Central Point of Expertise for Timber (CPET) to close on 31st March

Since 2004, the Central Point of Expertise for Timber (CPET) has supported central government procurers and their suppliers to source legal and sustainable timber, palm oil and woodfuel. This has been achieved through workshops, newsletters, and answering queries via email and phone.

However, the CPET service will be coming to an end on the 31st March 2016. The use of the service has changed, moving away from high volume assistance of contractual issues and compliance with the TPP to low volume, complex queries.

The suite of online guidance on GOV.UK will continue to host useful guidance documents and checklists.

If you are mandated to comply with the TPP, or are supplying someone who is, The Timber Procurement Advice Note (TPAN) provides guidance for both contracting authorities and suppliers.

Suppliers may find these documents useful if providing Category B evidence:

Forest source: practical guide for Category B evidence This guide provides information on providing supporting evidence that a forest has been managed legally and sustainably.

Forestry supply chain: checking category B evidence This guide sets out how to provide evidence of a legal and sustainable supply chain. This document can be used with the Forest source guide above to provide full Category B evidence. Alternatively, this document can be used to provide additional, supporting evidence in the event of a break in the chain of custody using Category A evidence.

Here you can find these documents and many more including support on woodfuel and palm oil.

If, as a BWF member, you require advice on the EU Timber Regulation, for example if you are unsure of the requirements for your business or want to discuss any further issues, the BWF has guidance available on its website (including a template due-diligence system) and members can also access the member helpline by ringing 0844 209 2619.