Services

• Establish an Export Management System (EMS)
• Expertise in International Trade Control Regulations
• 24/7 Accessibility
• Convenient Location - Washington, DC

Establish an Export Management System (EMS)

To successfully handle U.S. export laws and regulations, your business must establish an Export Management System (EMS). An effective EMS consists of company-wide procedures that ensure that transfers to foreign customers are conducted in accordance with the provisions of the ITAR, the EAR, and other pertinent regulations. Absent an effective EMS, your business will encounter significant obstacles and expenses while trying to maintain or expand your international transfers. Furthermore, you risk running afoul of the EAR and the ITAR, which may result in suspension of current or future licensing privileges and criminal, civil, or administrative enforcement action against the company and employees. At the very least, your business will be unable to export according to contracts or client needs, which will lead to schedule delays, cost overruns, breach of contracts, and loss of clients. You may also face huge fines and even jail time. A robust EMS will prevent these devastating sanctions, lead to greater export opportunities, and give you a competitive advantage.

Expertise in International Trade Control Regulations

Government Relations, LLC (GR) has the expertise and knowledge to handle complex international trade control regulations and exporting obstacles. This is because GR undertakes continuous training and ensures that its employees are up to date on any regulatory changes. This is especially important now, since after 9/11 the government hired an unprecedented number of untrained U.S. Customs Inspectors. GR employees have heard new inspectors make several uninformed comments, including, "all advanced composites are dangerous, especially black ones. I know because I was in the military." Because of this GR's knowledge and training is increasingly important. For example, GR was able to skillfully communicate with both FedEx employees and U.S. Customs Inspectors, across the country, regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations and the government's misplacement of our client's export license. Without GR's understanding and intervention the government's mistake and misunderstanding of the regulations would have forced our customer to file a costly voluntary disclosure. The bureaucrats rarely admit their own mistakes or misreading of the regulations, therefore it is imperative that exporting companies have skilled advocates that can counter these threats.

24/7 Accessibility

In the international export industry, Government Relations, LLC (GR) knows that export emergencies can occur at any time - night or day. That is why GR has employees on call basically 24 hours a day during the week and during most weekends. GR's contact information is listed on all export licenses we process, so that persons directly involved in exporting can contact us with their problems. GR has resolved problems faced by our clients' shipments and answered questions from U.S. Customs Inspectors and freight forwarders, some at 3:00 AM on Saturday. Time is critical with exports because an unresolved question can lead a Customs Inspector to seize the product and place it in the "to hard to solve" box. This becomes even worse when the Inspector's shift is over and the next Inspector has even less understanding regarding the seizure.

Convenient Location in Washington, DC

Government Relations, LLC (GR) is located in the Nation's Capital Metropolitan Area, which allows us to work directly with the government and pierce the veil of bureaucracy. GR knows critical export license officers and reviewers and is familiar with their unique quirks. Furthermore, we also have contacts with other bureaucrats and political leaders in the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, and State and other government agencies. It is this continuous and familiar relationship that allows us to prod and track their work. Because of this close contact, we frequently communicate and met with the Managing Director of Defense Trade Controls. Our discussions with him have saved many export license applications from being returned without action (RWA) due to the misunderstanding or sloth of a bureaucrat. These contacts allow us to untangle the maze of government agencies and influence their decisions, even though bureaucrats are often obscure and mercurial.