Winter & Customs: The Main Challenges in Russian Construction Projects

We are once again at the start of a new project in Russia. Since Horti XS was founded in 2015, most of our projects have been realized in Russia. In addition to Russia, projects have also been completed, with or without the involvement of other parties — in India, China, Poland, and Romania.

Realizing and organizing construction projects in Russia is more complex than in other countries. This is partly due to the language and cultural barrier, but also due to the strict customs formalities and the short construction season caused by the harsh winter climate.

The first challenge in any project is that the complete materials list, along with drawings, must be submitted to Russian customs before the construction process can begin. Furthermore, only the specified items in the stated quantities are permitted to be imported into the Russian Federation.

This means that once the design and materials have been submitted to customs, they can no longer be amended, they must therefore be entirely error-free from the outset.

Russian customs then takes approximately two to three months to review and approve the submitted documents. Once approval is granted, delivery begins, and it is essential that invoices and delivery notes correspond exactly to the submitted customs list. The organization of transport and the associated logistics is handled by us.

Due to the harsh climate, the construction season in most parts of Russia is relatively short, from April through October. However, once the greenhouse is enclosed and heated, the remaining finishing work can of course continue through the winter months.

These two factors demand a tight organizational alignment between the delivery process and the construction process. Since the subcontractor responsible for the build in Russia is typically contracted directly by the client, a good relationship and clear communication between the builder and Horti XS is essential. The quality of the construction falls under our responsibility through our on-site construction supervisor.

Because strong communication is the foundation of good organization, we have appointed a native Russian speaker within Horti XS to manage these two key challenges effectively.

This ensures that, at the start of this project too, we are well prepared to deliver a successful outcome.