Ad-Hoc or Contracted Customs Support, How to Decide What's Right For You

The Dilemma of Choosing the Appropriate Customs Support

Deciding on whether Ad-Hoc or contracted customs support is right for your business is a widely debated subject, both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Deciding which one is right for your business may be difficult but, hopefully, the compilation of the advantages and disadvantages, and a comparison between the two below, will aid you in choosing which one suits your business.

Ad-Hoc Customs Support

The idea behind Ad-Hoc Customs Support is very simple, when you need help you get in touch with your customs consultancy who will assist you in dealing with a specific issue.  Once your query is resolved they will charge you for fees incurred. The way in which you are charged may vary based on the company you are using.  Some firms charge prior to the work, you may be charged by the hour or given a specific service charge, different companies have different ways of charging for services so it’s wise to query this before starting your work together.

Contracted Customs Support

Contracted Customs Support works slightly differently than its Ad-Hoc counterpart, rather than being charged for individual services/requests or for help on a query, you will be presented with a contract upfront detailing the conditions of your work together and what services are included. Contracted Customs Support services are usually agreed before work together begins and are made up of one larger fee that will cover all of the services that will be used by your company on a month to month basis.

Why Use One Over the Other?

Choosing one service over the other will mainly come down to the personal needs and current financial and legal situation of your company. The simplicity of being able to ask for support when required will appeal to many businesses.  Using Ad-Hoc may appear cheaper but, when used constantly, can lead to the invoices piling up contrary to the single price of a contracted customs support service.

A major factor that can influence your choice, and has long been the deciding factor for many businesses, is the amount of use you plan on getting from the Customs Support firm. When used sparingly an Ad-Hoc service may appear to save you money but can end transcending the price of the Contacted customs support when used constantly.  In addition, Ad-Hoc advice has an element of risk attached.  Responding to issues as they arise doesn’t address the full picture.  You may be exposed to penalties or compliance issues by not looking at your business as a whole and miss the opportunity to implement best practice and uncover threats and opportunities for your business.  For this reason, it may be better to look to the Contracted Customs Support rather than the Ad-Hoc route.

The choice of Ad-Hoc vs Contracted customs support needs to be taken with your specific business in mind, by incorporating finance, use and practicality into your choice, the option that best suits you will appear clear.

Find out how to reduce your customs duty risks and future proof your business with Barbourne Brook’s Customs Protect

Contact our Specialist Team for Ad-Hoc and Contracted Customs Planning Services