Regulatory affairs and policy advisory

When you need policy advice

Most businesses need policy advice at a few predictable moments. Each one has a window in which a well-reasoned input can still be considered. Once a rule is final, the options narrow.

• A ministry, department or regulator publishes a draft rule, regulation or policy for comment.
• A new instrument is notified, and its effect on your costs, operations or approvals is unclear.
• An existing rule is applied in a way that does not fit your situation.
• A regulator opens a proceeding that will set terms for your sector.
• Your industry association is preparing a joint submission, and your position needs to be in it.

The common problems are time and capacity. Comment windows are short. In-house teams are busy running plants. Without a clear analysis, a submission can read as a complaint, not a case.

What we do

Our regulatory affairs work covers four kinds of task. Each can stand alone or be part of a longer engagement.

• Analysis: what the instrument says, what it changes, who it applies to and from when, and how it fits with the rules around it.
• Comments on draft rules: written submissions that set out your position, the evidence for it and the specific changes you ask for.
• Representations: letters and notes to ministries, departments and regulators on current rules or how they are applied, and preparation for meetings the authority agrees to.
• Stakeholder strategy: which authority decides, who else is affected, where industry associations fit, and the order in which to engage.

Comments on draft rules: what a good comment contains

A good comment is specific. It names the clause. It explains the effect on your business, with facts and numbers where you have them. It proposes the exact change to the text. It meets the authority's deadline and format. We help you build each part and keep the tone factual.

What you receive

Depending on the scope we agree, an engagement can include:

• a written analysis note in plain English;
• a draft comment or representation, revised with you until it says what you mean;
• a short stakeholder map and engagement plan;
• support for meetings and follow-up letters;
• a closing note on the final instrument: what changed and what to do next.

Policy Impact Simulation

What will a new policy cost or save us?

Before you take a position on a policy, it helps to know what it means in numbers. In a policy impact simulation assignment, our team reads the policy's rules from the official notification and applies them to your plant's data. You receive a written report with base, better and worse cases, the working behind each figure, and the assumptions and sources, and our advisers take you through the recommendations.

Our specialist areas

This page is the starting point. Sector work sits with our specialist services. In the power sector, for example, CERC, State commissions and the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity are set up under the Electricity Act, 2003, and matters before them follow their own procedures.

• Power sector regulatory advisory: tariff orders, petitions, objections and GERC and CERC matters.
• Renewable energy regulatory advisory: policy assessment, approvals, PPAs and compliance for solar, wind and hybrid projects.
• Green energy open access and captive power advisory: eligibility, charges and structure for buying green power.
• BESS regulatory advisory: the regulatory position of battery energy storage projects.
• Electricity duty and incentive claims: what a Gujarat unit can claim, kept apart from what is only announced.
• Statutory approvals and government liaison: approvals, renewals and NOCs for operating units.

How an engagement works

1. Scoping: we agree the question, the instruments involved, the authority's deadline and what you need at the end.
2. Analysis: we read the instruments and the record, and set out the effect on your business in plain terms.
3. Position and documents: we draft the comment, representation or note with you.
4. Filing and engagement: you submit in your own name or through your association. We support meetings and follow-up letters.
5. Follow-through: we track the response and the final instrument, and tell you what changed.

We do not promise outcomes. Authorities decide on the record before them. Our job is to make your part of that record clear, accurate and on time.

What we do not do

• We are not a law firm. We do not give legal opinions or appear as an advocate. Where a matter needs counsel, your counsel leads and we work alongside them.
• We do not offer access to officials or influence over decisions.
• We do not guarantee outcomes, approvals or timelines.

Practical applications

• Corporate and government affairs heads respond to a draft with a clear, evidence-based comment.
• Plant heads and CFOs understand what a new rule changes for cost and operations before they commit.
• Industry associations prepare a joint submission that reflects members' positions.
• Legal and compliance teams get a documented analysis to share with management and counsel.

To spot drafts early, pair this service with our regulatory intelligence platform.

Illustrative example. A regulator publishes a draft that would change a procedure your sites follow, with a short comment window. We read the draft, map the clauses that affect you and draft a comment with proposed text changes. You file it in your own name. When the final rule is issued, we tell you what changed and what to do next. This is an illustrative example, not a client case.