effective and efficient model for clients. Each client receives exactly the right consulting team for its needs rather than whomever the consultancy has available at the moment. As a consortium model firm, our partners’ wide network of consultants, specialists, and experts is available to each client. Our management review and audit teams are specifically tailored to each case and can include:
- Professional Engineers
- Certified Public Accountants
- Subject Matter Experts in Specialized Fields
- Former Regulatory Staff
- Certified Management Consultants
CLIENTELE
Representative clients of the firm’s founders are shown below.
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Public Utility Commissions
Alaska California Connecticut Florida Georgia Guam Illinois Kentucky Maryland Missouri New Jersey New Mexico New York Pennsylvania Texas Vermont Boards and Oversight Agencies Colorado Springs City Council Delaware River Port Authority Inspector General Los Angeles City Controller Lower Colorado River Authority Board Metropolitan District Commission Tacoma City Council Legal Alaska Attorney General Bachus & Schanker (Law Firm) CenterPoint Energy Law Department Colorado Springs City Attorney Florida Office of Public Counsel Halloran & Sage (Law Firm) Kasowitz Benson (Law Firm) Maine Office of Public Advocate Massachusetts Attorney General New Mexico Attorney General Nixon Peabody (Law Firm) Nova Scotia Consumer Advocate |
Investor Owned Utility Subjects of Commission Ordered Audits or Proceedings
Central Illinois Electric Company Gas Division Central Maine Power Connecticut Light & Power Co. El Paso Electric Company Emeral Maine Eon/Louisville Gas & Electric FirstEnergy/Jersey Central Power & Light Iberdrola/Central Maine Power National Fuel Gas National Grid/Niagara Mohawk NiSource/Bay State Gas NSTAR Gas Pacific Gas & Electric Peoples Gas Company Philadelphia Gas Works Southern California Gas Investor Owned Utility Clients Integrys/Peoples Gas PacifiCorp, Inc. PHI/Atlantic City Electric Public Service Company of NC PNM/Gas Company of New Mexico Southern California Edison United Cities Gas Vectren/Indiana Gas Company Verizon New York Xcel/Southwestern Public Service Integrys/Peoples Gas PacifiCorp, Inc. PHI/Atlantic City Electric Publicly Owned Enterprises Colorado Springs Utilities Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Lower Colorado River Authority Nebraska Electric G&T Cooperative New York City Water & Wastewater Philadelphia Gas Works Tacoma Public Utilities |
EXPERT WITNESS EXPERIENCE
SAGE consultants have provided expert witness testimony and reports before regulatory commissions, federal and state district courts and a legislative committee in conjunction with law suits, rate cases and other regulatory proceedings:
REGULATORY AND LITIGATION SUPPORT EXPERIENCE
SAGE consultants have provided regulatory and litigation support to law firms, company law departments, public advocates, attorneys general, and regulatory commissions. Examples of SAGE consultants’ regulatory and litigation support experience follow:
CONTACT:
Robert L. Rosenkoetter, CPA
Partner
SAGE Management Consultants, LLC
Direct: (678) 867-0784
Email: rosenkoetter@sageconsultants.org
SAGE consultants have provided expert witness testimony and reports before regulatory commissions, federal and state district courts and a legislative committee in conjunction with law suits, rate cases and other regulatory proceedings:
- Alaska Public Utility Commission - Contel rate case
- California Senate Energy Committee – Pacific Gas & Electric financial crisis
- California Public Utility Commission – Pacific Gas & Electric financial crisis
- Colorado District Court – Gas explosion law suit
- Connecticut Public Utility Commission – Connecticut Light & Power storm cost recovery, Southern Connecticut Gas affiliated interest proceeding, and telecommunications storm restoration standards
- Connecticut District Court – Litigation support and expert witness for the State of Connecticut’s law firm in a lawsuit against a district energy subsidiary of an investor owned utility.
- Florida Public Service Commission – Florida Power & Light rate case
- Guam Public Utilities Commission - Guam Power Authority rate case
- Maine Public Utilities Commission – Emera/Maine Public Service merger, Central Maine Power storm cost recovery, and Emera/Algonquin Public Utilities/First Wind reorganization
- Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities – NiSource/Bay State Gas Company rate case
- New Mexico Public Service Commission - Public Service Company of New Mexico’s acquisition of the Gas Company of New Mexico and El Paso Electric Fuel Adjustment Mechanism
- Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board – Nova Scotia Power, Inc. general rate case and fuel adjustment mechanism hearing and affiliate report annual review
- Tennessee Public Service Commission - United Cities Gas rate case
- Texas Public Utility Commission – Xcel/Southwestern Public Service Company rate case
- U.S. District Court - AT&T anti-trust trial
REGULATORY AND LITIGATION SUPPORT EXPERIENCE
SAGE consultants have provided regulatory and litigation support to law firms, company law departments, public advocates, attorneys general, and regulatory commissions. Examples of SAGE consultants’ regulatory and litigation support experience follow:
- Regulatory Commission Extension of Staff - Acted as “extension of staff” to a state regulatory commission through complete dockets including drafting decisions, orders and performance standards.
- Storm Cost Recovery - Assisted both regulatory commission staff and a consumer advocate with storm cost recovery cases including expert testimony.
- Gas Commodity Price Litigation - Provided litigation support to a law firm regarding gas commodity price overcharges to a mining company related to the California energy crisis.
- Natural Gas Technical Research and Advice - Assisted a state Attorney General’s ratepayer advocacy agency with technical research and advice on two different gas company regulatory proceedings.
- Commission Order Defense - Assisted two different investor owned utilities defend themselves against proposed commission orders related to regulatory management audits.
- Natural Gas Explosion Law Suit - Provided litigation support and expert testimony on behalf of the plaintiff.
- Transfer Pricing Policy - Assisted a regional Bell holding company in its development of a new transfer pricing policy for corporate, regulated, and unregulated entities. The policy was designed to motivate rational economic behavior and to comply with all affiliated interest regulatory requirements.
- City Attorney’s Office Management Review - Conducted a comprehensive management review of a large City Attorney’s office.
- Performance Based Ratemaking - Participated in a national research study of performance based ratemaking for a consortium of investor owned utilities.
- Airport Terminal Leasing Model - Assisted a large municipal airport determine the optimal terminal leasing model.
- Affiliate Interest Contracting Strategies - Developed contracting and procurement affiliate interest strategies for two different regional Bell holding companies.
- Affiliated Interest Policy - Assisted a multi-state utility in developing a fair and acceptable affiliated interest policy and cost allocation methodology.
- Written Expert Testimony - Prepared written testimony for use by three utilities and two commissions.
- Regulatory Restructuring - Assisted an investor owned utility prepare for a restructuring case by preparing “Red Team” (anticipating the opposition’s case) testimony and rebuttal testimony.
- Wrongful Death Suit - Provided expert litigation support to a law firm based upon a study performed for the Federal government on mining safety regarding a wrongful death suit.
- Rate Making Process - Assisted a large municipal utility integrate its capital program planning, financing and rate making processes.
- Management Audit Preparation - Assisted five different telephone, electric, and gas investor owned utility clients prepare for impending management audits.
- Revenue Requirements Study - Reviewed a large municipal utility’s revenue requirements on behalf of its municipal governance groups.
- Cost of Service Indexing Program - Provided support to an investor owned utility in its cost of service indexing program.
- Contributions in Aid of Construction - Conducted a study for the Florida Public Service Commission to assist in developing a “contributions in aid of construction” policy for utility companies. The study was presented to the Commission in expert testimony.
- Power Purchase Agreement Dispute - Assisted a major western energy company’s law department with an audit of a multi-year power purchase agreement worth one billion dollars per year. The study recommended multi-million dollar refunds and credits due to non-compliance. The study also included recommendations for improvements to the invoicing and approval process. The results of the audit were included in a multi-billion dollar global settlement of multiple law suits.
- District Energy Contract Audit - Assisted a northeastern law firm in auditing a series of State contracts with a district energy company. The study focused on rate and invoicing compliance and identified multiple instances of non-compliance. The audit resulted in an Expert Witness Report filed in conjunction with the law suit to recover the multi-million dollar overpayments. The suit was settled before trial.
- Affiliate Contracts - Assisted a major southwestern energy company’s law department in the examination of a series of contracts with affiliates and former affiliates. The contracts covered power purchases, transmission, pipeline operations, administrative services, fuel purchases and dispatch. The engagement identified multiple opportunities for improvement in contracting and contractor management.
- Provider of Last Resort Power Acquisition - Assisted a major Midwestern IOU in the development of a strategy for the acquisition of provider of last resort (POLR) power. The engagement considered all major power procurement contracting methodologies, including auctions and bilateral power purchase agreements.
- Deregulation and Restructuring - Conducted a strategic examination of the status and results to date of deregulation and restructuring in the electric industry for a multi-state electric utility. The emphasis was on the Northeast and Midwest and included the effect of PJM, bilateral, auction and RFP power procurement and electric price trends under the various restructuring methods.
- All Requirements Power Supply Contract - Reviewed an “All Requirements” electric power supply contract in connection with a management audit of an investor owned transmission and distribution utility.
- Construction Contract Audit - Audited a multi-million dollar construction time and materials contract for a large Midwestern energy company. The study recommended multiple improvements in the contracting and contractor management process.
- Management Audit Preparation - Assisted several different utilities prepare for management audits. Assistance included risk assessment, interview training and document request response review.
- Legal, Regulatory and Governance Board Management and Policy Compliance Audits - Conducted management studies and performance audits for boards and inspectors general, including: The Metropolitan District Commission, Lower Colorado River Authority, Delaware River Port Authority, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the City Councils of Tacoma, Colorado Springs, Port Arthur, Texas.
CONTACT:
Robert L. Rosenkoetter, CPA
Partner
SAGE Management Consultants, LLC
Direct: (678) 867-0784
Email: rosenkoetter@sageconsultants.org