Post-Closing Purchase Price Adjustment 1.9.1 Within ninety (90) days following the Closing Date, Seller shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, and deliver to Purchaser a statement (the “Closing Net Working Capital Statement”) which shall set forth the Net Working Capital of the Newsprint Business and of Apache as of the Closing Time (which shall be set forth separately for each of the Newsprint Business and Apache, but as aggregated shall be referred to as the “Closing Net Working Capital”) and shall be prepared in accordance with Seller’s past accounting methods, policies, practices and procedures and in the same manner, with consistent classification and estimation methodology, as the Financial Statements were prepared, except that the Excluded Assets and the Newsprint Retained Obligations shall be excluded. The Closing Net Working Capital Statement may not be amended by Seller after it is delivered to Purchaser.
1.9.2 Purchaser shall, within thirty (30) days after the delivery of the Closing Net Working Capital Statement to it, complete its review of the Closing Net Working Capital reflected on the Closing Net Working Capital Statement. If Purchaser wishes to dispute the Closing Net Working Capital, Purchaser shall notify Seller in writing in reasonable detail of such disagreement and any reason therefore (“Purchaser’s Objection”), setting forth a specific description of the basis of Purchaser’s Objection and the adjustments to the Closing Net Working Capital that Purchaser believes should be made, on or before the last day of such thirty (30) day period, which Purchaser’s Objection may not be amended by Purchaser after it is delivered to Seller (except to withdraw any such Purchaser’s Objection). Any items on the Closing Net Working Capital Statements not disputed in Purchaser’s Objection shall be irrevocably deemed to be accepted by Purchaser. Seller shall then have thirty (30) days to review and respond to Purchaser’s Objection. If Seller and Purchaser are unable to resolve all of their disagreements with respect to the determination of the foregoing items within thirty (30) days following Seller’s receipt of Purchaser’s Objection (the “Negotiation Period”), they shall refer their remaining differences to a mutually agreeable independent accounting firm of national recognition (other than an independent accounting firm utilized by any of Seller, Apache or Purchaser or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing within the past three (3) years) acceptable to both Seller and Purchaser or if Seller and Purchaser are unable to agree as to such third party accounting firm within ten (10) days after the conclusion of the Negotiation Period, either Seller or Purchaser may request that the Chairman of the American Arbitration Association (or the nominated representative of the Chairman) appoint a third party accounting firm meeting the aforementioned requirements to resolve the dispute (the accounting firm selected being referred to as the “CPA Firm”), who shall determine, only with respect to the remaining differences so submitted, whether and to what extent, if any, the Closing Net Working Capital requires adjustment. The procedure and schedule under which any dispute shall be submitted to the CPA Firm shall be as follows:
(a) Within ten (10) days after the later of (i) the end of the Negotiation Period and (ii) the selection of the CPA Firm, Purchaser shall submit any unresolved elements of the Purchaser’s Objection to the CPA Firm in writing (with a copy to Seller), supported by any documents and/or affidavits upon which it relies. Failure to timely do so shall constitute a withdrawal by Purchaser of the Purchaser’s Objection with respect to any unresolved element to which such failure relates.
(b) Within fifteen (15) days following Purchaser’s submission of the unresolved elements of the Purchaser’s Objection as specified in sub-clause (a) above, Seller shall submit its response to the CPA Firm in writing (with a copy to Purchaser), supported by any documents and/or affidavits upon which it relies. Failure to timely do so shall constitute an acceptance by Seller with respect to any unresolved elements to which such failure relates.
(c) The CPA Firm shall deliver its written determination to Purchaser and Seller no later than the thirtieth (30th) day after the remaining differences underlying Purchaser’s Objection are referred to the CPA Firm, or such longer period of time as the CPA Firm determines is necessary.
Purchase Price Adjustment (a) Within 90 days following the Closing, the Buyer shall prepare and deliver, or cause to be prepared and delivered, to the Seller a statement (the “Closing Schedule”) setting forth:
(i) the Buyer’s determination of the actual amounts of (A) the Adjustment Amount, including the Final Adjustment Amount Overage or the Final Adjustment Amount Underage (the “Final Adjustment Amount”), and (B) the Seller Indebtedness Amount, in each case as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on the Closing Date without taking into account any of the transactions to be completed on the Closing Date in accordance with the terms of this Agreement;
(ii) a calculation of any adjustments to the Closing Payment based on such calculations (the adjusted Closing Payment as a result of such calculation being the “Final Closing Payment”); and
(iii) a calculation of the accounts receivable contained in the Preliminary Adjustment Amount that were not collected by Buyer within the thirty (30) days immediately following the Closing and the accounts receivable existing at the Closing but not taken into account in calculating the Adjustment Amount (the “Excluded AR”).
(b) Within fifteen (15) days after delivery of the Closing Schedule, the Seller may deliver a notice to Buyer either: (i) concurring with the Closing Schedule (a “Notice of Concurrence”); or (ii) disagreeing therewith (a “Notice of Disagreement”). If the Seller delivers a Notice of Disagreement, then it shall be accompanied by the Seller’s proposed revisions to the Closing Schedule. If the Seller fails to deliver any notice within such 15-day period, the Seller shall be deemed to have delivered a Notice of Concurrence.
(c) If a Notice of Concurrence is delivered or deemed delivered, and if the Final Closing Payment is less than the Closing Payment, the Buyer shall be entitled to payment out of the Royalty Consideration in the full amount of such shortfall. If a Notice of Concurrence is delivered or deemed delivered, and the Final Closing Payment is greater than the Closing Payment, Buyer shall pay to the Seller the full amount of such excess (with such payment being in shares of Buyer Common Stock priced at $1.50 per share) within thirty (30) days of the delivery of the Notice of Concurrence.
(d) If a Notice of Disagreement is delivered, then the Seller and the Buyer shall, during the 15-day period following such delivery (the “Negotiation Period”), use commercially reasonable efforts to agree on the Final Adjustment Amount. If, during such period, the Seller and the Buyer are unable to reach agreement, they promptly shall engage a nationally recognized certified public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to each such party (the “Independent Auditor”) to resolve the disagreement, and any such resolution shall be final, conclusive and binding upon the parties hereto, absent fraud or manifest error. To the extent the Final Closing Payment as determined by the Independent Auditor is less than the Closing Payment, the Buyer shall be entitled to payment out of the Royalty Consideration in the full amount of such shortfall. To the extent the Final Closing Payment as determined by the Independent Auditor is more than the Closing Payment, the Buyer shall pay to the Seller the full amount of such excess (with such payment being in shares of Buyer Common Stock priced at $1.50 per share) within thirty (30) days of such resolution.
(e) Each of the Seller and the Buyer shall pay fifty percent (50%) of the fees and expenses of the Independent Auditor.
Purchase Price Adjustments (a) Schedule 2.4 sets forth the Seller’s good faith estimate of the Net Working Capital (the “Estimated Net Working Capital”) as of September 30, 2013, together with a calculation of the Closing Purchase Price based on such estimate. The Estimated Net Working Capital shall be determined in accordance with Section 2.6 and the other terms of this Agreement.
(b) As promptly as possible, but in any event within forty five (45) days after the Closing Date, the Buyer will deliver to the Seller a balance sheet of the Company (the “Closing Balance Sheet”) and a statement showing the calculation of the Net Working Capital derived from the Closing Balance Sheet (together with the Closing Balance Sheet, the “Preliminary Closing Statement”), in each case as of the Reference Time. The Closing Balance Sheet shall be prepared, and the Net Working Capital and the Preliminary Closing Statement shall be determined, in accordance with Section 2.6 and the definitions and other terms set forth in this Agreement. The Preliminary Closing Statement shall contain line item detail comparable to the Balance Sheet with respect to the components of Net Working Capital of the Company as of the Reference Time. After delivery of the Preliminary Closing Statement, the Buyer shall give the Seller and its accountants and representatives reasonable access at reasonable times to review the Company’s books and records and work papers related to the preparation of the Preliminary Closing Statement subject to customary confidentiality restrictions. The Seller and its accountants and representatives may make inquiries of the Buyer and its accountants regarding questions concerning or disagreements with the Preliminary Closing Statement arising in the course of its review thereof, and the Buyer shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause any such accountants to cooperate with and respond to such inquiries. If the Seller has any objections to the Preliminary Closing Statement, the Seller shall deliver to the Buyer a statement setting forth its objections thereto (an “Objections Statement”). If an Objections Statement is not delivered by the Seller to the Buyer within twenty (20) days after delivery of the Preliminary Closing Statement, the Preliminary Closing Statement shall be final, binding and non-appealable by the Parties hereto. The Seller and the Buyer shall negotiate in good faith to resolve any such objections for fifteen (15) days after the delivery of the Objections Statement, but if they do not reach a final resolution, the Seller and the Buyer shall submit such dispute to PricewaterhouseCoopers, or if they are not independent pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission at the time, another nationally recognized independent accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Buyer and the Seller (the “Dispute Resolution Firm”) within three (3) Business Days following the end of the fifteen (15)-day period from the date of the delivery of the Objections Statement. Any further submissions to the Dispute Resolution Firm must be written and delivered to each party to the dispute. The Dispute Resolution Firm shall consider work papers and other documents and information related to those items and amounts which are identified in the Objections Statement as being items which the Seller and the Buyer are unable to resolve. The Dispute Resolution Firm’s determination will be based on the definition of Net Working Capital and the other definitions and terms contained herein and shall be in amounts between the disputed amounts set forth in the Preliminary Closing Statement and the Objections Statement. The Seller and the Buyer shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Dispute Resolution Firm to resolve all disagreements as soon as practicable and in any event within thirty (30) days after the submission of any dispute. Further, the Dispute Resolution Firm’s determination shall be based solely on the presentations by the Buyer and the Seller which are in accordance with the terms and procedures set forth in this Agreement (i.e., not on the basis of an independent review). The resolution of the dispute by the Dispute Resolution Firm shall be, absent manifest error, final, binding and non-appealable on the Parties hereto. The costs and expenses of the Dispute Resolution Firm shall be allocated fifty percent (50%) to the Buyer and fifty percent (50%) to the Seller.
(c) If the Net Working Capital as finally determined pursuant to Section 2.4(b) above is greater than the Target Working Capital, the Buyer shall promptly pay to the Seller the amount of such excess in cash. If the Net Working Capital as finally determined pursuant to Section 2.4(b) above is less than the Target Working Capital (such amount, the “Working Capital Deficiency”), the Seller and the Buyer shall promptly cause an amount equal to the Working Capital Deficiency to be paid to the Buyer from the Working Capital Escrow Amount; provided, however, that if the Working Capital Deficiency is in excess of the Working Capital Escrow Amount (such excess amount, the “Working Capital Indemnity Amount”), then the Buyer may elect to seek indemnification for the Working Capital Indemnity Amount either (i) from the Indemnity Escrow Amount or (ii) directly from the Seller. The net adjustment amount payable to the Seller or the Buyer under this Section 2.4(c) (such amount, the “Net Adjustment Amount”) shall be paid in accordance with Section 2.5.
Purchase Price Allocation Not more than one hundred eighty (180) days after the Closing Date, Buyer will deliver to the Members a schedule allocating the Base Purchase Price (as adjusted pursuant to Section 2.3.2) as provided in this Section 2.6. As soon as practicable after payment of each of (a) the Final Working Capital Adjustment, (b) the Earnout Amount for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, (c) the Earnout Amount for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, and (d) the Earnout Amount for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, Buyer will deliver to the Members a schedule allocating each such payment in accordance with this Section 2.6. Buyer and the Members agree that the aggregate amount of (a) the Base Purchase Price (as adjusted pursuant to Section 2.3.2), plus (b) the Final Working Capital Adjustment, plus (c) any Earnout Amount received shall be allocated in the following amounts or consistent with the following methodology: (a) first, to the tangible assets of the Company, (b) second, an amount not to exceed Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) shall be allocated, solely for Tax purposes, to the non-compete described in Section 6.14, and (c) third, any remaining amount shall be allocated to goodwill and other intangible assets. Except as otherwise required by law or pursuant to a “determination” under Section 1313(a) of the Code, Buyer and the Members agree to act, and will act, and will cause their Affiliates to act, in accordance with such allocations for purposes of all income Taxes, and neither Buyer nor the Members will take any position inconsistent therewith in any Tax Return or similar filings (including IRS Form 8594), any refund claim, any litigation, or otherwise. The Parties acknowledge and agree that the allocation of the Purchase Price as set forth above shall not limit the amount of damages that Buyer may seek for any breach of the covenants contained in Article VI.
Closing Purchase Price Buyer shall have delivered the Closing Purchase Price in accordance with Section 2.5.
Estimated Closing Statement (i) No later than three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to Acquiror (A) a statement (the “Estimated Closing Statement”) setting forth the Company’s good faith estimates of (1) the Estimated Net Working Capital (as well as the resulting Estimated Net Working Capital Surplus (if any) or Estimated Net Working Capital Shortfall (if any)), (2) the Estimated Transaction Expenses, (3) the Estimated Closing Cash and (4) the Estimated Closing Debt, and (B) a schedule which shall include (1) the Estimated Total Stock Purchase Consideration, (2) wire instructions for the payments to be made to NewCo at the Closing pursuant to Section 2.3(b), (3) each Seller’s Pro Rata Percentage and the portion of the Estimated Total Stock Purchase Consideration attributable to each Seller; and (4) wire instructions for the payments of Debt, and the Estimated Transaction Expenses, including, for the avoidance of doubt, the Transaction Bonuses, to be made to the applicable payees thereof pursuant to Section 2.3(b) (such schedule delivered pursuant to this clause (B), the “Payment Schedule”). The Estimated Closing Statement shall be prepared by the Company in accordance with the Agreed Principles.
(ii) The Company shall consider in good faith any reasonable comments or objections to any amounts set forth on the Estimated Closing Statement notified to it by Acquiror prior to the Closing and if, prior to the Closing, the Company and Acquiror agree to make any modification to the Estimated Closing Statement, then the Estimated Closing Statement as so modified shall be deemed to be the Estimated Closing Statement; provided, that the failure of the Company and Acquiror to reach such mutual agreement will not give any party the right to terminate this Agreement or otherwise delay or fail to close the Stock Purchase or the other transactions contemplated hereunder.
(iii) Acquiror shall be entitled to rely on the accuracy of the Estimated Closing Statement and the Payment Schedule in all respects in making any payments pursuant to this Agreement, and all obligations to make such payments shall be deemed fulfilled to the extent such payments are made in accordance with this Agreement, the Payment Schedule, and the Estimated Closing Statement, including the Earn-Out Payment. None of Acquiror or any of its Affiliates (including, after the Closing, the Company) or the Seller Representative shall have any liability or obligation to any Person, including the Sellers and the Seller Guarantors, for any Damages arising from or relating to any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the calculations of the portion of any amounts payable to any Seller or any other Person or any other errors, omissions or inaccuracy in the information set forth on the Estimated Closing Statement or the Payment Schedule.
Closing Statement (a) In connection with the prorations required under SECTION 9.1, not later than 5 Business Days prior to the intended Closing Date, the Seller will use commercially reasonable efforts to have prepared a proforma of the accounting for the transaction that reflects the Seller’s good faith estimate of how items subject to proration will be accounted for by crediting or debiting appropriate accounts either pre or post Closing, respectively (the “Draft Closing Statement”). The Draft Closing Statement shall reflect the parties’ good faith estimate of all of the prorations, credits and/or other adjustments to be made at Closing. On the day prior to Closing, the Seller and the Buyer will use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct inventories, examinations and audits of the Asset as may be necessary to verify and/or make revisions to the Draft Closing Statement based on such audits, examinations and inventories, and on the night preceding the Closing immediately after the Cut-Off Time, the Seller and the Buyer will use commercially reasonable efforts to make all final adjustments necessitated by such nights’ operations and prepare a final closing statement of prorations and adjustments required under SECTION 9.1 with such supporting documentation as the parties hereto may reasonably require being attached thereto. The Buyer and the Seller acknowledge and agree that the completion of the Draft Closing Statement pursuant to this SECTION 9.2(a) shall not be a condition precedent to the obligation of the Buyer or the Seller to consummate the transactions pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(b) If any items to be adjusted pursuant to this ARTICLE IX are not determinable at the Closing, or if any such adjustments made at the Closing prove to be incorrect, the adjustment shall be made subsequent to the Closing or corrected when the charge is finally determined. The Buyer shall deliver to the Seller no later than 60 days following the Closing Date (except with respect to any item which is not reasonably determinable within such time frame, as to which the time frame shall be extended until such item is reasonably determinable) a schedule of prorations setting forth the Buyer’s determination of prorations not determined at the Closing and any adjustments to the prorations made at Closing that it believes are necessary to complete the prorations as set forth in this ARTICLE IX. Any errors or omissions in computing adjustments or readjustments at the Closing or thereafter shall be promptly corrected or made, provided that the party seeking to correct such error or omission or to make such readjustment shall have notified the other party of such error or omission or readjustment on or prior to the date that is 30 days following the receipt from the other party of such other party’s proposed adjustment or readjustment. The party owing the other party any sum pursuant to any adjustment, or readjustment or correction under this ARTICLE IX shall pay such sum to the other party within 15 days after the same has been determined as set forth above.
Closing Adjustment At least three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, Seller shall prepare in good faith and deliver to Buyer a statement (the “Estimated Statement”) setting forth an unaudited consolidated balance sheet of the Acquired Companies as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on the Closing Date and an estimated calculation of (i) Net Working Capital (the “Estimated Net Working Capital”), (ii) Cash (the “Estimated Cash”), and (iii) Seller’s calculation of the amount payable under Section 2.2(a) on the basis of the Estimated Statement, in each case, along with reasonable supporting detail to evidence the calculation of such amount. The Estimated Statement and all calculations therein shall be determined as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on the Closing Date and in accordance with GAAP, consistently applied, and using the same accounting methods, policies, practices and procedures, with consistent classifications, judgments and estimation methodology, as were used in the preparation of the Audited Balance Sheet and the Example Net Working Capital Calculation. Seller shall provide Buyer with reasonable access to the Books and Records of the Acquired Companies and shall cause the personnel of the Acquired Companies to reasonably cooperate with Buyer for the purpose of enabling Buyer to calculate, and to review Seller’s calculation of Estimated Net Working Capital and Estimated Cash and such amounts shall be adjusted in response to any reasonable comments of Buyer provided prior to the Closing. The amount payable under Section 2.4(b)(i) shall be (i) increased or decreased, respectively, dollar-for-dollar by the amount that the Estimated Net Working Capital is more than or less than Target Net Working Capital and (ii) increased dollar-for-dollar by the amount of the Estimated Cash (provided that in no event shall the Estimated Cash exceed the Maximum Cash Amount); provided, however, that in the event of a decrease, in lieu of decreasing the amount payable under Section 2.4(b)(i), the Deferred Payment Amount shall first be decreased by up to an aggregate of $2,000,000, and, if applicable, thereafter the amount payable under Section 2.4(b)(i) shall be decreased by the amount in excess of $2,000,000.
Price Adjustment Civil works contracts of long duration (more than 18 months) shall contain an appropriate price adjustment clause.
Final Closing Statement (a) On or before the date that is ninety (90) days following the Closing Date, Buyer or its representatives shall prepare a schedule setting forth its determination of Working Capital, Indebtedness and Seller Transaction Expenses (the “Final Closing Statement”) and shall deliver the Final Closing Statement to the Seller. Working Capital shall be determined disregarding any effects on the assets and liabilities of the Seller of (i) purchase accounting adjustments arising from or resulting as a consequence of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) any cash, cash equivalents, or stock contributed to Seller by Buyer or any of its Affiliates on the Closing Date.
(b) Prior to the date which is thirty (30) days after Buyer’s delivery of the Final Closing Statement (the “Protest Date”), the Seller may deliver written notice to Buyer (the “Protest Notice”) setting forth any objections which the Seller may have to the Final Closing Statement. The Protest Notice shall specify in reasonable detail any contested amounts and the basis therefor and shall include a schedule setting forth the Seller’s determination of Working Capital, Indebtedness and Seller Transaction Expenses. If a Protest Notice is not delivered prior to the Protest Date, the Working Capital, Indebtedness and Seller Transaction Expenses as set forth on the Final Closing Statement shall be final, binding and non-appealable by the Sellers. If a Protest Notice is delivered prior to the Protest Date, any amounts not disputed therein shall be final, binding and non-appealable by the Seller. Upon receipt of the Final Closing Statement, the Seller and its accountants will be given reasonable access upon reasonable notice to the relevant books, records, workpapers and personnel during regular business hours for the purpose of verifying Working Capital, Indebtedness and Seller Transaction Expenses. The parties will thereafter negotiate any objections in the Protest Notice in good faith.
