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Live Virtual Webinar
Who Owns Your Import Risk?
Tariffs, Duties, Surtaxes and Landed Cost for Procurement and Capital Projects
Trade policy is now a business risk and cost management issue, not just a customs compliance issue. Learn to spot trade costs before the purchase order is issued, not after the invoice arrives.
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| DATE & TIME: Monday, November 16, 2026 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM MST |
| FORMAT: Live on Zoom (45 minutes, including discussion) |
| PRESENTER: Benita Lee, B.Mgt., CCS (CA/US) |
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The Old Import Model Is Over
For years, the standard approach has been simple: let customs brokers, EPC firms, construction contractors and freight forwarders handle import liability, then bill the costs back to the owner.
In today's Canada-U.S. trade environment, that approach leaves money on the table and risk unmanaged. Duties, surtaxes and supplier surcharges get buried inside contractor invoices, visibility disappears, and recovery opportunities are missed.
This session gives Supply Chain, Procurement and leadership teams a practical, business-first view of where trade costs come from, how they stack up on a single transaction, and what you can do about them. This is not customs training. It is about cost, risk and better decisions.
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4
layers of trade cost that can hit one purchase
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5
real-world procurement scenarios
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7
questions to ask before you commit to a purchase
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45
minutes of focused, practical insight
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Four Sources of Additional Cost
These terms are often used interchangeably. They are not the same, and all four can appear on the same transaction.
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Tariffs
Government-imposed trade measures that raise import costs and influence sourcing decisions.
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MFN Duties (Normal Customs Duties)
Standard duties set through tariff schedules, applied based on product classification and country of origin.
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Surtaxes
Trade countermeasures that may be applied on top of normal customs duties.
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Vendor Tariff Surcharges (The Newest Layer)
Commercial charges suppliers add to recover tariff, customs or trade disruption costs. They are set by the supplier, not the government, and they are negotiable.
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What You Will Learn
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Why manufacturing location matters more than who sells the product, and how it changes your tariff and duty exposure even with the same supplier |
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How repair-and-return transactions can be treated differently from new purchases, and why downtime often costs more than duty |
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How to avoid the landed cost trap, where supplier surcharges, duties, surtaxes and GST stack up well beyond the quoted price |
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How origin certification and trade agreement eligibility can reduce duty exposure and support post-entry recoveries |
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How to build resilience through strategic sourcing, contract terms, landed cost analysis, duty-deferral programs and supplier diversification |
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Spotlight Discussion
Capital Projects, EPCs and Import Ownership
On large projects, the conversation usually stops at DDP versus EXW. But Incoterms do not decide your tariff exposure, surtax exposure, origin qualification, duty recovery opportunities or overall customs strategy.
When import responsibility is handed entirely to contractors, trade costs get embedded in invoices, visibility drops, and the risk of budget overruns and schedule delays climbs.
Who owns the import process can matter just as much as who owns the purchase order.
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Session Agenda
| Topic |
Time |
| Why This Matters |
3 min |
| Tariff vs. Duty vs. Surtax vs. Vendor Surcharge |
5 min |
| Scenario: Strategic Sourcing |
5 min |
| Scenario: Repair and Return |
4 min |
| Scenario: The Landed Cost Trap |
8 min |
| Scenario: Origin Certification |
4 min |
| Capital Projects, EPCs and Import Ownership |
10 min |
| Executive Takeaways and Discussion |
6 min |
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Leave With Seven Questions
You will walk away with a practical checklist to use before every cross-border purchase, including:
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Where is the product actually manufactured? |
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What is the total landed cost, not just the invoice value? |
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Who owns customs compliance and import responsibility? |
Plus four more that help you catch trade costs before the purchase order, not after the invoice.
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Who Should Attend
Anyone whose decisions shape what gets bought, from where, and at what total cost:
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Procurement, buying and category management professionals |
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Supply chain, logistics and operations teams |
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Project managers, project controls and capital project teams |
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Maintenance, turnaround and shutdown planners |
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Directors and senior decision-makers who approve spend and supplier strategy |
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Your Presenter
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Benita Lee
B.Mgt., CCS (CA/US)
Specialist, Customs and Trade Compliance
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Benita is a customs and trade compliance specialist holding the Certified Customs Specialist designation for both Canada and the United States. She works with organizations to bring import strategy, landed cost visibility and trade compliance into procurement and capital project decisions, helping teams reduce cost and risk before goods ever cross the border.
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Registration Fees
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Current Supply Chain Canada members
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Open to all professionals
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Current Supply Chain Canada Student Affiliates
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Prices in CAD, plus applicable taxes. Zoom access details are sent in your confirmation email.
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Questions or Need Assistance?
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Supply Chain Canada West
Professionals Advancing the Future
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