Collection of Mortgage Loan Payments; Certificate Account; Distribution Account (a) The Master Servicer shall make reasonable efforts in accordance with the customary and usual standards of practice of prudent mortgage servicers to collect all payments called for under the terms and provisions of the Mortgage Loans to the extent such procedures shall be consistent with this Agreement and the terms and provisions of any related Required Insurance Policy. Consistent with the foregoing, the Master Servicer may in its discretion (i) waive any late payment charge or any prepayment charge or penalty interest in connection with the prepayment of a Mortgage Loan and (ii) extend the due dates for payments due on a Mortgage Note for a period not greater than 180 days; provided, however, that the Master Servicer cannot extend the maturity of any such Mortgage Loan past the date on which the final payment is due on the latest maturing Mortgage Loan as of the Cut-off Date. In the event of any such arrangement, the Master Servicer shall make Advances on the related Mortgage Loan in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.1 during the scheduled period in accordance with the amortization schedule of such Mortgage Loan without modification thereof by reason of such arrangements. The Master Servicer shall not be required to institute or join in litigation with respect to collection of any payment (whether under a Mortgage, Mortgage Note or otherwise or against any public or governmental authority with respect to a taking or condemnation) if it reasonably believes that enforcing the provision of the Mortgage or other instrument pursuant to which such payment is required is prohibited by applicable law.
(b) The Master Servicer shall establish and maintain the Certificate Account. The Certificate Account shall consist of two separate subaccounts, each of which shall relate to a particular Mortgage Pool. No later than two Business Days after receipt, except as otherwise specifically provided herein, the Master Servicer shall deposit or shall cause to be deposited into the applicable subaccount of the Certificate Account the following payments and collections remitted by Subservicers or received by it in respect of the Mortgage Loans in the related Mortgage Pool subsequent to the Cut-off Date (other than in respect of principal and interest due on such Mortgage Loans on or before the Cut-off Date) and the following amounts required to be deposited hereunder:
(i) all payments on account of principal on the Mortgage Loans in the related Mortgage Pool, including Principal Prepayments;
(ii) all payments on account of interest on the Mortgage Loans in the related Mortgage Pool, net of the related Master Servicing Fee, any Prepayment Interest Excess and, for so long as First Horizon is the Master Servicer, any Retained Yield;
(iii) all Insurance Proceeds and Liquidation Proceeds in respect of the related Mortgage Loans in the related Mortgage Pool, other than proceeds to be applied to the restoration or repair of the Mortgaged Property or released to the Mortgagor in accordance with the Master Servicer's normal servicing procedures;
(iv) any amount required to be deposited by the Master Servicer in respect of the related Mortgage Pool pursuant to Section 3.5(c) in connection with any losses on Permitted Investments;
(v) any amounts required to be deposited by the Master Servicer in respect of the related Mortgage Pool pursuant to Section 3.9(b), 3.9(d), and in respect of net monthly rental income from any related REO Property pursuant to Section 3.11 hereof;
(vi) all Substitution Adjustment Amounts in respect of the related Mortgage Pool;
(vii) all Advances in respect of the related Mortgage Pool made by the Master Servicer pursuant to Section 4.1; and
(viii) any other amounts required to be deposited hereunder in respect of the related Mortgage Pool. In addition, with respect to any Mortgage Loan that is subject to a buydown agreement, on each Due Date for such Mortgage Loan, in addition to the monthly payment remitted by the Mortgagor, the Master Servicer shall cause funds to be deposited into the applicable subaccount of the Certificate Account in an amount required to cause an amount of interest to be paid with respect to such Mortgage Loan equal to the amount of interest that has accrued on such Mortgage Loan from the preceding Due Date at the related Adjusted Mortgage Rate on such date. The foregoing requirements for remittance by the Master Servicer shall be exclusive, it being understood and agreed that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, payments in the nature of prepayment penalties, late payment charges, assumption fees or amounts attributable to reimbursements of Advances, if collected, need not be remitted by the Master Servicer. In the event that the Master Servicer shall remit any amount not required to be remitted, it may at any time withdraw or direct the institution maintaining the Certificate Account to withdraw such amount from the Certificate Account, any provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding. Such withdrawal or direction may be accomplished by delivering written notice thereof to the Trustee or such other institution maintaining the Certificate Account which describes the amounts deposited in error in the Certificate Account. The Master Servicer shall maintain adequate records with respect to all withdrawals made pursuant to this Section. All funds deposited in the Certificate Account shall be held in trust for the Certificateholders until withdrawn in accordance with Section 3.8.
(c) The Trustee shall establish and maintain, on behalf of the Certificateholders, the Distribution Account. The Distribution Account shall consist of two separate subaccounts, each of which shall relate to a particular Mortgage Pool. The Trustee shall, promptly upon receipt, deposit in the Distribution Account and retain therein the following:
(i) the aggregate amount remitted by the Master Servicer to the Trustee in respect of a Mortgage Pool pursuant to Section 3.8(a)(ix);
(ii) any amount deposited by the Master Servicer pursuant to this Section 3.5(c) in connection with any losses on Permitted Investments; and
(iii) any other amounts deposited hereunder which are required to be deposited in the Distribution Account. In the event that the Master Servicer shall remit any amount not required to be remitted, it may at any time direct the Trustee to withdraw such amount from the applicable subaccount of the Distribution Account, any provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding. Such direction may be accomplished by delivering an Officer's Certificate to the Trustee which describes the amounts deposited in error in the Distribution Account. All funds deposited in the Distribution Account shall be held by the Trustee in trust for the related Certificateholders until disbursed in accordance with this Agreement or withdrawn in accordance with Section 3.8. In no event shall the Trustee incur liability for withdrawals from the Distribution Account at the direction of the Master Servicer.
(iv) The institutions at which the Certificate Account and the Distribution Account are maintained shall invest funds as directed by the Master Servicer in Permitted Investments which in both cases shall mature not later than (i) in the case of the Certificate Account, the second Business Day next preceding the related Distribution Account Deposit Date (except that if such Permitted Investment is an obligation of the institution that maintains such account, then such Permitted Investment shall mature not later than the Business Day next preceding such Distribution Account Deposit Date) and (ii) in the case of the Distribution Account, the Business Day next preceding the Distribution Date (except that if such Permitted Investment is an obligation of the institution that maintains such fund or account, then such Permitted Investment shall mature not later than such Distribution Date) and, in each case, shall not be sold or disposed of prior to its maturity. All such Permitted Investments shall be made in the name of the Trustee, for the benefit of the Certificateholders. All income and gain net of any losses realized from any such investment of funds on deposit in the Certificate Account shall be for the benefit of the Master Servicer as servicing compensation and all income and gain net of any losses realized from any such investment of funds on deposit in the Distribution Account shall be for the benefit of the Trustee. The amount of any Realized Losses in the Certificate Account in respect of any such investments shall promptly be deposited by the Master Servicer in the Certificate Account and the amount of any Realized Losses in the Distribution Account in respect of any such investments shall promptly be deposited by the Trustee into the Distribution Account. All reinvestment income earned on amounts on deposit in the Distribution Account shall be for the benefit of the Trustee. The Trustee in its fiduciary capacity shall not be liable for the amount of any loss incurred in respect of any investment or lack of investment of funds held in the Certificate Account and made in accordance with this Section 3.5.
(v) The Master Servicer shall give notice to the Trustee, the Seller, each Rating Agency and the Depositor of any proposed change of the location of the Certificate Account prior to any change thereof. The Trustee shall give notice to the Master Servicer, the Seller, each Rating Agency and the Depositor of any proposed change of the location of the Distribution Account prior to any change thereof.
Officer’s Certificate as Evidence Except as otherwise provided in Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or omitting any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officer’s Certificate delivered to the Trustee, and such Officer’s Certificate, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.
Monthly Servicer’s Certificate On or before the Determination Date immediately preceding each Distribution Date, the Servicer shall deliver to the Depositor, the Seller, the Owner Trustee, the Indenture Trustee and each Paying Agent, with a copy to the Rating Agencies, a certificate of a Servicing Officer substantially in the form of Exhibit A (a “Servicer’s Certificate”) and attached to a Servicer’s report containing all information necessary to make the transfers and distributions pursuant to Sections 4.5, 4.6 and 4.7, together with the written statements to be furnished by the Indenture Trustee to the Certificateholders pursuant to Section 4.9 and by the Indenture Trustee to the Noteholders pursuant to Section 4.9 and pursuant to Section 6.6 of the Indenture. The Servicer shall separately identify (by account number) in a written notice to the Depositor, the Owner Trustee and the Indenture Trustee the Receivables to be repurchased by the Depositor or to be purchased by the Servicer, as the case may be, on the Business Day preceding such Distribution Date, and, upon request of one of the foregoing parties, each Receivable which became a Defaulted Receivable during the related Collection Period. The Servicer shall deliver to the Rating Agencies any information, to the extent it is available to the Servicer, that the Rating Agencies reasonably request (and the initial Servicer shall specify in writing to the successor Servicer any such requests that remain unsatisfied during the servicing transition to the successor Servicer) in order to monitor the Trust.
Annual Officer’s Certificate; Notice of Servicer Replacement Event (a) The Servicer will deliver to the Issuer, with a copy to the Indenture Trustee, on or before March 30th of each year, beginning on March 30, 2019, an Officer’s Certificate, dated as of December 31 of the immediately preceding year, providing such information as is required under Item 1123 of Regulation AB.
(b) The Servicer will deliver to the Issuer, with a copy to the Indenture Trustee within five (5) Business Days after having obtained knowledge thereof written notice in an Officer’s Certificate of any event which with the giving of notice or lapse of time, or both, would become a Servicer Replacement Event. Except to the extent set forth in this Section 3.9(b), Section 7.2 and Section 9.22 of this Agreement and Section 3.12 and Section 6.5 of the Indenture, the Transaction Documents do not require any policies or procedures to monitor any performance or other triggers and events of default.
(c) The Servicer will deliver to the Issuer, on or before March 30th of each year, beginning on March 30, 2019, a report regarding the Servicer’s assessment of compliance with the Servicing Criteria specified in Exhibit C as applicable to the Servicer during the immediately preceding calendar year, including disclosure of any material instance of non-compliance identified by the Servicer, as required under paragraph (b) of Rule 13a-18, or Rule 15d-18 of the Exchange Act and Item 1122 of Regulation AB, or such other criteria as mutually agreed upon by the Seller and the Servicer.
Amendments to Schedule of Receivables If the Servicer, during a Collection Period, assigns to a Receivable an account number that differs from the original account number identifying such Receivable on the Schedule of Receivables, the Servicer shall deliver to the Issuer, the Owner Trustee and the Indenture Trustee, on or before the Payment Date relating to such Collection Period, an amendment to the Schedule of Receivables reporting the newly assigned account number, together with the old account number of each such Receivable. The first such delivery of amendments to the Schedule of Receivables shall include monthly amendments reporting account numbers appearing on the Schedule of Receivables with the new account numbers assigned to such Receivables during any prior Collection Period.
Permitted Withdrawals and Transfers from the Master Servicer Collection Account (a) The Master Servicer will, from time to time on demand of a Servicer or the Securities Administrator, make or cause to be made such withdrawals or transfers from the Master Servicer Collection Account as the Master Servicer has designated for such transfer or withdrawal pursuant to this Agreement and the related Servicing Agreement. The Master Servicer may clear and terminate the Master Servicer Collection Account pursuant to Section 10.01 and remove amounts from time to time deposited in error.
(b) On an ongoing basis, the Master Servicer shall withdraw from the Master Servicer Collection Account (i) any expenses recoverable by the Trustee, the Master Servicer or the Securities Administrator or the Custodian pursuant to Sections 3.03, 7.04 and 9.05 and (ii) any amounts payable to the Master Servicer as set forth in Section 3.14.
(c) In addition, on or before each Distribution Account Deposit Date, the Master Servicer shall deposit in the Distribution Account (or remit to the Trustee for deposit therein) any Monthly Advances required to be made by the Master Servicer with respect to the Mortgage Loans.
(d) No later than 3:00 p.m. New York time on each Distribution Account Deposit Date, the Master Servicer will transfer all Available Funds on deposit in the Master Servicer Collection Account with respect to the related Distribution Date to the Trustee for deposit in the Distribution Account.
Distributions from the Certificate Account (a) On each Distribution Date the Trustee shall withdraw from the Certificate Account the Total Distribution Amount for such date, shall allocate such amount to the interests issued in respect of the Trust Fund and shall distribute such amount as specified in this Section.
(b) On each Distribution Date, the Trustee shall distribute the Interest Remittance Amount for such date in the following order of priority:
(i) to the Senior Certificates, pro rata, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(ii) to the Class M-1 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(iii) to the Class M-2 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(iv) to the Class M-3 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(v) to the Class B-1 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(vi) to the Class B-2 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date;
(vii) to the Class B-3 Certificates, Accrued Certificate Interest for such Class and such Distribution Date, plus any unpaid Accrued Certificate Interest remaining unpaid from any prior Distribution Date; and
(viii) any remaining Interest Remittance Amount to the Class R Certificates.
(c) On each Distribution Date, the Trustee shall distribute the Principal Remittance Amount for such date as follows:
(i) to the holders of the Class R Certificates and Class A Certificates, in that order, to the extent of the Principal Remittance Amount, the Senior Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amounts thereof, until the Current Principal Amounts thereof have been reduced to zero;
(ii) to the holders of the Class M-1 Certificates, to the extent of the portion of the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after the distribution in clause (i) above, the Class M-1 Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amount thereof, until the Current Principal Amount thereof has been reduced to zero;
(iii) to the holders of the Class M-2 Certificates, to the extent of the portion of the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after distributions in clauses (i) and (ii) above, the Class M-2 Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amount thereof, until the Current Principal Amount thereof has been reduced to zero;
(iv) to the holders of the Class M-3 Certificates, to the extent of the portion of the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after distributions in clauses (i) through (iii) above, the Class M-3 Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amount thereof, until the Current Principal Amount thereof has been reduced to zero;
(v) to the holders of the Class B-1 Certificates, to the extent of the portion of the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after the distributions in clauses (i) through (iv) above, the Class B-1 Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amount thereof, until the Current Principal Amount thereof has been reduced to zero;
(vi) to the holders of the Class B-2 Certificates, to the extent of the portion of the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after the distributions in clauses (i) through (v) above, the Class B-2 Principal Distribution Amount, in reduction of the Current Principal Amount thereof, until the Current Principal Amount thereof has been reduced to zero; and
(vii) to the holders of the Class B-2, Class B-1, Class M-3, Class M-2, Class M-1, Class A and Class B-3 Certificates, in that order, the Principal Remittance Amount remaining after the distributions in clauses (i) through (vi) above, in reduction of the Current Principal Amounts thereof, until the Current Principal Amounts thereof have been reduced to zero; and
(viii) to the holders of the Class R Certificates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, on any Distribution Date on which the Class Principal Amount of each Class of Certificates having a higher priority of distribution has been reduced to zero, any remaining Principal Remittance Amount will be distributed to the remaining Certificates in the order of priority set forth above until the Class Principal Amount of each such Class has been reduced to zero.
(d) On or prior to each Determination Date, the Master Servicer shall determine the amount of any Deferred Interest in respect of each Mortgage Loan that occurred during the immediately preceding calendar month and provide such information to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.20. With respect to any Distribution Date, the aggregate amount of Deferred Interest, if any, that is added to the Scheduled Principal Balance of the Mortgage Loans on the Due Date occurring in the month in which such Distribution Date occurs will be added to the Current Principal Amounts of the Certificates on a pro rata basis based on a fraction, the numerator of which is the Current Principal Amount of each such Class and the denominator of which is the aggregate Current Principal Amount of such Classes of Certificates, in each case immediately prior to such Distribution Date. Deferred Interest allocated to any Certificate on any Distribution Date will be added to the Current Principal Amount thereof on such Distribution Date and will thereafter bear interest at the then applicable Pass-Through Rate.
Transfer of Servicing Between Master Servicer and Special Servicer; Record Keeping (a) Upon determining that any Serviced Loan has become a Specially Serviced Loan, the Master Servicer shall promptly give written notice thereof to the Special Servicer, any related Serviced Companion Loan Holder (in the case of a Serviced Loan Combination), the Operating Advisor, the Certificate Administrator, the Trustee, the related Directing Holder (prior to the occurrence and continuance of a Consultation Termination Event with respect to the related Mortgage Loan) and, for posting to the Rule 17g-5 Information Provider’s Website pursuant to Section 12.13 of this Agreement, the Rule 17g-5 Information Provider and shall promptly deliver a copy of the Servicing File to the Special Servicer and concurrently provide a copy of such Servicing File to the Operating Advisor and shall use its reasonable efforts to provide the Special Servicer with all information, documents (but excluding the original documents constituting the Mortgage File, but including copies thereof) and records (including records stored electronically on computer tapes, magnetic discs and the like) relating to such Serviced Loan and reasonably requested by the Special Servicer to enable it to assume its duties hereunder with respect thereto without acting through a Sub-Servicer. The Master Servicer shall use its reasonable efforts to comply with the preceding sentence within five (5) Business Days of the date such Serviced Loan became a Specially Serviced Loan and in any event shall continue to act as Master Servicer and administrator of such Serviced Loan until the Special Servicer has commenced the servicing of such Serviced Loan, which shall occur upon the receipt by the Special Servicer of the Servicing File. With respect to each such Serviced Loan that becomes a Specially Serviced Loan, the Master Servicer shall instruct the related Mortgagor to continue to remit all payments in respect of such Serviced Loan to the Master Servicer. The Master Servicer shall forward any notices it would otherwise send to the Mortgagor of such a Specially Serviced Loan to the Special Servicer who shall send such notice to the related Mortgagor. Upon determining that a Specially Serviced Loan has become a Corrected Loan, the Special Servicer shall promptly give written notice thereof to the Master Servicer, the Trustee, the Operating Advisor, the Certificate Administrator, any related Serviced Companion Loan Holder, the related Directing Holder (prior to the occurrence and continuance of a Consultation Termination Event with respect to the related Mortgage Loan) and, for posting to the Rule 17g-5 Information Provider’s Website pursuant to Section 12.13 of this Agreement, the Rule 17g-5 Information Provider and, upon giving such notice and the return of the Servicing File to the Master Servicer, such Serviced Loan shall cease to be a Specially Serviced Loan in accordance with the first proviso of the definition of Specially Serviced Loans, the Special Servicer’s obligation to service such Serviced Loan shall terminate and the obligations of the Master Servicer to service and administer such Serviced Loan as a Serviced Loan that is not a Specially Serviced Loan shall resume. In addition, if the related Mortgagor has been instructed, pursuant to the preceding paragraph, to make payments to the Special Servicer, upon such determination, the Special Servicer shall instruct the related Mortgagor to remit all payments in respect of such Specially Serviced Loan directly to the Master Servicer.
(b) In servicing any Specially Serviced Loan, the Special Servicer shall provide to the Custodian originals of documents included within the definition of “Mortgage File” for inclusion in the related Mortgage File (to the extent such documents are in the possession of the Special Servicer) and copies of any additional related Serviced Loan information, including correspondence with the related Mortgagor, and the Special Servicer shall promptly provide copies of all of the foregoing to the Master Servicer as well as copies of any analysis or internal review prepared by or for the benefit of the Special Servicer.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 3.22, the Master Servicer shall maintain ongoing payment records with respect to each of the Specially Serviced Loans and, upon request, shall provide the Special Servicer and the Operating Advisor with any information reasonably required by the Special Servicer or the Operating Advisor to perform its duties under this Agreement to the extent such information is within the Master Servicer’s possession. Upon request, the Special Servicer shall provide the Master Servicer and the Operating Advisor with any information reasonably required by the Master Servicer or the Operating Advisor to perform its duties under this Agreement to the extent such information is within the Special Servicer’s possession.
Withdrawals from the Collection Account and Distribution Account (a) The Master Servicer shall, from time to time, make withdrawals from the Collection Account for any of the following purposes or as described in Section 4.04:
(i) to remit to the Trustee for deposit in the Distribution Account the amounts required to be so remitted pursuant to Section 3.10(b) or permitted to be so remitted pursuant to the first sentence of Section 3.10(d);
(ii) subject to Section 3.16(d), to reimburse the Master Servicer for (a) any unreimbursed Advances to the extent of amounts received which represent Late Collections (net of the related Servicing Fees) of Monthly Payments, Liquidation Proceeds and Insurance Proceeds on Mortgage Loans with respect to which such Advances were made in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.04; (b) any unreimbursed Advances with respect to the final liquidation of a Mortgage Loan that are Nonrecoverable Advances, but only to the extent that Late Collections, Liquidation Proceeds and Insurance Proceeds received with respect to such Mortgage Loan are insufficient to reimburse the Master Servicer for such unreimbursed Advances; or (c) subject to Section 4.04(b), any unreimbursed Advances to the extent of funds held in the Collection Account for future distribution that were not included in Available Funds for the preceding Distribution Date;
(iii) subject to Section 3.16(d), to pay the Master Servicer or any Sub-Servicer (a) any unpaid Servicing Fees, (b) any unreimbursed Servicing Advances with respect to each Mortgage Loan, but only to the extent of any Late Collections, Liquidation Proceeds, Insurance Proceeds and condemnation proceeds received with respect to such Mortgage Loan, and (c) any Servicing Advances with respect to the final liquidation of a Mortgage Loan that are Nonrecoverable Advances, but only to the extent that Late Collections, Liquidation Proceeds and Insurance Proceeds received with respect to such Mortgage Loan are insufficient to reimburse the Master Servicer or any Sub-Servicer for Servicing Advances;
(iv) to pay to the Master Servicer as servicing compensation (in addition to the Servicing Fee) on the Master Servicer Remittance Date any interest or investment income earned on funds deposited in the Collection Account;
(v) to pay to the Originator, with respect to each Mortgage Loan that has previously been purchased or replaced pursuant to Section 2.03 or Section 3.16(c) all amounts received thereon subsequent to the date of purchase or substitution, as the case may be;
(vi) to reimburse the Master Servicer for any Advance or Servicing Advance previously made which the Master Servicer has determined to be a Nonrecoverable Advance in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.04;
(vii) to pay, or to reimburse the Master Servicer for Servicing Advances in respect of, expenses incurred in connection with any Mortgage Loan pursuant to Section 3.16(b);
(viii) to reimburse the Master Servicer for expenses incurred by or reimbursable to the Master Servicer pursuant to Section 6.03;
(ix) to reimburse the NIMS Insurer, the Master Servicer (if the Master Servicer is not an Affiliate of the Originator) or the Trustee, as the case may be, for enforcement expenses reasonably incurred in respect of the breach or defect giving rise to the purchase obligation under Section 2.03 of this Agreement that were included in the Purchase Price of the Mortgage Loan, including any expenses arising out of the enforcement of the purchase obligation;
Instructions for Certification – First Tier Participants a. By signing and submitting this proposal, the prospective first tier participant is providing the certification set out below.
b. The inability of a person to provide the certification set out below will not necessarily result in denial of participation in this covered transaction. The prospective first tier participant shall submit an explanation of why it cannot provide the certification set out below. The certification or explanation will be considered in connection with the department or agency's determination whether to enter into this transaction. However, failure of the prospective first tier participant to furnish a certification or an explanation shall disqualify such a person from participation in this transaction.
c. The certification in this clause is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when the contracting agency determined to enter into this transaction. If it is later determined that the prospective participant knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the contracting agency may terminate this transaction for cause of default.
d. The prospective first tier participant shall provide immediate written notice to the contracting agency to whom this proposal is submitted if any time the prospective first tier participant learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances.
e. The terms "covered transaction," "debarred," "suspended," "ineligible," "participant," "person," "principal," and "voluntarily excluded," as used in this clause, are defined in 2 CFR Parts 180 and 1200. “First Tier Covered Transactions” refers to any covered transaction between a grantee or subgrantee of Federal funds and a participant (such as the prime or general contract). “Lower Tier Covered Transactions” refers to any covered transaction under a First Tier Covered Transaction (such as subcontracts). “First Tier Participant” refers to the participant who has entered into a covered transaction with a grantee or subgrantee of Federal funds (such as the prime or general contractor). “Lower Tier Participant” refers any participant who has entered into a covered transaction with a First Tier Participant or other Lower Tier Participants (such as subcontractors and suppliers).
