On your marks

In any race, you can feel that excitement just before the race begins.
Whether it is NASCAR when you hear, "Drivers... Start your engines!"
Or how about the Olympic 100 meter dash, when the runners are preparing themselves in the starting blocks.
You feel the tension...

Now, think about when Customs sends an importer an audit notification. The letter is basically advising and calling out to the importer to: Get Ready!
Prepare your internal team to begin, what could be, quite a detailed and exhausting process.
Prepare the mindset of how the verification will be handled.
Engage the proper external resources to navigate the audit process. (Even the best racers need a pit crew and a coach.)

And then the race begins.
Have you ever seen a runner just remain in the starting blocks?
Did you experience a race as an observer where the car just stayed in the park position on the race track?

Then why are there numerous instances where an importer just disregards an audit notification? Or maybe not totally disregards, but presents Customs with bits and pieces and is surprised when the final verification report outlines that insufficient information was presented and therefore, assessments and penalties will be forth coming.
How about an importer who receives a final verification report and does not action the requirements. The findings outline some inconsistencies and there is a minimal penalty to be issued IF the importer presents corrections to Customs within the allowable timeframe (in Canada, this within 90 days from the date the final report was issued). However, for whatever reason, the importer does not action the required corrections within the allowable timeframe.
That minimal penalty now can potentially sky rocket to thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars!

It is quite surprising when an importer has a difficult time justifying fees associated with preparing post audit corrections and instead of coming to an agreement with the knowledgeable external service provider regarding those fees, ignores the final verification report only to pay penalties that are exponentially higher than the fees quoted to assist with the required post audit corrections.

Think about how to engage the audit process from the mindset of entering a race. 
- What strategies are needed to be implemented to ensure that responses to Customs are done in a timely manner? 
- Who can assist with the "pit stops" in ensuring that all the documents are properly accumulated, referenced and submitted to Customs? 
- How difficult will it be for the internal team to manage this process and does the team require external support?
- When will Customs update the importer about the audit process and findings?
- Where will this verification lead to? Is there an ability to have someone (i.e.: an external consultant) initiate a secondary review to determine any possible applicable compliance and financial exposure?
- Why is this process so difficult? Can there be some best practices implemented to streamline the compliance aspects of the corporation so that future audits can become more efficient with reductions in costs?

All of the above should be thought about before a Customs verification letter is received. 
And the reason is...
It is NOT if you will be audited. It is WHEN!

But, alas, this blog is not about Customs and Competitive Racing. This blog is about Customs and Cooking!

I remember a movie called "Ratatouille" where the chef (happened to be a mouse names Remy) was looking out of the kitchen window to see the reaction of Anton Ego (the food critic) who is about to taste the dish prepared, which happened to be a simple dish of Ratatouille.
As one watches, you can see the excitement, fear, nervousness, stress, and suspense as Remy waits for Anton's reaction as he takes the first bite. Memories of wonderful childhood experiences flash on screen as the tastes and flavors of the ratatouille engulf Anton's pallet.

Now, think about it. Remy did not just slap a couple of sauces and vegetables together and then sent the dish out to Anton.
Remy was guiding and overseeing a cooking process that encompasses all team members in that kitchen.
Remy adjusted the amount of spice to enhance the flavor. Monitored the temperature to ensure that the cooking process was perfect within the time necessary for the dish to be prepared. Reviewed how the dish was plated so that the first impression of seeing the food could be a positive one.
Each step of the "race" to prepare the dish was monitored and when necessary adjusted to ensure a perfect dish was presented to Anton.

Think about the "dish" being the paperwork that has to be presented to Customs.
There are races where the fastest one wins.
Then there are races where quality and systematic preparation is more important that speed.

Take care to prepare for the race!
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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