Policy & Compliance
Incorporation of the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions The BIFA Standard Trading Conditions provide wide-ranging bene fi ts to BIFA Members, but they must be properly incorporated if you are to rely on them when things go wrong. Robert Windsor, Member Policy & Compliance Director, explains how and why
O ver the past two years in the pages of BIFAlink we have been running in-depth clause-by- clause articles regarding the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions (STC). Greater emphasis may be placed on some clauses than others and these have been emphasised in the aforementioned articles. The STC are well known in the freight industry. Their validity and fairness have been upheld in English Law over a long period of time. In effect, they have become the ‘rules of the game’ for the UK freight forwarding sector. At this point we have to emphasise that only BIFA Members can use these STC – they are a unique benefit to being a BIFA Member and are applicable to
all aspects of their business. The STC define the responsibilities and obligations of individual parties for the contract of carriage. In addition, they clearly cover key related areas such as insurance, liens and also, for UK ‘established’ traders, the appointment of the BIFA Member as a ‘Direct Customs Agent’. However, none of the above matters one iota if the STC have not been correctly incorporated into the contract between the BIFA Member and their client. At the BIFA Secretariat we receive numerous enquiries relating to disputes between Members and their clients; our first statement and/or question is: “Have
10 | January 2024
www.bifa.org
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker