HMRC awards new logistics contract to support customs compliance
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has awarded a new £71 million contract to support existing customs compliance work, as it moves inland pre-clearance checks to new multi-purpose sites.
Following a full procurement exercise, logistics firm Wincanton will work in partnership with HMRC and Border Force, providing logistics.
HMRC and Border Force undertake targeted checks inland, which help prevent mis-declared goods from flowing into the country. Carrying out these checks inland is a proportionate measure to avoid congestion at ports. The overwhelming majority of imports into the UK are not required to go through inland pre-clearance.
HMRC has moved its inland pre-clearance operations from previous sites at Heathrow and Bicester to the new purpose-equipped sites at Hayes and Milton Keynes.
The new locations were chosen to balance:
- routes to ports for consignments
- cost, quality and facilities of sites
- availability of suitable premises
HMRC has worked closely with Border Force and external estate professionals to determine the appropriate sites within these criteria.
This is part of HMRC’s wider, ongoing approach to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and fraud at all levels to ensure everyone pays the right tax at the right time.
For the 5-year term, the contract value is estimated to be £71 million. The contract award decision has been published on the Contracts Finder.