General Superintendence

Summary of General Superintendence

A generic term applied to any one of a number of firms associated with the Société Générale de Surveillance of Geneva. The basic responsibility of these offices is to inspect cargo to ensure compliance with the terms of purchase or import regulations. Several nations, as a condition of entry of merchandise, require a preshipment physical examination of the goods. The examination of the merchandise may be performed at the piers prior to shipment, or at the supplier's warehouse or factory, depending upon the type of goods involved. Invoices and shipping documents are also examined for conformity with prices and terms of sale quoted to the foreign buyer. Upon satisfactory completion of the examination, a Clean Report of Findings will be issued to the shipper and the buyer. In some countries, this report is required before exchange control authorities will release funds to settle accounts.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)