# Why won't a CBAM verifier quote a fixed fee?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/why-cbam-verifier-wont-quote-fixed-fee

Because accreditation rules do not let verifiers accept lump sum contracts. If errors turn up, the verifier must widen its sampling, and that extra work has to be paid for. A fixed price would put pressure on its independence. A strong control system keeps the work, and the bill, down.

## What drives the cost

- The number of production processes and precursors.
- The quality of your data flow and controls.
- Misstatements found during checks.

## How to keep it down

- Contract a verifier early in the year.
- Keep fuel, power and production records traceable to source documents.
- Run your own review before the verifier arrives.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible keeps the invoices behind each fuel and electricity figure in one fingerprinted record, so a verifier can sample them without a hunt through files. Senseible is not a CBAM verifier and does not issue verification reports.

- [GHG verification cost in India](https://senseible.earth/answers/ghg-inventory-verification-cost-india)
- [Who pays for supplier verification](https://senseible.earth/answers/who-pays-for-supplier-carbon-verification)
- [Internal review before verification](https://senseible.earth/answers/internal-review-before-external-verification)

Sources: [European Commission, CBAM Guidance No. 1, introduction to CBAM concepts (definitive period)](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/031abf60-21a9-4822-b258-ac8b111d8358_en?filename=Guidance%20No.%201%20-%20Introduction%20to%20CBAM%20concepts.pdf), [European Commission, guidance on CBAM verification and accreditation (24 August 2026)](https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/030fe146-38e5-46b8-82b5-5f72da089a7b_en?filename=GUIDANCE%20ON%20CBAM%20VERIFICATION%20AND%20ACCREDITATION%20FOR%20VERIFIERS%20AND%20NATIONAL%20ACCREDITATION%20BODIES.pdf)

Last reviewed 2026-10-23.