SW04255 - HMRC Business Authorising Officer: Authenticate Customer Organisation Representative

The Customer Organisation Representative (COR) is the person who represents the customer organisation during discussions with HMRC about how Shared Workspace can best be used to collaborate.

The COR is responsible for registering their Organisation to use the service and for agreeing the purpose of the Room with HMRC.

The COR also appoints the first two Customer Nominated Contacts SW04520 who will be responsible for the membership of the organisation within a Room.

Given the importance of this responsibility it is essential that the COR and the email address used to communicate with the COR are appropriately authenticated by the HMRC Business Authorising Officer (BAO) of the Room.

The Purpose of Authenticating the Organisation Representative

The purpose of authenticating the COR is to ensure that

  1. The COR is an employee of the organisation
  2. That the COR is of appropriate authority within the Organisation

How to Authenticate the Customer Organisation Representative

The BAO is responsible for authenticating the COR and must carry out checks of sufficient detail and depth from which to be fully satisfied from the resulting evidence that the COR meets the requirements above.

Given the varied types of work within HMRC and the numerous methods of communication it is not possible to be completely prescriptive as to how a COR should be authenticated. But suggested ways of achieving this are:

  1. Referring to documents and/or letters received from the COR bearing the organisations name and the COR’s email address.
  2. Referring to notes of meetings or telephone call between the HMRC and the COR.
  3. Using day to day knowledge of working with the COR.
  4. Checking the Organisations website.
  5. A visit to the Organisations premises

This list of methods is intended only to be an indication of some of the checks that the BAO can authenticate the COR.