Consultancy Services
Import and Export Services
I offer a range of different services that cover all areas of international trade, from UK imports and exports to global business. I'm able to provide an assortment of key services necessary for any business trying to tackle international trade, from compliance to the classification of products and logistics. Search for the service that suits your company best. My core skill set has remained the same despite the wide number of industries I've worked in, so I can tailor my services to the individual.
At ICS Global Services, we can perform a "health check" on your business to evaluate your current practises, identify necessary changes, and offer suggestions for potential improvements and duty/tax savings. Our health check is designed to assess your company's current and historical customs compliance to identify and address any risks that may lessen the possibility that HMRC will impose penalties.
The purpose of our health check is to evaluate your company's past and present Import VAT compliance to find and fix any issues that could reduce the likelihood that HMRC will issue fines.
It can be challenging for established businesses to determine whether their long-standing Import VAT processes and procedures are still current and compliant. If your business inadvertently fails to comply with Import VAT regulations, this may result in fines.
Export Health Check Services
An export compliance health check is an integral part of company risk management. We perform a thorough review to ensure that internal export controls are sufficient and correct. Our health check will identify limitations and weaknesses that may exist within your current system.
Import Health Check Services
Our import health check is a proactive review of all aspects of your import activities. The health check process is designed to improve your company’s compliance with various import regulations. Since our import health check is tailored to each company's specific requirements and business operations, it can provide invaluable guidance to improve the business's international operations.
I provide consulting services for my clients to help them navigate the sea of documentation, shipping procedures, and regulations, ensuring successful international importing and exporting.
With over 30 years’ experience of importing and exporting with the USA, I have helped numerous companies build successful international trade businesses, while ensuring they remain compliant with laws and regulations.
When you work with me, I aim to provide a wide assortment of third-party global shipping and logistics solutions, which will optimise and improve your international supply chain, giving you a competitive advantage.
When you work with me, I’m able to assist your business in a number of ways. Firstly, I can audit your international processes and procedures to ensure they are fully compliant while identifying any business risks to you.
As an independent consultant, I can steer you through every aspect of importing and exporting, making sure you have accurate and up-to-date business support. My consulting services will provide you with all the import and export assistance you will need.
Making sense of complicated customs regulations can be time consuming and very costly when businesses get it wrong. I provide professional and expert advice within the fields of customs compliance and product classification, while identifying opportunities to reduce customs duty and tax payments.
HMRC states that the Authorised Economic Operator status is an internationally recognised quality mark that shows your business’s role in the international supply chain is secure and has customs control procedures that meet Authorised Economic Operator standards and criteria.
I have assisted clients from across the UK and abroad, drawing upon a wealth of import and export expertise to provide advice on import tax matters, helping clients save money while achieving their business goals. With over 30 years’ experience providing import tax advice, I offer structured support.
Key Service Areas
When dealing with international trade, a business can be faced with a number of issues regarding government bureaus. These key services offer you everything your business will need to deal with international trade, from regulation awareness to project management from start to finish.
Click on a service to find out more, or scroll for all services.
Compliance Audits and Risk Reports
When dealing with imports and exports, compliance is essential. A risk report goes in-depth into the processes and procedures involved in your handling of imports, exports, movement, and storage. This kind of check is designed to identify areas of risk that may result in government intervention. A risk report forms a crucial part of your overall compliance outlook. Companies are expected to be proactive when it comes to compliance, and as such, a compliance audit questionnaire that takes a look at your international supply chain is usually the best way to discern any issues that might generate unwanted scrutiny. I am able to help you create and complete a risk report.
Compliance Program
As former Deputy US Attorney General Paul McNulty said, “If you think compliance is expensive, try non-compliance.” Plus, once you are compliant, you’ll have a big advantage over your competitors—it's not just a necessary evil.
A compliance program defines your company’s policies and procedures regarding import and export compliance. As an import and export specialist, I am able to help create a compliance program for your business to ensure you’re following legislation. The program can provide a step-by-step report for employees of your business to follow to ensure they remain compliant. The program can be customised to meet the unique needs of your individual business.
Product Classification
Classifying all imports and exports correctly is of vital importance. Using the correct commodity code ensures you pay the correct amount of VAT, duty, excise, or levies under UK and European law (this may change if the UK leaves the EU with no deal). I understand that it’s important you understand product classification and how to correctly classify something - for instance, to correctly classify a pair of trousers, you need to know an assortment of details about them, including what they’re made of! Correctly classifying products ensures that you don’t receive any fines or penalties.
Voluntary Disclosure
It’s not uncommon for import and export violations to occur accidentally; it’s a complicated business. A voluntary disclosure of such a mistake can be a mitigating factor in determining if penalties will be sanctioned against you and your company. After all, voluntarily disclosing that you made a mistake is a sign you want to comply with legislation. Knowing when to use voluntary disclosure can be tricky, however, and I can assess the position your business is in.
International Supply Chain Network Modelling
I can assist you with your international supply chain network design and determine where plants, warehouses, distribution centres (DCs), consolidation points, and sources of supply should be located. This would include mapping the movement and transformation of raw materials into finished products, transporting those products, and distributing them to the end customer. As part of the process, I would review all entities involved within the international supply chain, including producers, vendors, warehouses, transportation companies, distribution centres, and end-customer requirements. When these elements have been analysed, it is possible to create models that give businesses more insight into the choices that they can make.
When international supply chain network design is done effectively, it can lower a company's overall costs, reduce inventory buffers by removing supply uncertainty, and result in increased profitability.
Duty Optimisation
Customs tariffs can be difficult to deal with when trying to import or export goods. Making sure you understand the complexity of navigating payments all across the world is one of my top priorities when you work with me. Understanding the different tariffs and how much duty you need to pay can save you the shock of serious fines or penalties. I can help your business by guiding you and understanding which agreements affect your business.
I can also help your business use duty suspension and trade preference programs with customs authorities, which results in duty savings, reduced costs, and increased competitiveness.
Learn more about duty management >>
Logistics
Looking for ways to cut costs is key for any business to survive. The efficient moving of products to their final destination is a great area to cut costs in. I can become your trusted partner, helping you maximise the cost-effectiveness of your logistics while still helping you to ensure good service for your customers.
Transfer Pricing and Process Solutions
Managing your import and export processes is important. I work alongside you to map out your processes, showing the steps that need to be taken to achieve the desired outcome of a specific task. Having a documented process proves to government bodies that you actively adhere to remaining compliant and that you understand and have a solution if something were to go wrong.
Transfer pricing is the rules and methods for pricing transactions within and between enterprises under common ownership or control. Because of the potential for cross-border controlled transactions to distort taxable income, tax authorities in many countries can adjust intragroup transfer prices that differ from what would have been charged by unrelated enterprises dealing at arm’s length, known as the arm’s-length principle. Customs law treats "related parties" differently than non-related parties. The Importer of Record must demonstrate to Customs that the price charged by its related entity was either reached as a result of arm's length negotiations or meets specified test values set forth in the Customs regulations.
More details can be found in my blog - Transfer Pricing, What are the Challenges?
Government Regulations
Every government is different, and it’s key that you understand the individual regulations if you’re hoping to ship internationally. I have experience working in a wide variety of countries, from the US to Korea, which means I can help you navigate those tricky waters. Different governments will have different regulations, and it’s of vital importance to remain aware of them all. I can help manage that.
Customs Clearance
I will work with you as an import and export agent, providing guidance on the wide variety of customs documentation you’ll encounter. As a specialist, I can guide you through the customs process, ensuring you have the correct documentation to enable rapid customs clearance of shipments arriving at ports and airports across the world.
Getting the customs clearance process right will avoid penalties and fines.
Project Management
I will project manage your processes every step of the way to ensure total compliance and efficiency. I will help ensure that the best processes are applied to your business, allowing you to complete your exports and imports without any issues. I will undertake to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes, or benefits. I believe that a project is usually deemed to be a success if it achieves the objectives agreed with the client according to their acceptance criteria within an agreed timescale and budget.
Customs Warehousing
A customs warehouse allows goods to be stored with duty or import VAT payments suspended. While these payments will need to be made once the goods leave the warehouse, they can be a cost-effective tool for importers and exporters to use. Thanks to my specialist knowledge, I can help you know when to use a customs warehouse and what to store. There is a lot of government legislation surrounding the usage of customs warehouses, and that too is something I am able to assist your business in understanding.
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