AEO Maintenance - The Challenge!

Maintaining The AEO Standards

First of all, Blue Bear would like to take this opportunity to Congratulate all of those who have either been preparing for or gone through the AEO Accreditation. We appreciate your hard work and long hours in getting together the necessary documentation, the resource, together along with completing the C117 and C118 HMRC Forms!! Why can we say this? Well, because we have helped and supported over 50 AEO applications to date. We are proud to be running at 100% success rate, without a single applicant ever failing their AEO.

We also see that in gaining all of this, the journey, once attaining the AEOC or AEOS is only the start! So whats next? Well there's the maintenance of course! That's right, HMRC will be reviewing all AEO Applicants every three years, to ensure they are still being compliant. If they aren't their AEO could be revoked. If there is any doubt into this, Officers have confirmed that they have been hearing of reports within HMRC, revoking a Company's AEO status due to non-conformity. What would this mean? Well there is a risk that the non-conformity could result in the AEO status being taken away along with the benefits of the waivered bank guarantees! Blue Bear has realised over ￡100m worth of bank guarantees with their clients. No doubt this money has been used for worthwhile projects, so to lose the AEO and finance a large pay back would be disastrous! The AEO status and benefits on an International Scale, puts a distance between those companies complying to the AEO and those less reputable.

So after achieving the AEO status, what is being offered to companies regards to maintaining their AEO? Well to be honest, not a lot and with respect, what is offered, isn't that great! Most consultants will offer a business ongoing audits. This is sold under the premise that its to maintain their AEO status and to keep standards and checks within the business via reviews. However, Blue Bear has had a problem with this. It doesn't appear to be the best solution. Since most businesses already operating the CFSP, the Bond and AEO authorisations will already be aware of the implications of non-compliance to HMRC regimes, they will have in place, checks and balances to manage these. Physical audits tend to provide just another layer of watchers to enforce these regimes. If the business has performance processes in place already, then most would be completing internal audits themselves via their own checking systems. Shouldn't that be encouraged? Other issues with external audits tend to be that they will only provide a notification of a shortfalling within a snap shot of time. So only in that precise moment in time, was a fault being found. However, this may have just happened, or it was a new non-conformance that doesn't quite reflect the majority of time operationally - where the company successfully manages the AEO standard. As an example of this, how many audits highlight the need for further training or training being identified as an answer to a non-compliance? This can make external auditing expensive for what it actually can achieve. Even if a physical audit finds fault with a process or situation this may have been occurring for some time prior and already known. Alternately, it could be reported but still continue for a time after, before being rectified. This can mean that non-compliances can be occurring whilst the business is not being either fully aware, or having it reported upon early to rectify it making no difference to the auditors outcome. Due to the nature of physical audits and their frequency, such as being monthly, quarterly or annually, these create periods of non-detection and reporting. This can create non-conformances as there becomes a reliance on the consultant, rather than the business running correctly with it's own detection processes in place. Most importantly, if something has been going wrong and undetected for time, the costs of rectifying can vary and quickly escalate, creating considerable cost. It is far better to manage things earlier and to get it right first time as a business.

So after 6 years of AEO auditing, Blue Bear noticed various gaps and flaws within the physical auditing processes and wondered how to provide a more fair and balanced audit. To that end we have developed something quite wonderful and unique to Blue Bear.

Welcome to Library Suite!

The only AEO dedicated compliance software in the world! No other system works like it, nor supports the AEO standards like it! Rather than being held captive to Consultant firms Audits and Costs why not get your power and processes back? Library Suite gives you (the User) the power to manage your own destiny! Your own AEO! Afterall, it was you that got it all done in the first place, right? So because Library Suite already manages the standards of AEO, by working with it, you will be fulfilling the requirements of the standard! What's more is you don't need someone to charge you for a report on where or what area is failing (if it is) because Library Suite's reporting system does it for you! Library Suite provides three levels of reporting compliance. The Overall Business View, Departmental View and Individual Performance all within 3 clicks!

Library Suite provides you with 'Live Auditing'

So why have an audit externally that tells you where you are at best intermittently, when you can have it 'Live' Everyday? Why wait to find out your not Compliant, when you can know right now? 'Live Reporting' it's better right?

Is Library Suite cheaper in comparison to my auditor?

Why 'Yes! of course!' Just compare a Consultants 2-4 day audit costs and quality depth of reporting to Library Suites 'Live Reporting' and Subscription costs. Library Suite wins everytime on: Quality of Information, Reporting and Costs!

With so much at stake why would you want anything less than the best?

Yes it makes perfect sense. Think about it, with all the cost in time, energy and cash that have been used to attaining the AEO Authorisation already;

• the changes of posts and processes within the business,
• the systems in place or invested in,
• the jeopardy of losing the status and bank guarantees that would need to be re-installed

Why settle for less? When less is what you find you'll need to do and pay to operate Library Suite!

So what does Library Suite do?

1. We know that it saves you time and money compared to a consultants audit
2. It works to the AEO standards for HMRC Customs
3. It Automates these standards to keep you compliant without all the admin time
4. It diary prompts you with reminders ahead of time
5. It records the reviewing and updating of documents
6. It automatically creates updates for your Team to Review and Sign
7. It records 'Sign Offs' and updates your Teams Training Matrix
8. It can will automatically inform HMRC of changes
9. It maintains the standards of the AEO and helps you keep them
10. It enforces compliance through chaser emails and built in-escalation
11. You can manage multiple sites with one login
12. You will have the control to manage your own AEO successfully
13. The invisible consultancy hand-cuffs will off and you will be free

Feel free to learn more at www.librarysuite.co.uk your total AEO Compliance Suite, where Compliance is number one and where costs and admin are managed.

Library Suite

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