SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this 30th day of June, 2004, by and between Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (the “Adviser”), and First International Advisors, LLC (the “Sub-adviser”).
WHEREAS, the Adviser serves as investment adviser to the Evergreen Variable Annuity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware business trust which has filed a registration statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Registration Statement”); and
WHEREAS, the Trust is comprised of several separate investment portfolios; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser desires to avail itself of the services, advice and assistance of the Sub-adviser to assist the Adviser in providing investment advisory services to the Funds listed on the attached Schedule A, as amended from time to time; and
WHEREAS, the Sub-adviser is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), is engaged in the business of rendering investment advisory services to investment companies and other institutional clients and desires to provide such services to the Adviser;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, it is agreed as follow:
1. Employment of the Sub-adviser. The Adviser hereby employs the Sub-adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets, subject to the control and direction of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, for the period and on the terms hereinafter set forth. The Sub-adviser hereby accepts such employment and agrees during such period to render the services and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation herein provided. The Sub-adviser shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, except as expressly provided or authorized (whether herein or otherwise), have no authority to act for or represent the Adviser, the Fund or the Trust in any way. The Sub-adviser may execute Fund documentation, agreements, contracts and other documents requested by brokers, dealers, counterparties and other persons in connection with its providing advisory services to the Fund.
2. Obligations of Services to be provided by the Sub-adviser. The Sub-adviser undertakes to provide the following services and to assume the following obligations:
a. The Sub-adviser shall manage the investment and reinvestment of the portfolio assets of the Fund, all without prior consultation with the Adviser, subject to and in accordance with (i) the investment objective and policies of the Fund set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information as from time to time in effect (the “Governing Documents”), (ii) the requirements applicable to registered investment companies under applicable laws, including without limitation the 1940 Act and Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) and (iii) any written instructions which the Adviser or the Trust’s Board of Trustees may issue from time-to-time. The Sub-adviser also agrees to conduct its activities hereunder in accordance with any applicable procedures or policies adopted by the Trust’s Board of Trustees as from time to time in effect (the “Procedures”). The Adviser has provided to the Sub-adviser copies of all Governing Documents and Procedures and shall promptly provide to the Sub-adviser any amendments or supplements thereto. Subject to and in pursuance of the foregoing, the Sub-adviser shall make all determinations with respect to the purchase and sale of portfolio securities and shall take such action necessary to implement the same. The Sub-adviser shall render such reports to the Trust’s Board of Trustees and the Adviser as they may reasonably request concerning the investment activities of the Fund.
b. Absent instructions of the Adviser to the contrary, the Sub-adviser shall, in the name of the Fund, place orders for the execution of portfolio transactions with or through such brokers, dealers or other financial institutions as it may select. The Sub-adviser shall use its best efforts to obtain best execution on all portfolio transactions executed on behalf of the Fund, provided that, so long as the Sub-adviser has complied with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sub-adviser may cause the Fund to pay a commission on a transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer would have charged.
c. In connection with the placement of orders for the execution of the portfolio transactions of the Fund, the Sub-adviser shall create and maintain all records pertaining to the purchase and sale of securities by the Sub-adviser on behalf of the Fund required by Rule 31a-1(b)(5) and (9) under the 1940 Act. All such records shall be the property of the Trust and shall be available for inspection and use by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Trust, the Adviser or any person retained by the Trust at all reasonable times. Where applicable, such records shall be maintained by the Sub-adviser for the periods and in the places required by Rule 31a-2 under the 0000 Xxx.
d. The Sub-adviser shall bear its expenses of providing services pursuant to this Agreement.
3. Compensation of the Sub-adviser. In full consideration of services rendered pursuant to this Agreement, the Adviser will pay the Sub-adviser a fee at the annual rate set forth in Schedule B hereto of the value of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Such fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly as soon as practicable after the end of each month. If the Sub-adviser shall serve for less than the whole of any month, the foregoing compensation shall be prorated. For the purpose of determining fees payable to the Sub-adviser, the value of the Fund’s net assets shall be computed at the times and in the manner determined by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and set forth in the Governing Documents.
4. Other Activities of the Sub-adviser. The services of the Sub-adviser hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Sub-adviser shall be free to render similar services to others and to engage in other activities, so long as the services rendered hereunder are not impaired.
5. Use of Names. The Adviser shall not use the name of the Sub-adviser or any of its affiliates in any prospectus, sales literature or other material relating to the Trust or the Fund in any manner not approved prior thereto by the Sub-adviser; provided, however, that the Adviser may use the name of the Sub-adviser and its affiliates in any such material that merely refers in accurate terms to the Sub-adviser’s appointment hereunder. The Sub-adviser shall not use the name of the Trust or the Adviser in any material relating to the Sub-adviser in any manner not approved prior thereto by the Adviser; provided, however, that the Sub-adviser may use the name of the Adviser or the Trust in any material that merely refers in accurate terms to the appointment of the Sub-adviser hereunder.
6. Liability of the Sub-adviser. Absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Sub-adviser, the Sub-adviser shall not be liable for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security. Subject to the foregoing, nothing herein shall constitute a waiver of any rights or remedies that the Trust may have under any federal or state securities laws.
7. Limitation of Trust’s Liability. The Sub-adviser acknowledges that it has received notice of and accepts the limitations upon the Trust’s liability set forth in its Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The Sub-adviser agrees that any of the Trust’s obligations shall be limited to the assets of the Fund and that the Sub-adviser shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders of the Trust nor from any Trust officer, employee or agent of the Trust.
8. Renewal, Termination and Amendment. This Agreement shall continue in effect, unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided, until December 31, 2001 and shall continue in full force and effect for successive periods of one year thereafter, but only so long as each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. This Agreement may be terminated at any time without payment of any penalty, by the Trust’s Board of Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund upon 60 days prior written notice to the Sub-adviser or by the Sub-adviser upon 90 days prior written notice to the Adviser, or upon such shorter notice as may be mutually agreed upon. This Agreement shall terminate automatically and immediately upon termination of the Management Agreement between the Adviser and the Trust. This Agreement shall terminate automatically and immediately in the event of its assignment. The terms “assignment” and vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the meaning set forth for such terms in the 1940 Act. This Agreement may be amended at any time by the Sub-adviser and the Adviser, subject to approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees and, if required by applicable SEC rules and regulations, a vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities.
9. Confidential Relationship. Any information and advice furnished by either party to this Agreement to the other shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to third parties without the consent of the other party hereto except as required by law, rule or regulation. The Adviser hereby consents to the disclosure to third parties of investment results and other data of the Fund in connection with providing composite investment results and related information of the Sub-adviser.
10. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statue, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
11. Miscellaneous. Each party agrees to perform such further actions and execute such further documents as are necessary to effectuate the purposes hereof. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with and governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, all of which together shall for all purposes constitute one Agreement, binding on the parties.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
EVERGREEN INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC
By: ____/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Koonce__________
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Secretary
FIRST INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS, LLC
By: _____/s/ Xxxxx Wilson_______________
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Managing Director
June 30, 2004
SCHEDULE A
EVERGREEN VARIABLE ANNUITY TRUST, on behalf of each of the following series:
Evergreen VA Strategic Income Fund
June 30, 2004
SCHEDULE B
As compensation for the Sub-adviser’s services to each Fund during the period of this Agreement, the Adviser will pay to the Sub-adviser a fee at the annual rate of:
I. Evergreen VA Strategic Income Fund
0.05% of the Average Daily Total Assets of the Fund
