ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of this 1st day of October, 1996, by and between
XXXX XXXXXXXXX SERIES TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), and
BISYS FUND SERVICES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, d/b/a BISYS FUND SERVICES (the
"Administrator"), an Ohio limited partnership.
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), that is
authorized to issue series of shares of beneficial interest ("Shares"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires the Administrator to provide, and the
Administrator is willing to provide, management and administrative services to
such series of the Trust as the Trust and the Administrator may agree on
("Portfolios") and as listed on Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of
this Agreement, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants
hereinafter contained, the Trust and the Administrator hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1. RETENTION OF THE ADMINISTRATOR; CONVERSION TO THE SERVICES.
The Trust hereby engages the Administrator to act as the administrator of the
Portfolios and to furnish the Portfolios with the management and administrative
services as set forth in Article 2 below (collectively, the "Services"), and, in
connection therewith, the Trust agrees to convert to the Administrator's data
processing systems and software (the "BISYS System") as necessary in order to
receive the Services. The Trust shall cooperate with the Administrator to
provide the Administrator with all necessary information and assistance required
to successfully convert to the BISYS System. The Administrator shall provide
the Trust with a schedule relating to such conversion and the parties agree that
the conversion may progress in stages. The date upon which all Services shall
have been converted to the BISYS System shall be referred to herein as the
"Conversion Date." The Administrator hereby accepts such engagement and agrees
to perform the Services commencing, with respect to each individual Service, on
the date that the conversion of such Service to the BISYS System has been
completed. The Administrator shall determine in accordance with its normal
acceptance procedures when the applicable Service has been successfully
converted.
The Administrator shall, for all purposes herein, be deemed to be an
independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized,
shall have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way and shall
not be deemed an agent of the Trust.
ARTICLE 2. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. The Administrator shall perform or
supervise the performance by others of administrative services in connection
with the operations of the Portfolios, and, on behalf of the Trust, will
investigate, assist in the selection of and conduct relations with
custodians, depositories, accountants, legal counsel, underwriters, brokers and
dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and persons in any other
capacity deemed to be necessary or desirable for the Portfolios' operations.
The Administrator shall provide the Trustees of the Trust with such reports
regarding investment performance as they may reasonably request but shall have
no responsibility for supervising the performance by any investment adviser or
sub-adviser of its responsibilities.
The Administrator shall provide the Trust with regulatory reporting, all
necessary office space, equipment, personnel, compensation and facilities
(including facilities for meetings of shareholders ("Shareholders") and Trustees
of the Trust) for handling the affairs of the Portfolios and such other services
as the Administrator shall, from time to time, determine to be necessary to
perform its obligations under this Agreement. In addition, at the request of
the Board of Trustees, the Administrator shall make reports to the Trust's
Trustees concerning the performance of its obligations hereunder.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrator shall:
(a) calculate contractual Trust expenses and control all disbursements for
the Trust, and as appropriate compute the Trust's yields, total
return, expense ratios, portfolio turnover rate and, if required,
portfolio average dollar-weighted maturity;
(b) assist Trust counsel with the preparation of prospectuses, statements
of additional information, registration statements and proxy
materials;
(c) prepare such reports, applications and documents (including reports
regarding the sale and redemption of Shares as may be required in
order to comply with Federal and state securities law) as may be
necessary or desirable to register the Trust's Shares with state
securities authorities, monitor the sale of Trust Shares for
compliance with state securities laws, and file with the appropriate
state securities authorities the registration statements and reports
for the Trust and the Trust's Shares and all amendments thereto, as
may be necessary or convenient to register and keep effective the
Trust and the Trust's Shares with state securities authorities to
enable the Trust to make a continuous offering of its Shares;
(d) develop and prepare, with the assistance of the Trust's investment
adviser, communications to Shareholders, including the annual report
to Shareholders, coordinate the mailing of prospectuses, notices,
proxy statements, proxies and other reports to Trust Shareholders, and
supervise and facilitate the proxy solicitation process for all
shareholder meetings, including the tabulation of shareholder votes;
(e) administer contracts on behalf of the Trust with, among others, the
Trust's investment adviser, distributor, custodian, transfer agent and
fund accountant;
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(f) supervise the Trust's transfer agent with respect to the payment of
dividends and other distributions to Shareholders;
(g) calculate performance data of the Trust and its Portfolios for
dissemination to information services covering the investment company
industry;
(h) coordinate and supervise the preparation and filing of the Trust's tax
returns;
(i) examine and review the operations and performance of the various
organizations providing services to the Trust or any Portfolio of the
Trust, including, without limitation, the Trust's investment adviser,
distributor, custodian, fund accountant, transfer agent, outside legal
counsel and independent public accountants, and at the request of the
Board of Trustees, report to the Board on the performance of such
organizations;
(j) assist with the layout and printing of publicly disseminated
prospectuses and assist with and coordinate layout and printing of the
Trust's semi-annual and annual reports to Shareholders;
(k) assist with the design, development, and operation of the Trust
Portfolios, including new classes, investment objectives, policies and
structure;
(l) provide individuals reasonably acceptable to the Trust's Board of
Trustees to serve as officers of the Trust, who will be responsible
for the management of certain of the Trust's affairs as determined by
the Trust's Board of Trustees;
(m) advise the Trust and its Board of Trustees on matters concerning the
Trust and its affairs;
(n) obtain and keep in effect fidelity bonds and directors and
officers/errors and omissions insurance policies for the Trust in
accordance with the requirements of Rules 17g-1 and 17d-1(d)(7) under
the 1940 Act as such bonds and policies are approved by the Trust's
Board of Trustees;
(o) monitor and advise the Trust and its Portfolios on their regulated
investment company status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended;
(p) perform all administrative services and functions of the Trust and
each Portfolio to the extent administrative services and functions are
not provided to the Trust or such Portfolio pursuant to the Trust's or
such Portfolio's investment advisory agreement, distribution
agreement, custodian agreement, transfer agent agreement and fund
accounting agreement;
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(q) furnish advice and recommendations with respect to other aspects of
the business and affairs of the Portfolios as the Trust and the
Administrator shall determine desirable; and
(r) prepare and file with the SEC the semi-annual report for the Trust on
Form N-SAR and all required notices pursuant to Rule 24f-2.
The Administrator shall perform such other services for the Trust that are
mutually agreed upon by the parties from time to time. Such services may
include performing internal audit examinations; mailing the annual reports of
the Portfolios; preparing an annual list of Shareholders; and mailing notices of
Shareholders' meetings, proxies and proxy statements, for all of which the Trust
will pay the Administrator's out-of-pocket expenses.
ARTICLE 3. ALLOCATION OF CHARGES AND EXPENSES.
(A) THE ADMINISTRATOR. The Administrator shall furnish at its own expense
the executive, supervisory and clerical personnel necessary to perform its
obligations under this Agreement. The Administrator shall also provide at its
own expense the items which it is obligated to provide under this Agreement, and
shall pay all compensation, if any, of officers of the Trust as well as all
Trustees of the Trust who are affiliated persons of the Administrator or any
affiliated corporation of the Administrator; provided, however, that unless
otherwise specifically provided, the Administrator shall not be obligated to pay
the compensation of any employee of the Trust retained by the Trustees of the
Trust to perform services on behalf of the Trust.
(B) THE TRUST. The Trust assumes and shall pay or cause to be paid all
other expenses of the Trust not otherwise allocated herein, including, without
limitation, organization costs, taxes, expenses for legal and auditing services,
the expenses of preparing (including typesetting), printing and mailing reports,
prospectuses, statements of additional information, proxy solicitation material
and notices to existing Shareholders, all expenses incurred in connection with
issuing and redeeming Shares, the costs of custodial services, the cost of
initial and ongoing registration of the Shares under Federal and state
securities laws, fees and out-of-pocket expenses of Directors who are not
affiliated persons of the Administrator or the investment adviser to the Trust
or any affiliated corporation of the Administrator or the investment adviser,
insurance, interest, brokerage costs, litigation and other extraordinary or
nonrecurring expenses, and all fees and charges of investment advisers to the
Trust.
ARTICLE 4. COMPENSATION OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.
(A) ADMINISTRATION FEE. Commencing on the Conversion Date, for the
services to be rendered, the facilities furnished and the expenses assumed by
the Administrator pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the
Administrator compensation at an annual rate specified in Schedule A attached
hereto. Such compensation shall be calculated and accrued daily, and paid to
the Administrator monthly.
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If the Conversion Date occurs subsequent to the first day of a month
or termination of this Agreement occurs before the last day of a month, the
Administrator's compensation for that part of the month in which this Agreement
is in effect shall be prorated in a manner consistent with the calculation of
the fees as set forth above. Payment of the Administrator's compensation for
the preceding month shall be made promptly.
(B) SURVIVAL OF COMPENSATION RIGHTS. All rights of compensation under
this Agreement for services performed as of the termination date shall survive
the termination of this Agreement.
ARTICLE 5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF THE ADMINISTRATOR. The duties of
the Administrator shall be confined to those expressly set forth herein, and no
implied duties are assumed by or may be asserted against the Administrator
hereunder. The Administrator shall not be liable for any error of judgment or
mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any act or omission in carrying
out its duties hereunder, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad
faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder, except as may otherwise be
provided under provisions of applicable law which cannot be waived or modified
hereby. (As used in this Article 5, the term "Administrator" shall include
partners, officers, employees and other agents of the Administrator as well as
the Administrator itself.)
So long as the Administrator acts in good faith and with due diligence and
without negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties
hereunder, the Trust assumes full responsibility and shall indemnify the
Administrator and hold it harmless from and against any and all actions, suits
and claims, whether groundless or otherwise, and from and against any and all
losses, damages, costs, charges, reasonable counsel fees and disbursements,
payments, expenses and liabilities (including reasonable investigation expenses)
arising directly or indirectly out of the administration services described
herein or any other service rendered to the Trust hereunder. The Administrator
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust, its employees, agents,
Trustees, officers and nominees from and against any and all actions, suits and
claims, whether groundless or otherwise, and from and against any and all
judgments, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, charges, payments, reasonable
counsel fees and disbursements and other expenses of every nature and character
(including reasonable investigation expenses) arising directly or indirectly out
of or in any way relating to the Administrator's bad faith, willful misfeasance,
negligence or reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties with
respect to the performance of services under this Agreement. The indemnity and
defense provisions set forth herein shall indefinitely survive the termination
of this Agreement.
The rights hereunder shall include the right to reasonable advances of
defense expenses in the event of any pending or threatened litigation with
respect to which indemnification hereunder may ultimately be merited. In order
that the indemnification provision contained herein shall apply, however, it is
understood that if in any case the indemnifying party may be asked to indemnify
or hold the other party harmless, the indemnifying party shall be fully and
promptly advised of all pertinent facts concerning the situation in question,
and it is further understood that the indemnified party will use all reasonable
care to identify and notify the indemnifying party promptly concerning
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any situation which presents or appears likely to present the probability of
such a claim for indemnification against the indemnifying party, but failure to
do so in good faith shall not affect the rights hereunder.
The indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate at its own expense
or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any
claims subject to this indemnity provision. If the indemnifying party elects to
assume the defense of any such claim, the defense shall be conducted by counsel
chosen by the indemnifying party and satisfactory to the other party, whose
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. In the event that the indemnifying
party elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the
indemnified party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel
retained by it. If the indemnifying party does not elect to assume the defense
of a suit, it will reimburse the indemnified party for the reasonable fees and
expenses of any counsel retained by the other party.
The Administrator may apply to the Trust at any time for instructions and
may consult counsel for the Trust or its own counsel and with accountants and
other experts with respect to any matter arising in connection with the
Administrator's duties, and the Administrator shall not be liable or accountable
for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith in accordance with such
instructions or with the opinion of such counsel, accountants or other experts.
Also, the Administrator shall be protected in acting upon any document
which it reasonably believes to be genuine and to have been signed or presented
by the proper person or persons. The Administrator will not be held to have
notice of any change of authority of any officers, employees or agents of the
Trust until receipt of written notice thereof from the Trust.
ARTICLE 6. ACTIVITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATOR. The services of the
Administrator rendered to the Trust are not to be deemed to be exclusive. The
Administrator is free to render such services to others and to have other
businesses and interests. It is understood that trustees, officers, employees
and shareholders of the Trust are or may be or become interested in the
Administrator, as partners, officers and employees or otherwise and that
partners, officers and employees of the Administrator and its counsel are or may
be or become similarly interested in the Trust, and that the Administrator may
be or become interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise.
ARTICLE 7. DURATION OF THIS AGREEMENT. The term of this Agreement shall
be as specified in Schedule A hereto.
ARTICLE 8. ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement shall not be assignable by either
party without the written consent of the other party; provided, however, that
the Administrator may, at its expense and with the written consent of the Trust,
subcontract with any entity or person concerning the provision of the services
contemplated hereunder. The Administrator shall not, however, be relieved of
any of its obligations under this Agreement by the appointment of such
subcontractor and provided further, that the Administrator shall be responsible,
to the extent provided in Article 5 hereof, for all acts of such subcontractor
as if such acts were its own. This Agreement shall be
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binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their
respective successors and permitted assigns.
ARTICLE 9. AMENDMENTS. This Agreement may be amended if such amendment is
specifically approved (i) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the
Trust, and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are
not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of the Trust.
ARTICLE 10. CERTAIN RECORDS. The Administrator shall maintain customary
records in connection with its duties as specified in this Agreement. Any
records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to Rules 31a-1 and 31a-
2 under the 1940 Act which are prepared or maintained by the Administrator on
behalf of the Trust shall be prepared and maintained at the expense of the
Administrator, but shall be the property of the Trust and will be made available
to or surrendered promptly to the Trust on request.
In case of any request or demand for the inspection of such records by
another party, the Administrator shall notify the Trust and follow the Trust's
instructions as to permitting or refusing such inspection; provided that the
Administrator may exhibit such records to any person in any case where it is
advised by its counsel that it may be held liable for failure to do so, unless
(in cases involving potential exposure only to civil liability) the Trust has
agreed to indemnify the Administrator against such liability.
ARTICLE 11. DEFINITIONS OF CERTAIN TERMS. The terms "interested person"
and "affiliated person," when used in this Agreement, shall have the respective
meanings specified in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder,
subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
ARTICLE 12. NOTICE. Any notice required or permitted to be given by
either party to the other shall be deemed sufficient if sent by registered or
certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed by the party giving notice to the
other party at the following address: if to the Administrator, to it at 0000
Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxx 00000; if to the Trust, to it at Xxxxxxxxx
Institutional Equity Management, 0 Xxxxxx Xxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000, Attn:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Esq., with a copy to X.X. Xxxxxxxxx, Esq., Ropes & Xxxx, Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxx 00000-0000, or at such other address
as such party may from time to time specify in writing to the other party
pursuant to this Section.
ARTICLE 13. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in
accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Ohio and the applicable
provisions of the 1940 Act. To the extent that the applicable laws of the State
of Ohio, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the applicable
provisions of the 1940 Act, the latter shall control.
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ARTICLE 14. MULTIPLE ORIGINALS. This Agreement may be executed in two or
more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an
original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same
instrument.
ARTICLE 15. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. Each party acknowledges that it may
acquire knowledge and information relating to the other party and its affiliates
which is not generally known by others including, but not limited to,
information pertaining to business plans, prior, present or potential
shareholders, employees, customers and/or suppliers, and that all such knowledge
and information acquired or developed is and shall be confidential and
proprietary information (all such confidential and proprietary information is
herein collectively referred to as the "Confidential Information"). Each party
agrees to hold the Confidential Information in strict confidence, to refrain
from directly or indirectly disclosing it to others or using it in any way
except for purposes of performing services hereunder, and to prevent any
unauthorized person access to it either before or after termination of this
Agreement, without the prior written consent of the other party. Both parties
further agree to take all action reasonable and necessary to protect the
confidentiality of the Confidential Information. The parties shall use their
best efforts to have their officers, partners, employees and agents agree to the
terms of this Section. The obligations of the parties contained in this section
shall survive termination of this Agreement. Neither party's confidentiality
obligations under this provision shall apply to such information that (i) was in
the public domain or available to a third party without restrictions at or prior
to the time such information was made known to such party, (ii) had been
independently known to such party at the time of disclosure from persons who
were not subject to similar confidentiality obligations, or (iii) is required to
be disclosed by law (except that each party will use best efforts to give the
other party written notice prior to any such disclosure).
ARTICLE 16. MATTERS RELATING TO THE TRUST AS A MASSACHUSETTS BUSINESS
TRUST. It is expressly agreed that the obligations of the Trust hereunder shall
not be binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, nominees, officers,
agents or employees of the Trust personally, but shall bind only the property of
the Trust. The execution and delivery of this Agreement have been authorized by
the Trustees, and this Agreement has been signed and delivered by an authorized
officer of the Trust, acting as such, and neither such authorization by the
Trustees nor such execution and delivery by such officer shall be deemed to have
been made by any of them individually or to impose any liability on any of them
personally, but shall bind only the property of the Trust as provided in the
Trust's Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which is on
file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
XXXX XXXXXXXXX SERIES TRUST
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
---------------------------------------
Title: Vice President
------------------------------------
BISYS FUND SERVICES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
BY: BISYS FUND SERVICES, INC.
GENERAL PARTNER
By: /s/ J. Xxxxx Xxxxx
---------------------------------------
Title: Executive Vice President
------------------------------------
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SCHEDULE A
TO THE ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT
DATED AS OF OCTOBER 1, 1996
BETWEEN XXXX XXXXXXXXX SERIES TRUST
AND
BISYS FUND SERVICES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
Portfolios: This Agreement shall apply to all Portfolios of Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Series Trust, either now or hereafter created (collectively, the
"Portfolios"). The current portfolios of the Trust are set forth
below:
U.S. Small Capitalization Series;
Japan Series; and
International Small Capitalization Series.
Fees: Pursuant to Article 4, in consideration of services rendered and
expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust will pay
the Administrator on the first business day of each month, or at
such time(s) as the Administrator shall request and the parties
hereto shall agree, a fee computed daily at the annual rate of:
Fifteen one-hundredths of one percent (.15%) of the Trust's
average daily net assets.
The fee for the period from the day of the month upon which the
Conversion Date occurs until the end of that month shall be
prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to
the full monthly period. Upon any termination of this Agreement
before the end of any month, the fee for such part of a month
shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period
bears to the full monthly period and shall be payable upon the
date of termination of this Agreement.
For purposes of determining the fees payable to the
Administrator, the value of the net assets of a particular
Portfolio shall be computed in the manner described in the
Trust's Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust
or in the Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information
respecting that Portfolio as from time to time in effect for the
computation of the value of such net assets in connection with
the determination of the liquidating value of the shares of such
Portfolio.
The parties hereby confirm that the fees payable hereunder shall
be applied to each Portfolio as a whole, and not to separate
classes of shares within the Portfolios.
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Term: The initial term of this Agreement (the "Initial Term") shall be
for a period commencing on the date this Agreement is executed by
both parties and ending on the date that is one year after the
Conversion Date. This Agreement shall be renewed automatically
for successive periods of one year after the Initial Term,
unless written notice of nonrenewal is provided by either party
not less than 60 days prior to the end of the then-current term.
After the Initial Term, (i) the Trust may terminate this
Agreement at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by a
vote of a majority of the Trust's outstanding voting securities
(as defined in the 0000 Xxx) or by a vote of a majority of the
Trustees of the Trust on 60 days' written notice to the
Administrator and (ii) the Administrator may terminate this
Agreement at any time, without penalty, on 60 days' written
notice to the Trust. In the event of a material breach of this
Agreement by either party, the non-breaching party shall notify
the breaching party in writing of such breach and upon receipt of
such notice, the breaching party shall have 45 days to remedy the
breach. In the event the breach is not remedied within such time
period, the nonbreaching party may immediately terminate this
Agreement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, after such termination for so long
as the Administrator, with the written consent of the Trust, in
fact continues to perform any one or more of the services
contemplated by this Agreement or any schedule or exhibit hereto,
the provisions of this Agreement, including without limitation
the provisions dealing with indemnification, shall continue in
full force and effect. Compensation due the Administrator and
unpaid by the Trust upon such termination shall be immediately
due and payable upon and notwithstanding such termination. The
Administrator shall be entitled to collect from the Trust, in
addition to the compensation described in this Schedule A, the
amount of all of the Administrator's reasonable cash
disbursements for services in connection with the Administrator's
activities in effecting such termination, including without
limitation, the delivery to the Trust and/or its designees of the
Trust's property, records, instruments and documents, or any
copies thereof. Subsequent to such termination, for a reasonable
fee, the Administrator will provide the Trust with reasonable
access to any Trust documents or records remaining in its
possession.
If, for any reason other than a material breach of this Agreement
or termination of this Agreement by the Trust after the Initial
Term, the Administrator is replaced as fund manager and
administrator, or if a third party is added to perform all or a
part of the services provided by the Administrator under this
Agreement (excluding any sub-administrator appointed by the
Administrator as provided in Article 8 hereof), then the Trust
shall make a one-time cash payment, as liquidated damages, to the
Administrator equal to the balance due the Administrator for the
remainder of the term of this Agreement, assuming for purposes of
calculation of the payment that the asset level of the Trust on
the date the Administrator is
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replaced, or a third party is added, will remain constant for the
balance of the contract term.
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