The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade will be supporting Netcompany with the delivery of the next phase of the Trader Support Service (TSS).
TSS supports businesses moving goods between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI) in accordance with the Windsor Framework. The service was originally launched in 2020 ahead of the introduction of the Northern Ireland Protocol following the UK’s departure from the EU.
The Windsor Framework, agreed in 2023 by the UK and EU, revised the Protocol by reducing customs checks on good staying in NI, while maintaining its access to the EU single market.
HMRC confirmed its selection of Netcompany for the next phase of TSS implementation and operation this morning.
Specialist expertise
The Chartered Institute will provide specialist expertise as part of its collaboration with Netcompany, alongside an ecosystem of partners including HGS, McKinsey & Company, Trade and Borders, clearBorder, 3Sixty Trade, Derry Bros, and Digicom.
Marco Forgione, the director general of the Chartered Institute, said:
“We are delighted the Chartered Institute has been chosen to continue to bring knowledge and expertise to businesses trading between GB and NI.
“We look forward to working with the wider stakeholder community to design and deliver the next phase of TSS as the strategic partner to Netcompany.”
Netcompany’s mission of ‘responsible digitisation’
Netcompany has said its appointment reflects its “mission of responsible digitisation, collaborating with public sector organisations to provide digital transformation that genuinely improves outcomes for citizens and businesses”.
Founded in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark, it provides “essential IT solutions for both societal and business needs”, working with partners in both the private and public sectors.
Netcompany has a “strong heritage in digital trade and customs systems” and already supports HMRC’s transit activities, facilitating over two million trade declarations in the UK each year.
Its ERMIS customs platform, which will be used for the next phase of TSS, already processes over 20 million declarations and 150 million transactions in the EU annually.
Additionally, Netcompany’s AMPLIO platform will be integrated with ERMIS to provide casework management capabilities, enabling their customer support agents to manage more complex trader enquiries.
Richard Davies, country managing partner UK at Netcompany, said:
“We are proud to have been selected as HMRC’s strategic partner in the evolution of TSS. Our joint focus will be to reduce the time, effort and burden on users conducting trade between GB and NI.
“We value our deepening relationship with both HMRC and the trader community, and we are committed to making TSS more accessible for everyone using the service and ensuring this contract delivers genuine local economic value for NI.”
The new TSS digital solution
The new TSS solution will be “user-focused” with a “more intuitive digital journey that encourages increased self-service and ultimately reduces the administrative burden on businesses”, Netcompany has said.
The contract has a total potential value of £245,186,136 ex-VAT over seven years with an anticipated value of £94m over the initial term of five years.
The new solution will be “supported by agentic AI-powered capabilities to help resolve user queries” but users will still have “access to trade experts for complex case resolution”.
“A key feature of Netcompany’s solution is to drive ‘channel-shift’ to predominant use of the digital channel for trader support, via increased ease of use, enhanced online guidance and AI-powered assistance,” it said.
Netcompany has also pledged to invest in SMEs and Voluntary Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs) to “foster a diverse supply chain that drives economic growth in NI and GB”.
It will also aim to create opportunities “for local talent”, by “delivering targeted customs and digital training programmes designed to upskill underrepresented groups and address vital sector shortages”.
