There are certain actions that can be taken to ensure that all of one's hard work is not thwarted when verifying your BEE efforts.  Keith Levenstein of EconoBEE offers the following five tips to assist evaluated companies through their verification process:

1.    Prepare for verification: Know what to expect and what will be expected of you by empowering yourself through training workshops on verification; or speak to your consultant to ensure you are thoroughly prepared. This can drastically reduce the time until one receives a verified BEE certificate. 

2.    Know your points before hand: Calculate your points on the scorecard before you approach a verification agency.  They will not assist you in finding the last few points required for a higher level; their role is based solely on substantiating your current claims on the scorecard. 

3.    Provide the data you want verified: Do not wait for the verification agency to ask for data that they may need as this leads to unnecessary delays.  Ensure all the relevant documentation to substantiate the claims on your BEE scorecard are available for the verification agency to scrutinise at the commencement of the process; such as your Annual Financial Statements, letters from your local charity confirming your contribution and their beneficiaries as well as your employment equity or shareholder information.

4.    Consult regarding interpretation of the codes of good practice: If you feel any of the codes are being interpreted incorrectly; do not hesitate to call in a consultant to clarify the matter as this could be the difference between a compliance and non-compliance.

5.     Appeal if you feel there has been an error: The verification agency's decision is not final; one is allowed to appeal within a reasonable period after their evaluation around any issues that you feel have not been handled correctly.  A BEE consultancy would be able to assist in this regard. 

EconoBEE will be holding three "Prepare for Verification" during July 2011 in Durban (14 July), Cape Town (21 July) and Johannesburg (28 July), providing business managers / owners with vital information that will ensure that one is able to maximise one's BEE points, avoid unnecessary delays during the verification process and ultimately take control of the verification process to ensure a correct result every time. 

"Verification can take ages if you are not properly prepared. It could also turn out that your score is far lower than you expected.  Essentially, verification could be a pleasure or a huge distraction.  Our conferences aim to prepare you sufficiently to ensure that your BEE verification does not become the bane of your administration," adds Keith Levenstein. 

For more information about the upcoming verification conferences, visit the EconoBEE website; http://www.econobee.co.za; or call one of their consultants at 011 483 1190 to get full details. 

Ends.

CONFERENCE DETAILS:

Date/Venue: 14th July 2011 - Oyster Box Hotel, Durban

21st July 2011 - Belmont Conference Centre, Cape Town

28th July 2011 - Emperors Palace, Johannesburg

Time: 8:30 for 9:00 – 17:00

Price: R3500 excl. VAT (R3990 incl. VAT)

Issued By: The Lime Envelope

On Behalf Of: EconoBEE

For Media Information: Angelique Meyer

Telephone: 011 704 7770

E-mail: angelique@thelime.co.za