CERTIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT PRICE DETERMINATION By submission of this bid, the Bidder certifies, and in the case of a joint bid each party thereto certifies as to its own organization, that in connection with this procurement:
A. The prices in this bid have been arrived at independently, without consultation, collusion, communication, or agreement for the purpose of restricting competition, as to any matter relating to such prices with any other bidder or with any competitor.
B. Unless otherwise required by law, the prices which have been quoted in this bid have not been knowingly disclosed by the Bidder and will not knowingly be disclosed by the Bidder prior to opening, directly or indirectly to any other Bidder or to any competitor; and,
C. No attempt has been made or shall be made by the Bidder to induce any other person or bidder to submit or not to submit a bid for the purpose of restricting competition.
Authorization of Indemnification Any indemnification under this Article VII (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because such person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. Such determination shall be made, with respect to former directors and officers, by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Corporation. To the extent, however, that a present or former director or officer of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding set forth in Section 7.1 or Section 7.2 or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without the necessity of authorization in the specific case.
Termination of Indemnification The obligations to indemnify and hold harmless a party hereto pursuant to Sections 8.1, 8.2 (other than 8.2(c)), 8.3 and 8.4 shall terminate upon the termination of the relevant representation, warranty or pre-closing agreement pursuant to Section 3.6; provided, however, that such obligation to indemnify and hold harmless shall not terminate with respect to any item as to which the Person to be indemnified shall have, before the expiration of the applicable period, previously made a claim by delivering a written notice (stating in reasonable detail the basis of such claim) to the indemnifying party.
Selection of Independent Counsel for Standard of Conduct Determination If a Standard of Conduct Determination is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 8(b)(i), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board, and the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Standard of Conduct Determination is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 8(b)(ii), the Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee, and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected. In either case, Indemnitee or the Company, as applicable, may, within five days after receiving written notice of selection from the other, deliver to the other a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not satisfy the criteria set forth in the definition of “Independent Counsel” in Section 1, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person or firm so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is properly and timely made and substantiated, (i) the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that such objection is without merit; and (ii) the non-objecting party may, at its option, select an alternative Independent Counsel and give written notice to the other party advising such other party of the identity of the alternative Independent Counsel so selected, in which case the provisions of the two immediately preceding sentences, the introductory clause of this sentence and numbered clause (i) of this sentence shall apply to such subsequent selection and notice. If applicable, the provisions of clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to successive alternative selections. If no Independent Counsel that is permitted under the foregoing provisions of this Section 8(e) to make the Standard of Conduct Determination shall have been selected within twenty days after the Company gives its initial notice pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 8(e) or Indemnitee gives its initial notice pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 8(e), as the case may be, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition a court of competent jurisdiction to resolve any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or to appoint as Independent Counsel a person to be selected by such court or such other person as the court shall designate, and the person or firm with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person or firm so appointed will act as Independent Counsel. In all events, the Company shall pay all of the reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel incurred in connection with the Independent Counsel’s determination pursuant to Section 8(b).
Exclusion of Indemnification Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, there shall be no right to indemnification for any liability arising by reason of the Agent’s Disqualifying Conduct. In respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which that Person shall have been adjudged to be liable in the performance of that Person’s duty to the Trust or the Shareholders, indemnification shall be made only to the extent that the court in which that action was brought shall determine, upon application or otherwise, that in view of all the circumstances of the case, that Person was not liable by reason of that Person’s Disqualifying Conduct.
Continuation of Indemnification All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period that the Indemnitee is a director or officer of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as an agent of another enterprise, foreign or domestic) and shall continue thereafter so long as the Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee was a director or officer of the Company or serving in any other capacity referred to in this Paragraph 10.
Operation of Indemnities (a) Each indemnity in this document survives the expiry or termination of this document.
(b) A party may recover a payment under an indemnity in this document before it makes the payment in respect of which the indemnity is given.
Protection of Investments 1. All investments made by investors of either Contracting Party shall enjoy, in the territory of the other contracting party fair and equitable treatment.
2. Subject to the measures necessary for the maintenance of public order, such investments will enjoy a constant protection and security, excluding any unjustified or discriminatory measure which could adversely affect, in law or in fact, management, maintenance, use, enjoyment or disposal of such investments.
PROVISION OF INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY SERVICES The Sub-Adviser will provide for each Fund a continuing and suitable investment program consistent with the investment policies, objectives and restrictions of the Fund, as established by the Fund and the Adviser and set forth in the Prospectuses, other written guidelines or restrictions, as may be amended from time to time, agreed upon in writing by the Adviser and Sub-Adviser which guidelines and restrictions shall not be inconsistent with the Prospectuses, as may be amended from time to time (“Written Guidelines”) and the Trust Procedures.
(a) The Sub-Adviser shall assume all investment duties and have full discretionary power and authority with respect to investment of the Allocated Assets of each Fund. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser shall, with respect to the Allocated Assets of each Fund: (i) obtain and evaluate such information and advice relating to the economy, securities markets and securities as it deems necessary or useful to discharge its duties hereunder; (ii) continuously invest the assets in a manner consistent with the Prospectuses, Written Guidelines, and Procedures, as may be amended from time to time and provided to the Sub-Adviser consistent with Section 1(a) of this Agreement; (iii) determine the securities to be purchased, sold or otherwise disposed of and the timing of such purchases, sales and dispositions; (iv) vote all proxies for securities and exercise all other voting rights with respect to such securities in accordance with the Sub-Adviser’s written proxy voting policies and procedures; (v) promptly issue settlement instructions to custodians designated by the Adviser or the Trust; (vi) evaluate the credit worthiness of securities dealers, banks and other entities with which the Fund may engage in repurchase agreements and monitor the status of such agreements; and (vii) take such further action, including the placing of purchase and sale orders and the selection of broker-dealers to execute such orders on behalf of the Fund, as the Sub-Adviser shall deem necessary or appropriate, in its sole discretion, to carry out its duties under this Agreement.
(b) The Sub-Adviser shall also furnish to or place at the disposal of the Adviser and/or the Trust such information, evaluations, analyses and opinions formulated or obtained by the Sub-Adviser in the discharge of its duties, as the Adviser and/or Trust may, from time to time, reasonably request.
(c) The Sub-Adviser agrees, that in performing its duties hereunder, it will comply with (i) the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (ii) all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations, and (iii) the provisions of the Organic Documents.
(d) The Sub-Adviser shall keep accurate and detailed records concerning its services under this Agreement and all such records shall be open to inspection at all reasonable times by the Trust, the Adviser and any appropriate regulatory authorities. The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Adviser copies of any and all documentation relating to each Fund’s transactions upon reasonable request. The Sub-Adviser agrees that all records which it maintains for each Fund are the property of the Fund and it further agrees to surrender promptly to the Fund copies of any such records upon the Fund’s request.
(e) At the request of the Adviser from time to time, the Sub-Adviser shall provide pricing and valuation information with respect to particular securities it has purchased for each Fund if the Adviser has determined that such pricing and valuation information is not otherwise reasonably available to it through standard pricing services. In the event that the Sub-Adviser believes a valuation provided by a pricing service for a security it has purchased for the Portfolio is materially inaccurate, Sub-Adviser agrees to promptly notify the Adviser and/or the Fund. Sub-Adviser acknowledges that the Adviser, Sub-Adviser, each Fund, and its custodian or fund accountant may use different pricing vendors, which may result in valuation discrepancies and in the event of such discrepancies, the valuation used by each Fund to calculate its net asset value shall be controlling.
(f) From time to time at the request of the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser will, at its own expense, (i) meet, either in person or via teleconference, with the Adviser and with such other persons as the Adviser may designate, including the Board, on reasonable notice and at reasonable times and locations, to discuss general economic conditions, performance, investment strategy and other matters relating to each Fund; and/or (ii) provide written materials to the Adviser and such other persons as the Adviser may designate, including the Board, on reasonable notice, discussing general economic conditions, performance, investment strategy and other matters relating to each Fund.
(g) The Adviser and the Sub-Adviser agree that only the Sub-Adviser will exercise “investment discretion” over Allocated Assets within the meaning of Section 13(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), and the Sub-Adviser shall be responsible for filing any required reports on its behalf with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(f) and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(h) To the extent reasonably requested by the Trust, the Sub-Adviser will use its best efforts to assist the Trust in connection with the Trust’s compliance with the federal securities laws, as such term is defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, (“Federal Securities Laws”), including, without limitation, providing the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust with: (i) Compliance Procedures, as may be amended from time to time (including prompt notice of any material changes thereto); (ii) a summary of such policies and procedures in connection with the annual review thereof by the Trust; (iii) upon request, a certificate of the chief compliance officer of the Sub-Adviser to the effect that the policies and procedures of the Sub-Adviser are reasonably designed to prevent violation of the Federal Securities Laws; (iv) direct access to the Sub-Adviser’s chief compliance officer, as reasonably requested by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust; (v) a completed quarterly informational questionnaire regarding the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program; and (vi) quarterly certifications indicating whether there were Material Compliance Matters (as that term is defined by Rule 38a-1) that arose under the compliance policies and procedures of the Trust, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser in such detail as may be reasonably requested by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Trust.
(i) Except as permitted by the Trust Procedures, the Sub-Adviser will not disclose but shall treat confidentially all information in respect of the investments of each Fund, including, without limitation, the identification and market value or other pricing information of any and all portfolio securities or other financial instruments held by each Fund, and any and all trades of portfolio securities or other transactions effected for the Fund (including past, pending and proposed trades).
(j) The Adviser or its agent will provide timely information to the Sub-Adviser regarding such matters as inflows to and outflows from each Fund and the cash requirements of, and cash available for investment in each Fund. The Adviser or each Fund’s custodian (the “Custodian”) will timely provide the Sub-Adviser with copies of monthly accounting statements for each Fund, and such other information as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate in order for the Sub-Adviser to perform its responsibilities hereunder.
(k) The Adviser will be responsible for all class actions and lawsuits involving the securities held, or formerly held, in the Allocated Assets of each Fund. The Sub-Adviser is not required to take any action or to render investment-related advice with respect to lawsuits involving any Fund, including those involving securities presently or formerly held in the Allocated Assets of a Fund, or the issuers thereof, including actions involving bankruptcy. In the case of notices of class action suits received by the Sub-Adviser involving issuers presently or formerly held in the Allocated Assets of a Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall promptly forward such notices to the Adviser and, with the consent of the Adviser, may provide information about any Fund to third parties for purposes of participating in any settlements relating to such class actions.
(l) For the purpose of complying with Rule 10f-3(a)(5), Rule 12d3-1(c)(3)(ii), Rule 17a-10(a)(2) and Rule 17e-1(d)(2) under the 1940 Act, the Sub-Adviser hereby agrees that with respect to transactions in securities or other assets for a Fund: (i) it will not consult with any other sub-adviser to the Fund or any sub-adviser to a separate series of the Trust for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser; and (ii) its responsibility in providing investment advisory services to the Fund shall be limited solely to the Allocated Assets. Adviser will furnish to Sub-Adviser a current list of all such sub-advisers and principal underwriters and affiliated persons thereof, as well as affiliated persons of the Fund, and shall notify Sub-Adviser promptly of any changes to such list.
Limitation of Indemnification Notwithstanding any other terms of this Agreement, nothing herein shall indemnify the Indemnitee against, or exempt the Indemnitee from, any liability in respect of the Indemnitee’s fraud or dishonesty.