A versatile expert
One of the main criteria for choosing a good service provider for REACH Registration is the scope of his expertise.
Indeed, in order to minimise the costs of testing, Registration requires skills in three different areas:
- Regulatory expertise and experience with IT tools
- Expertise in chemistry
- Expertise in toxicology
Regulatory expertise and experience with IT tools
The service provider must be familiar with the REACH regulation, both in terms of administrative and IT procedures, and in terms of the nature of the data to be provided for a complete dossier.
On the other hand, you should also check that the service provider is used to handling REACH-IT and IUCLID in their most recent versions.
Regulatory and legal knowledge is also essential for SIEF contract negotiation as well as for resolving disputes.
Expertise in chemistry
Expertise in analytical chemistry is a key point for everything related to the analytical data of a chemical substance; this data is mandatory for both the Member Registrants and the Lead Registrant.
Knowing about the chemical characterisation of substances is therefore essential to order relevant tests. Thanks to his expertise, the service provider will also be able to check the quality of the available analytical data.
Expertise in toxicology
Expertise in toxicology and ecotoxicology is necessary to the service provider, especially if you are mandated to carry out a bibliographic search of toxicological data available on the substance.
The service provider must then be able to:
- Know the different bibliographic sources of toxicological data
- Read and interpret reports
- Know the specific tests to be performed in order to guide the production of dossier data
An experienced service provider to manage the amount of incoming dossiers
It is important to check how much experience your service provider has.
As a matter of fact, the fast-approaching 2018 REACH deadline means a significant increase in the number of dossiers that will be submitted to ECHA and, at the same time, an intense activity for laboratories and regulatory consultants. It is therefore better to ensure that your service provider can keep up with the pace.
Thus, the number of clients and Registrations made by the service provider can give you an idea of his experience. The more experienced a service provider is, the more likely he or she has had to deal with complex situations and you will benefit from this know-how.
A service provider who adapts to your business
There are a variety of company business sectors that need to register their substances after REACH 2018. Future registrants also vary is sizes although a majority of small companies are expected to register for this last deadline.
Your registration service provider must therefore be able to adapt to very different sizes and types of substance portfolios and must be able to work with large groups in the chemical industry as well as with SMEs.
A diplomatic and rigorous service provider
It is obvious that the registration process requires extremely technical skills ... but that's not all!
Indeed, for Registration, knowing the administrative procedures is also crucial. The service provider you have chosen should be able to showcase his abilities in several areas:
- Negotiating the terms of the SIEF contract, or its verification before acceptance
- The purchase or sale of a Letter of Access (LoA) depending on your status – Lead Registrant or Member - as well as the negotiation of its price, if applicable.
- The management of a SIEF and its newcomers, in case you are a Lead Registrant
- Payment of the fee to ECHA
As you will have understood, these different tasks require a certain rigor in the operational follow-up and, very often, diplomacy qualities in the context of exchanges with the other SIEF members.
How can I be sure that my service provider hase these human qualities?
As a first step, try to find out about the values carried by the company you have chosen. Does it value both the human aspect and the technical expertise?
After that, do not hesitate to assess his degree of experience in SIEF management by asking him directly when making contact, for example.
