What is DDE Portal Membership?

DDE Portal is designed to assist and support its members to achieve the highest level of compliance with requirements for FITTED due diligence checks and controls under Notice 196 and Notice 2002: AWRS.

To achieve a satisfactory level of compliance, FITTED due diligence controls must satisfy the following four key requirements:

Objectively assess the risks of alcohol duty fraud within the supply chains in which you operate.

Put in place reasonable and proportionate checks in your day to day trading to identify transactions that may lead to fraud or involve goods on which duty may have been evaded.
Have procedures in place to take timely and effective mitigating action where a risk of fraud is identified.
Document the checks you intend to carry out and have appropriate management governance in place to make sure that these are, and continue to be, carried out as intended.

(Source – HMRC Notice 196 section 10 and Notice 2002 section 12)

The tools and features available to a member through the use of DDE Portal ensure that all of the above requirements are met. Some limited examples of how this is achieved through the use of DDE Portal are as follows:

The ability to risk categorize and complete ongoing risk assessments for all trading partners added to DDE Portal ensures members can demonstrate objective risk assessments in to all supply chains they are involved in.
Automated checks and access to The Due Diligence Exchange Ltd’s (“DDE”) substantial database of due diligence information ensures that all members have controls instilled within their day to day trading activities to identify all potential risks. Notifications within DDE Portal, which are also issued with a duplicate email notification, ensure members are immediately aware of all potential risks in order to take appropriate mitigating actions.
Varying levels of due diligence checks and reports to satisfy all levels of risk can be easily and promptly achieved directly through the member’s dashboard on DDE Portal. This ensures that all necessary due diligence controls and checks take timely and effective mitigating actions, which have been guided by the risk assessment capabilities within DDE Portal. This includes ongoing automated checks of key trade registrations for all trading partners added to the member’s area.
DDE Portal is a cloud-based solution with features to enable full auditability of all data, due diligence checks, tasks and information within a member’s area. All actions taken within DDE Portal are time stamped and date stamped. DDE Portal’s advanced audit feature enables a member to generate a FITTED due diligence compliance report based on all specified data sources over any period of time selected.

DDE has full visibility of a member’s FITTED due diligence controls and checks within DDE Portal. This enables DDE to provide the highest level of ongoing support and training to continually improve the effectiveness of our member’s compliance controls.

Features available for all levels of DDE Portal Membership

Access to a personal and secure membership area within DDE Portal.
Easily use the system to take mitigating actions designed to achieve the highest level of compliance possible.
Centralised online storage for all due diligence and compliance evidence, stored in an easy to manage location within DDE Portal for maximum efficiency.
1 click to send welcome packs containing relevant initial due diligence documentation and business information needed before commencing trade. Immediately generating evidence of steps taken in consideration of due diligence.
1 click advanced search and audit features designed to compile in-depth reports evidencing all compliance and FITTED due diligence control and checks. Use smart search features to easily provide HMRC with all requested information and assist Officers by presenting all documentation in the best auditable format.
Add unlimited trading partners to your membership area to record key company information and upload all documents relevant to your ongoing due diligence checks for each individual trading partner.
Easily consider and record your overall risk assessment of each trading partner to guide the implementation of proportionate ongoing due diligence controls.
Record details of all ongoing risk assessments made into all trading partners to ensure appropriate action is taken when necessary to mitigate risks on an ongoing basis.
1 click automated VAT checks on all trading partners.
1 click automated AWRS checks on all trading partners.
1 click automated SEED checks on all trading partners.
All company registration details recorded for your trading partners will then be subject of a monthly automated verification process. Any negative results trigger immediate notifications to a member highlighting all potential risks to ensure mitigating due diligence controls are conducted at the appropriate time.
Upload historic due diligence checks and reports into your trading partners to centralise the storage and auditability of all due diligence evidence.
1 click requests to instruct DDE to prepare enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports (where a member does not engage in membership with a report allocation these services would be charged on an ad-hoc basis).
DDE has visibility of all compliance and due diligence controls recorded within DDE Portal and provide ongoing online advice and support to continually improve the effectiveness of your due diligence controls.

DDE Portal Standard Membership - £875 +VAT pcm

Includes all of the above features as well as:
Compliance support and advice line (Mon-Fri) 9 am – 5 pm, giving you easy access to the advice and support of a team of due diligence and compliance experts.
Any FITTED due diligence policies & procedures currently operated by a member will be reviewed, enhanced and re-drafted by DDE to ensure the highest level of compliance. All policy documents are easily accessed and reviewed within your membership area.
Provision of all forms and/or guidance documents required in order to operate any internal due diligence controls necessary as a result of considerations bespoke to your business model.
Allocation of 5 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required prior to establishing a business relationship and/or to update checks on an annual basis.
Allocation of 5 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required to update checks on a six monthly basis.
All reports provided by DDE are delivered to your membership area against the entry for the relevant trading partner. All reports benefit from the advance risk assessment and auditability capabilities of DDE Portal.
Reduced hourly rates for any ad-hoc consultancy work required outside of the remit of your membership.
The fixed reduced fee structure for any additional reports you may require beyond the allocation including as part of your membership.

DDE Portal Premium Membership - £1350 +VAT pcm

Includes all benefits detailed as part of standard membership and all general DDE Portal features, as well as:

Comprehensive and ongoing training in the appropriate and effective application of ongoing risk assessments.
Allocation of 10 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required prior to establishing a business relationship and/or to update checks on an annual basis.
Allocation of 10 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required to update checks on a six monthly basis.
Access to DDE’s extensive due diligence database to request up to 10 FITTED desktop audit reports into potential new trading partners. prepared by DDE and tailored to your specific FITTED considerations. Access comprehensive FITTED due diligence information to properly assess the viability of new trading relationships without the need to reduce the report allocation included as part of your membership.
These reports enable you to properly assess and consider the potential level of risk and commercial viability associated with establishing a new business relationship at the earliest possible stage in the process.
FITTED desktop audit reports have no impact on the number of DDE reports available as part of the allocation included within your membership. Explore potential new commercial opportunities in a secure compliance environment whilst mitigating the negative financial impact usually associated with achieving this in a compliant manner.

DDE Portal Prestige Membership - £1650 +VAT pcm

Includes all benefits detailed as part of standard membership, premium membership and all general DDE Portal features, as well as:

Direct and priority access to DDE’s Director to obtain compliance and FITTED due diligence guidance and trading.
An annual comprehensive audit of your compliance controls conducted by the Director of DDE at your trading premises.
Enhanced training and guidance will then be provided based on the above audit ensuring continual enhancement of your compliance controls to achieve the highest level of compliance on an ongoing basis.
Allocation of 15 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required prior to establishing a business relationship and/or to update checks on an annual basis.
Allocation of 15 enhanced FITTED due diligence checks and reports, provided by DDE, that satisfy the level of due diligence required to update checks on a six monthly basis.
Access to DDE’s extensive due diligence database to request an unlimited amount of FITTED desktop audit reports into potential trading partners.

DDE will regularly implement new features and abilities within DDE Portal, on an ongoing basis, to ensure all members benefit from a continually increasing level of value from their DDE Portal membership. This will ensure that all services provided through DDE Portal continually adapt and evolve to satisfy any change to relevant compliance requirements and address any variations to relevant industry risk factors.