Trade Compliance Services
We offer a comprehensive set of services to help with all of your international trade compliance needs. From Tarriff Classifications to Free Trade Agreements to Duty Refunds, we’ll help you save money and time, and most importantly, stay compliant with current trade guidelines.
With our combined 200+ years of international trade compliance expertise, we’ve developed the most comprehensive set of tools and services to help solve your trade compliance challenges.
Product Classification Determination (HTS & ECCN)
Our classification specialists can determine the appropriate harmonized tariff classification (HTS), export commodity classification numbers (ECCN), and duty rates for your purchased and manufactured products. Our determinations are backed up with full audit trails of work performed, determination rationale, and other relevant support for future reference.
Entry Audits
FOCUS has developed a smart entry audit process that includes (1) an automated comparison of data feeds from brokers compared to data submitted by brokers to customs authorities, and (2) manual review of the key header fields requiring compliance checks. Our approach is targeted at ensuring entry accuracy and consistency, identifying errors in broker processing, measuring and improving broker performance on a scorecard basis, communicating errors and corrections needed timely with brokers, and identifying potential duty savings opportunities.
Duty Management & FTA Reconciliation/Refunds
When you are importing products and paying dues, there’s an opportunity cost that needs to be managed. FOCUS has developed a smart duty management process designed to ensure opportunities are identified early and savings realized as quick as possible.
Client Data Portal
FOCUS provides our clients with a secure web portal to access key classification, FTA qualification, Supplier Solicitation data. Easy access and thoughtful pre-defined reports enable our clients to stay informed as well as search and share their data when needed.
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Qualification
More and more companies are turning to FOCUS to manage their USMCA and other Free Trade Agreement (“FTA”) programs for continuous trained staffing and turnover management in this highly competitive environment. Our clients find that by using FOCUS the work gets done timely, compliance is improved with detailed audit trails/back up documentation, duty savings is maximized, and their customers are very happy.
Broker Referral Management
We have developed strong working relationships with our client’s brokers over the past 25 years. We assist our clients and their brokers with the import entry process by provide electronic broker feeds of classification, FTA eligibility, PGA indicators, etc. We also provide daily entry referral support for a variety of processing and compliance needs including release classifications, FTA certifications, getting PGA documents completed, invoicing/entry document completion, etc.
US Export Compliance
FOCUS has experienced professionals who can support your needs with the movement of raw materials, finished goods, machinery & equipment, technology & asset transfers, and miscellaneous shipments.
International Trade Consulting Services
Companies engage FOCUS in a variety of consulting projects because of our extensive business experience and direct approach to solving their customs management and compliance problems. We know what to ask, when to ask it, and who to go to in your organization to get fast direct results that you need to solve your problems and deal with your compliance obligations.
Supplier Solicitations
We are very good at taking over contacting, communicating, and getting timely responses from your suppliers for FTA and other compliance documents. Our extremely flexible and business friendly Supplier Solicitation Services enables us to CUSTOMIZE a program for you, no matter what FTA and other compliance documents you want us to request from your suppliers.
Valuation Analysis and Reporting
Customs valuation law is extremely complex. This area of customs management requires unique skills and experience to design and manage effective entry and post entry customs value reporting and reconciliation processes and systems. FOCUS helps clients design, implement, and manage effective customs value reporting and reconciliation processes and systems.
Drawback Program Management
FOCUS helps our clients manage their duty drawback programs and maximize refunds available. Our processes, systems, and team members are trained to identify quick wins, look for long range drawback savings, and identify other compliance risks, where possible. Our approach is to continuously monitor the benefit of achieving duty drawback refunds with the cost of administering the program. Our non-traditional pricing model is designed to add maximum refund potential at a fair price to our clients.
Trade Compliance Training
FOCUS conducts on-site training for your customs and operations personnel. Our customized training sessions are designed to provide various departments within your organization customs information specific to their needs. Many times companies don’t realize all the different departments that can impact customs events (e.g. Engineering, Procurement, Logistics, Finance, Accounting, Sales, Customer Services, etc.).
Customer Request Management
Our client’s customers can be extremely demanding of FTA and other origin documents, etc. We have designed our customer request management process to efficiently log each request received, the number of parts/items requested, and the due date of each request. Keeping detailed documentation of customer requests, completion status, and communication history is key to a well-run customer request management process. Our team members are trained to be highly responsive and attentive to the customer’s requests.
Valuation & FTA Reconciliation Filing
FOCUS can file your valuation and/or FTA reconciliation entries as a stand alone service offering. Clients have hired FOCUS to solve a growing problem of brokers not able to file reconciliation entries for other broker underlying entries. Our approach, process, and tools are designed to assist clients consolidate filings where there are hundreds or thousands of underlying entries from multiple brokers resulting in significant savings to our clients.
Customs Audits & Origin Verifications
FOCUS has over 25 years of experience preparing our clients for and managing customs audits and origin verifications. Our compliant approach to daily work includes strong built in compliance controls, well trained team members, thoughtful compliance-oriented processes and systems and audit trail documentation designed to support customs audits and origin verifications. We assist our clients in preparing, planning, and completing customs audits and origin verifications, when needed.