How to appoint a product compliance consultant
Appoint a consultant against a written product brief, with named reviewers, defined exclusions and evidence you can use. Keep control of supplier changes and release decisions: you remain responsible for product safety after sale. Factory evidence can be gathered by Cambridge China Bridge.
Define the job before requesting a quote
Give the consultant the product specification, intended use, likely users, materials, components, branding, sales channels and destination markets. State explicitly whether the brief covers Great Britain, Northern Ireland or both. Supply existing reports, instructions and artwork, and identify what is still missing. Ask for a written proposal tied to that product rather than a general promise to make your imports compliant.
Separate product advice from customs, packaging, tax and other work. Ask the consultant to identify proposed coverage, exclusions and referrals to other specialists. For packaging, use our packaging responsibilities guide as a briefing input rather than paying for the consultant to reconstruct information you already hold.
Check the person who will do the work
Ask who will review your product and who will approve the advice. Request relevant product experience, a redacted example of a completed review and references you can contact. Give them a real uncertainty from your product and ask how they would investigate it. Look for clear reasoning, an evidence request and an explanation of their limits.
Ask which work they perform themselves and which goes to laboratories or other specialists. Request disclosure of referral payments and supplier relationships. Check professional indemnity cover, its exclusions and whether the proposed work falls within it. Avoid choosing solely on a qualification badge or a promise that a certificate will settle every issue.
Specify deliverables you can accept
Request a dated assessment naming the reviewed product and specification revision. It should identify applicable UK requirements and the reasons for selecting them, evidence examined, gaps, proposed tests, label and instruction corrections, assumptions and unresolved questions. Ask for a clear recommendation on whether the evidence supports release, with conditions stated explicitly.
Agree how each gap will be closed and what proof the consultant will review. Require reports and supporting files in accessible formats, not just access to their portal. Use our test report verification guide for checking supporting reports and our compliance file guide for organising the handover.
Put acceptance and changes in the appointment
Write down the scope, named reviewer, delivery milestones, fees, exclusions and acceptance criteria. Agree whether factory questions, report revisions, retests and follow-up advice are included. Specify who commissions testing and who approves additional spending. Ask for confidentiality terms, permission to share advice with your laboratory or insurer, and a complete handover if the appointment ends.
Define when the assessment must be revisited: a changed material, component, factory, intended use or destination should trigger a review request. Ask the consultant to state whether updates to requirements are monitored within the appointment or need a separate instruction. Make payment acceptance depend on receiving the agreed work, not simply a document labelled compliant.
Keep importer control after the handover
Official product safety guidance says you remain responsible for a product's safety once it is on the market. Treat the consultant's assessment as evidence for your decision. Name an internal owner to keep the specification and records, approve supplier changes and decide whether unresolved findings prevent release.
Agree who handles customer safety concerns, retrieves batch evidence and contacts the consultant when a problem arises. Keep your own copy of the assessment and its supporting records. Cambridge China Bridge has staff in China who can gather factory information for the review; agree who will interpret that evidence and close each finding before production or dispatch.
Frequently asked questions
Does hiring a compliance consultant remove importer responsibility?
You remain responsible for product safety once it is on the market. Use the consultant's assessment to support your decisions and keep an internal owner for changes, records and safety concerns.
How do I check a product compliance consultant?
Check the named reviewer's relevant product experience, a redacted work example, client references and insurance scope. Ask how they would resolve a real uncertainty in your product.
What should a compliance consultant deliver?
Agree a dated, product-specific assessment, an evidence register, a gap list, a test plan where needed, document corrections and a release recommendation that states conditions and unresolved questions.
When should I appoint a compliance consultant?
Engage them while the specification can still change, before committing to production. Agree review points for samples, artwork and supplier changes so findings can be addressed before dispatch.