Accountability to the nation and transparency as well as prudency in the usage of public resources is the stated rationale for the introduction of the Framework for Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans (Framework) by National Treasury in August 2010. The Framework is applicable to all national and provincial departments, constitutional institutions and public entities in the development of their strategic plans. As a schedule 3A Public Entity, compliance to the Framework is mandatory.

According to the Framework, NERSA is required to:

• Produce and table a Strategic Plan with a five-year planning horizon, outlining the planned sequencing of projects and programme implementation and associated resource implications and other prescribed information;
• Produce and table an Annual Performance Plan including forward projections for a further two years, consistent with the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period, with annual and performance targets, where appropriate, for the current financial year and the MTEF period;
• Identify a core set of indicators needed to monitor institutional performance;
• Adopt a quarterly reporting system, including submission of agreed information to the Minister of Energy (Executive Authority) and Department of Energy (responsible department); and
• Ensure that there is alignment of reporting between the Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plan, budget and annual and quarterly reports.