A complete software suite

The EC Compliance software suite provides an export control decision support tool to companies that export sensitive products.

This export control software suite includes classification, exportability, screening, licensing and reporting modules that guide the user through a series of logical steps. The digitization and modeling of regulations allows you to simplify and increase the reliability of your processes and to export in full compliance.

Classification

Classification is the cornerstone of export control.

In the area of export control, to classify a product means determining the applicable regulations (EU military or dual-use regulations, US EAR or ITAR) and finding the right code in the official control list (for example 6A008 for a dual-use radar).

Very often, companies that wish to export a product use self-classification, i.e., they determine the classification of their goods in a manual way by checking regulatory texts that are not always up to date.

EC Compliance includes a powerful classification software based on regulatory texts automatically updated by “crawlers”, and semantically enriched (with product names, industrial jargon, synonyms) so users can easily determine the classification corresponding to the characteristics of their products.

The EC Compliance classification module takes into account European and American regulations as well as other countries. It includes an easy to use and reliable search engine. Thanks to a multi-column display, the tool suggests classifications in several regulations and several languages. The classification module also makes it possible to classify intangibles, i.e., data and technology for which transfer by dematerialized means actually constitutes an export.

 

Exportability

Although considered a major subject, the exportability concept has not been developed by export control players. EC Compliance introduced this concept to assist the exporters who need guidance when they intend to export a good to another country. The combination of the item classification and the destination needs a specific assessment and may require a license.

Exporting a sensitive product to a sensitive country usually requires obtaining an export license (or authorization).

In addition, the classification within a regulation is a key element: a less sensitive item will have a different classification code compared to a similar item that provides superior performance and functionality. For example, a standard drone and a drone equipped with a night vision camera will not have the same classification code and therefore not the same level of exportability.

Finally, the country of destination is another parameter that will make a difference. Within the EU, for example, there are several levels of countries: EU member countries, “friendly” countries (including the United States, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and the UK), countries outside the EU and outside the friendly circle, and finally countries under embargo (terrorist or assimilated countries).

The rules taken into account by the exportability module depend on 3 parameters (country of departure, classification of the good to be exported, country of destination). These rules are often complex and only software modeling can provide reliable and quick answers.

 

Screening

Screening follows the exportability step and is an essential part of export control software to determine whether an export is authorized.

The objective is to ensure that the recipient company and the contact individual within this company are not blacklisted (i.e., not identified on sanctions lists).

There are already screening modules on the market, but EC Compliance’s ambition is to provide an integrated solution that automates screening. If you have your own screening solution, it can be integrated in the EC Compliance software suite.

 

Export Licences

Exporting a sensitive product to a sensitive country usually requires an export license. These licenses are delivered by the authorities of the  departure country in order to authorize companies to export specific equipment to a given destination. Generally speaking, national authorities regulate the export and issue authorizations for military and dual use goods. For example, in France, the supervisory authorities are the dual-use goods service (SBDU) for civilian goods, and the DGA for military goods. The existence of licenses and the controls carried out by customs allow the authorities to control export flows.

An export license is defined by a number of parameters (classification, country of destination, recipient, amount, etc.). When dealing with an export flow, EC Compliance analyzes the flow parameters and compares them with the license parameters of the licenses held by the manufacturer, to determine if one of the licenses can be used to export this flow.

To meet user expectations, the EC Compliance license management module includes the following features:

  • Management of a license database: at any given time, the license database contains all the licenses that the company has obtained, so users can check their license portfolio.
  • Assistance with license application. If a company does not have an existing license for an upcoming export, it must apply for a license with local authorities, which can be administratively complex. EC Compliance provides help with license applications.

  • License depreciation. When a license is granted to a company, it generally mentions a certain credit, in the form of a quantity or amount. To depreciate a license is to debit the amount of the goods exported from the amount remaining on the license.
  • License renewal. A license is valid for a limited period of time; It is often approved by the authorities long before the flow is ready for shipment. Monitoring the ship date of the flow makes it possible to check if the license is still valid in order to trigger its renewal in advance.

Reporting

US, UK and international export control regulations require accurate traceability of export processes.

Therefore you need to track and trace the details of the route of any exported good (dates, consignees, origin of the various components, etc.)

It is also necessary to track and trace the rationale used in each decision-making in terms of exportability. This allows you, in the event of an audit, to defend the position adopted and, if necessary, to demonstrate that the export was in conformity at the time of decision-making.

Doing this export control reporting is a heavy administrative burden, for which EC Compliance provides a concrete and reliable solution. Thanks to “record keeping” (actions and decisions made at each stage of an export are duly documented), EC Compliance makes it possible to respond in a simple and complete way to regulatory reporting requirements and to audits by regulatory authorities.

EC Compliance software pricing

Each user can access the export control service for a yearly subscription fee. The subscription price is not linked to usage volume (unlimited number of requests), pricing only depends on the number of modules subscribed. Here are some examples :

1 module

  • 1 user
  • Classification
  • Exportability
  • Screening
  • Licences
  • Reporting
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2 modules

  • 1 user
  • Classification
  • Exportability
  • Screening
  • Licences
  • Reporting
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All modules

  • 1 user
  • Classification
  • Exportability
  • Screening
  • Licences
  • Reporting
Contact us

Software license