CBAM SOURCING ASSESSMENT
Assessment scope and method.
VERC assesses the CBAM-related economics of one agreed steel sourcing commitment before you commit. That may be an order, revised terms, a renewal, a call-off or additional volume.
Start with what you are preparing to agree, your requirements and your deadline. You do not need a defined CBAM question, an existing calculation or alternative suppliers. We identify the material issues and agree the work with you.
What we examine
The assessment covers CBAM-related costs, supplier charges and the stated economic effects of supplier terms against your requirements.
Depending on the commitment, this can include cost estimates, payment timing, charge adjustments, missing emissions evidence and the CBAM consequences of feasible sourcing options. We perform the analysis needed for the agreed findings.
Responsibility and supplier charges
We examine the actual arrangement to establish the relevant CBAM responsibilities. A delivery term alone does not settle that question.
We examine the parties, customs arrangements and relevant records, seeking specialist confirmation where needed. We keep statutory CBAM obligations separate from supplier charges. A supplier charge does not by itself establish who holds a statutory responsibility or whether that obligation has been settled.
We examine what each charge covers, whether it is included in the quoted price, how it can change and what exposure could remain with you. We avoid counting the same amount twice.
Evidence, calculations and uncertainty
We connect consequential inputs to their sources and distinguish supported information, supplier claims, assumptions and unknowns. Promised evidence remains unavailable until received.
We calculate, check or update statutory CBAM estimates where needed for the findings. Where applicable, we may use official default values or clearly labelled scenarios. We do not treat default values as a guaranteed upper limit on your CBAM cost.
Where changed evidence or assumptions could affect a finding, we show the conditional difference and what needs confirming. That difference is not realised savings. Missing information may support a conditional finding or prevent a conclusion. We do not promise a formal value-of-information calculation or an optimal amount to spend obtaining evidence.
Requirements and sourcing options
We examine the CBAM findings against your confirmed requirements. We state where a requirement is met, not met, conditional or unresolved.
A single-supplier commitment can be assessed. Where feasible alternatives are relevant, we compare their CBAM-related consequences on compatible bases. A CBAM comparison does not identify the best supplier or establish the lowest total landed cost.
What the assessment does not establish
Our reading of supplier terms concerns their stated economic effects. We do not provide legal interpretation or determine enforceability. Ambiguous or disputed meaning requires legal review.
Freight, duties, quotas, technical qualification, accounting treatment and downstream pricing are outside the assessment. If an all-in cost limit matters, we use your non-CBAM figures on their stated basis, without independently validating them. Any finding against that limit depends on their completeness and accuracy.
CBAM filing, accredited emissions verification, certificate operations and hedging are also outside the service.
What you receive
One PDF records the conclusions, relevant calculations and evidence, assumptions, unresolved conditions and confirmations needed before commitment. We discuss the reasoning with you.
The findings apply to the agreed goods, quantities, terms and periods, using the evidence available at the stated cutoff. They support the CBAM side of your decision. You retain the wider sourcing decision.