Choosing a cross-border service provider: questions to ask

Anyone preparing a move, a purchase, a business arrangement or a family matter that crosses borders soon meets a crowded field of agencies, consultants, coordinators and advisers. Each describes its work in its own vocabulary, and two providers offering what sounds like the same service may in fact be doing very different things — or one of them may be doing work that, in the relevant country, only a licensed professional is allowed to do.

This article sets out questions that help you compare any provider on the same criteria: what is included and excluded, who actually carries out regulated work, what is agreed in writing, how outcomes are described, how communication and data are handled, and which warning signs deserve attention.

Why providers are hard to compare

Comparison is difficult mainly because the same words mean different things. "Support", "assistance", "handling" and "end-to-end service" can describe anything from a single information call to a long engagement involving several professionals. A website may list many areas of activity without saying which the provider performs itself, which it passes to others and which it only discusses in general terms.

Costs are presented in different ways too: some providers quote by stage, some by the hour, some as a single package, and some leave third-party costs out entirely. Before comparing what providers charge, compare what they actually do. The questions below aim to turn broad descriptions into specific answers that can be set side by side.

Scope: what is included and what is not

Scope is the single most useful thing to pin down. Ask each provider to describe, in plain language:

• which tasks it will carry out itself, step by step;
• which documents or deliverables you will receive, and in what form;
• which tasks it expects you to do yourself;
• which tasks it expects other professionals to do, and whether it will arrange those professionals or only suggest them;
• what is explicitly excluded, written as a list rather than implied;
• what happens if your situation changes during the engagement, and how a change of scope is agreed.

Exclusions matter as much as inclusions. A provider that says clearly "we do not prepare tax filings" or "we do not represent you before any authority" is giving you useful information. A provider that cannot say what it does not do may not have a clear idea of its own limits.

Regulated work and who actually does it

In most countries, certain kinds of work may only be carried out by people who hold a particular professional licence, registration or authorisation — for example some forms of legal advice, representation before authorities, tax advice, financial advice or work on official documents. Which tasks fall into these categories differs from country to country. Confirm the position for your own matter with a qualified professional in each relevant country rather than relying on any provider's summary.

For any part of your matter that might be regulated, ask:

• Which parts of this work, in your view, require a licensed or regulated professional, and in which country?
• Who will do that work: a named person in your firm, a separate firm you work with, or a professional you introduce me to?
• What authorisation does that person hold, issued by which body, in which country?
• How can I verify that authorisation independently, for example through a public register kept by the professional body?
• Who is my contractual counterpart for the regulated work — your firm, or the professional directly?
• Who carries professional responsibility if something in that work turns out to be wrong?

A clear answer separates coordination from regulated advice. It is perfectly normal for a coordinating firm to work alongside licensed professionals; what matters is that you know who is doing what, under which authorisation, and with whom you have a direct relationship. Coordinating several professionals at once is explored further in working with advisers in more than one country.

Written terms and costs

Whatever the provider, ask for the terms in writing before work begins. Usually this takes the form of an engagement letter or service agreement. Read it against what you were told in conversation, and ask about any difference.

Questions to ask:

• Does the written document describe the scope and exclusions in the same way as the conversation did?
• How are costs calculated, and which costs are included or excluded — for example third-party charges, charges paid to authorities, or other professionals' work?
• When are payments due, and what does each payment cover?
• What are the cancellation terms, on both sides?
• Under what circumstances, if any, is part of a payment refunded, and who decides?
• What happens to your documents and information if the engagement ends early?

No figures are needed to compare these points. What you are looking for is clarity about what has been agreed and how either side can bring it to an end.

How outcomes are described

Many cross-border matters end in a decision by someone other than the provider: an authority deciding an application, a counterparty deciding whether to sign, an institution applying its own internal policies, a court deciding a dispute. No provider can decide those outcomes, and no provider can know in advance how they will be decided.

Listen carefully to how a provider talks about results. Responsible descriptions focus on what the provider controls — the quality of preparation, the clarity of the file, the coordination between people, the timeliness of its own work. Statements that a result is certain, assured or already settled should be treated as a warning sign, because the decision belongs to authorities, counterparties or courts, not to any provider.

A useful question is: "What could go wrong, and what would you do then?" A provider that can describe realistic risks and its own role in responding to them usually understands the work better than one that insists nothing can go wrong.

Communication, responsibility and your contact

In a matter involving several people and countries, communication often breaks down not through bad intent but through unclear roles. Ask:

• Who is my day-to-day contact, and who stands in when that person is away?
• Who is ultimately responsible for the work within the firm?
• How will you keep me informed — at agreed points, on request, or whenever something changes?
• In which language will we communicate, and who helps if a conversation with another professional needs interpreting?
• If other professionals are involved, will I speak with them directly, or through you?

Clear answers here make it far easier to keep track of questions and answers over time. A shared list of open questions, described in building an open-questions register, helps whichever provider you choose.

Data handling and confidentiality

Cross-border matters involve sensitive information: identity documents, family details, financial records, business information. Ask each provider:

• What personal information do you need, and why?
• Where and how is it stored, and who within your firm can see it?
• With whom will you share it — other professionals, other firms, service suppliers — and in which countries?
• How is information sent securely between you and me, and between you and others?
• For what period do you keep information after the engagement ends, and how is it deleted?
• Whom should I contact if I have a concern about how my information is used?

A provider that asks for more information than the work seems to need, or that cannot explain where your information goes, deserves further questions.

Red flags to take seriously

Some signs suggest that a provider may not be acting in your interest, or may be stepping outside what it is permitted to do. Take them seriously, whatever else the provider offers:

• promises of approval, certainty or a "guaranteed" result in a matter decided by an authority or another party;
• pressure to decide or pay quickly, such as offers said to expire within hours;
• requests to alter documents, leave out relevant facts or give incomplete information to anyone;
• a vague scope that cannot be put into specific words;
• unwillingness to put terms, costs or scope in writing;
• claims of special access to officials, or hints that the usual rules can be bypassed;
• reluctance to name who will do regulated work, or to say how their authorisation can be checked;
• discouragement from seeking a second opinion.

A single red flag is a reason to slow down and ask more. Several together are a reason to look elsewhere.

A comparison checklist

Copy the table below and fill in one column per provider after each conversation.

Gaps in the table are themselves informative: if a row is still blank after a conversation, that is the next question to ask. For getting the most out of the conversation itself, see preparing for a first cross-border consultation.

Asking the same questions of Wobridge

These criteria apply to Wobridge as much as to anyone else, and we encourage you to use them. The answers you should expect are:

• Scope. Wobridge helps clarify a situation, organise information, identify workstreams and gaps, prepare questions and coordinate with qualified professionals. The exact scope is confirmed case by case, in writing, before work begins.
• Regulated work. Wobridge does not give tax, financial or other regulated advice; where such advice is needed, it comes from qualified professionals. Legal questions are handled by Wobridge's lawyers within their areas of expertise, working with partner lawyers in the relevant country where local advice is needed. In either case, you should be able to see who they are and check their authorisation yourself.
• Outcomes. Wobridge cannot decide any application or transaction and does not claim to; decisions belong to the authorities, counterparties or courts involved.
• Written terms. Scope, exclusions and costs are set out in writing, and you are welcome to question anything that is unclear.
• Data. You can ask what information is needed, why, and with whom it would be shared.

If any answer you receive from Wobridge does not match these points, raise it — just as you would with any other provider.

In short

Providers in the cross-border field describe their services differently, so compare them on specific criteria: scope and exclusions, who does regulated work and under which verifiable authorisation, written terms and costs, how outcomes are described, communication and data handling. Treat promises of certainty, pressure to hurry, requests to alter information and claims of special access as warning signs. Apply the same questions to every provider, Wobridge included.

If you would like to discuss how a provider's scope fits your own situation, you can talk to Wobridge.