Business Readiness for Brexit

UK - NI Goods Regulations and Movement

Placing manufactured goods on the market in Great Britain from 1 January 2021:

If you have already placed your good on the UK market (or in an EU country) before 1 January 2021, you do not need to do anything new. These individual goods can continue to circulate on either market until they reach their end user and do not need to comply with the changes that take effect from 1 January 2021.

A good is ‘placed on the market’ when a written or verbal agreement (or offer of an agreement) to transfer ownership or possession or other rights in the product. This does not require physical transfer of the good.

You can usually provide proof of placing on the market on the basis of any relevant document ordinarily used in business transactions, including:

• contracts of sale concerning goods which have already been manufactured and meet the legal requirements
• invoices
• documents concerning the shipping of goods for distribution

The relevant economic operator (whether manufacturer, importer or distributor) bears the burden of proof for demonstrating that the good was placed on the market before 1 January 2021.

Placing manufactured goods on the market in Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021:

If you have already placed an individual product on the EU or the UK market (either in Northern Ireland or Great Britain) before 1 January 2021, you do not need to do anything new. These individual goods can continue to circulate on either market until they reach their end user and do not need to comply with the changes that take effect from 1 January 2021.

A good is ‘placed on the market’ when a written or verbal agreement (or offer of an agreement) to transfer ownership or possession or other rights in the product. This does not require physical transfer of the good.

You can usually provide proof of placing on the market on the basis of any relevant document ordinarily used in business transactions, including:

• contracts of sale concerning goods which have already been manufactured and meet the legal requirements
• invoices
• documents concerning the shipping of goods for distribution

The relevant economic operator (whether manufacturer, importer or distributor) bears the burden of proof for demonstrating that the good was placed on the market before 1 January 2021.

Customs

Customs, VAT and Excise UK transition legislation from 1 January 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/customs-vat-and-excise-uk-transition-legislation-from-1-january-2021

International Trade and GSP announcement

Preferential tariffs continue for eligible developing countries:

• The trade preference scheme will cover any eligible countries that do not have their existing trade agreements transitioned into a new agreement with the UK.
• The UK imported approximately £8 billion-worth of textiles and apparel products from eligible countries last year. The Government is planning on improving the scheme to better support developing countries – more details will be announced in 2021.
• The import rates and customs procedure are now on gov.uk.

British importers will continue to pay zero or reduced tariffs on everyday goods such as clothing and vegetables from the world’s poorest countries now the UK has left the EU, Liz Truss will announce today (Tuesday 10 November).

Trading with developing nations from 1 January 2021:

Trade preferences reduce or remove rates of duty (tariffs) on imports from eligible developing countries into the UK.

From 1 January 2021, eligible developing countries will be able to get trade preferences through the UK Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).

The UK GSP will initially provide trade preferences to the same countries as the EU GSP.

The UK GSP will have 3 frameworks:

• Least Developed Countries Framework

• General Framework

• Enhanced Framework

These frameworks replicate the market access provided by the EU’s GSP. 

Public Procurement Policy

Public-sector procurement from 1 January 2021

 

From 1 January 2021 a new e-notification service called Find a Tender will be used to post and view public sector procurement notices.

Advice for Contracting Authorities

You will need to publish public procurement notices through Find a Tender. This service will go live on 1 January 2021. It will replace the requirement to publish notices in the Official Journal of the European Union.

If you use a third party ‘eSender’ to manage your procurement notices, you will be able to continue to use them provided that they have confirmed they can publish notices to Find a Tender.

The following eSenders have completed this work:

• Adam
• ADB (UK) Limited
• Atamis Limited
• BiP Solutions
• European Dynamics
• EU Supply
• In-Tend Ltd
• Jaggaer
• Proactis Tenders Ltd (part of Proactis)
• Proactis
• Sourcedogg
• Wax Digital

If you do not use an eSender and/or intend to publish notices directly to Find a Tender, you will need to register with the service. This can be done now by creating a buyer’s account on Contracts Finder. All Contracts Finder accounts will automatically be given access to publish notices on Find a Tender.