Georgeson LLC 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor New York, NY 10104 www.georgeson.com
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Xxxxxxxxx LLC 0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 xxx.xxxxxxxxx.xxx |
June 11, 2021
BLACKROCK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRUST
000 XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX, XX 00000
Re: Information Agent
This Letter of Agreement, including the Appendix attached hereto (collectively, this “Agreement”), sets forth the terms and conditions of the engagement of Xxxxxxxxx LLC (“Georgeson”) by BlackRock Science and Technology Trust (the “Fund”) and BlackRock Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Advisor”), to act as Information Agent in connection with the Fund’s proposed transferable rights offering scheduled to expire on July 14, 2021 (the “Offering”). The term of this Agreement shall be the term of the Offering, including any extensions thereof.
| (a) | Services. Xxxxxxxxx shall perform the services described in the Fees & Services Schedule attached hereto as Appendix I (such services, collectively, the “Services”). |
| (b) | Fees. In consideration of Xxxxxxxxx’x performance of the Services, the Advisor shall pay Xxxxxxxxx the amounts, and pursuant to the terms, set forth on the Fees & Services Schedule attached hereto as Appendix I, together with the Expenses (as defined below). The Advisor acknowledges and agrees that the Fees & Services Schedule shall be subject to adjustment if the Fund or the Advisor requests Xxxxxxxxx to provide services with respect to additional matters or a revised scope of work. |
| (c) | Expenses. In addition to the fees and charges described in paragraphs (b) and (d) hereof, Xxxxxxxxx shall charge the Advisor, and the Advisor shall be solely responsible, for the following costs and expenses (collectively, the “Expenses”): |
| • | costs and expenses incidental to the Offering, including without limitation the mailing or delivery of Offer materials; |
| • | costs and expenses relating to Xxxxxxxxx’x work with its agents or other parties involved in the Offering, including without limitation charges for bank threshold lists, data processing, market information, institutional advisory reports, telephone directory assistance, facsimile transmissions or other forms of electronic communication; |
| • | costs and expenses incurred by Xxxxxxxxx at the Advisor’s or the Fund’s request or for the Advisor’s or the Fund’s convenience, including without limitation for copying, printing of additional and/or supplemental material and travel by Xxxxxxxxx’x personnel; and |
| • | any other costs and expenses authorized by the Advisor or the Fund during the course of the Offering, including without limitation those relating to advertising (including production and posting), media relations and analytical services. |
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The Advisor shall pay all applicable taxes incurred in connection with the delivery of the Services or Expenses.
| (d) | Custodial Charges. Xxxxxxxxx agrees to check, itemize and pay on the Fund’s behalf the charges of brokers and banks, with the exception of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (which will xxxx the Advisor directly), for forwarding the Fund’s offering material to beneficial owners. The Advisor shall reimburse Xxxxxxxxx for such broker and bank charges in the manner described in the Fees & Services Schedule. |
| (e) | Compliance with Applicable Laws. The Fund, the Advisor and Xxxxxxxxx hereby represent to one another that each shall comply with all applicable laws relating to the Offer, including, without limitation, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. |
| (f) | Indemnification; Limitation of Liability. |
| (i) | The Fund shall indemnify and hold harmless Xxxxxxxxx, its affiliates and their respective stockholders, officers, directors, employees and agents from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, costs, charges, counsel fees and expenses, payments, expenses and liability (collectively, “Losses”) arising out of or relating to the performance of the Services, including the reasonable costs and expenses of defending against any Loss or enforcing this Agreement, except to the extent such Losses shall have been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a result of Xxxxxxxxx’x gross negligence or willful misconduct. |
| (ii) | Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, but without limiting the Fund’s indemnification obligations set forth in clause (i) above, neither party shall be liable for any incidental, indirect, special or consequential damages of any nature whatsoever, including, but not limited to, loss of anticipated profits, occasioned by a breach of any provision of this Agreement, even if apprised of the possibility of such damages. |
| (iii) | Any liability whatsoever of Xxxxxxxxx, its affiliates or any of their respective stockholders, officers, directors, employees or agents hereunder or otherwise relating to or arising out of performance of the Services will be limited in the aggregate to the fees and charges paid hereunder by the Fund to Xxxxxxxxx (but not including Expenses). |
| (iv) | This paragraph (f) shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
| (g) | Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the substantive laws of the State of New York without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws, and shall not be modified in any way, unless pursuant to a written agreement which has been executed by each of the parties hereto. The parties agree that any and all disputes, controversies or claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement (including any breach hereof) shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the federal and state courts in New York County, New York and the parties hereby waive any defenses on the grounds |
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| of lack of personal jurisdiction of such courts, improper venue or forum non conveniens. The parties waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, all right to trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim arising out of this Agreement. |
| (h) | Relationship. The Fund agrees and acknowledges that Xxxxxxxxx shall be the primary information agent retained by the Fund in connection with the Offer. |
| (i) | Confidentiality. Xxxxxxxxx agrees to preserve the confidentiality of (i) all material non-public information provided by the Fund or its agents for Xxxxxxxxx’x use in fulfilling its obligations hereunder and (ii) any information developed by Xxxxxxxxx based upon such material non-public information (collectively, “Confidential Information”); provided that Xxxxxxxxx may disclose such Confidential Information as required by law and otherwise to its officers, directors, employees, agents or affiliates to the extent reasonably necessary to perform the Services hereunder. For purposes of this Agreement, Confidential Information shall not be deemed to include any information which (w) is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of a disclosure by Xxxxxxxxx or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents or affiliates; (x) was available to Xxxxxxxxx on a nonconfidential basis and in accordance with law prior to its disclosure to Xxxxxxxxx by the Fund; (y) becomes available to Xxxxxxxxx on a nonconfidential basis and in accordance with law from a person other than the Fund or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents or affiliates who is not otherwise bound by a confidentiality agreement with the Fund or is not otherwise prohibited from transmitting such information to a third party; or (z) was independently and lawfully developed by Xxxxxxxxx without access to the Confidential Information. The Fund agrees that all reports, documents and other work product provided to the Fund by Xxxxxxxxx pursuant to the terms of this Agreement are for the exclusive use of the Fund and may not be disclosed to any other person or entity without the prior written consent of Xxxxxxxxx. The confidentiality obligations set forth in this paragraph shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
| (j) | Invoices. Invoices for amounts due hereunder shall be delivered to Fund at: |
ADDRESS: 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
ATTENTION: Xxxx Xxxxx, xxxx.xxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx, (000) 000-0000
(Contact Name, Email, Phone)
| (k) | Force Majeure. Xxxxxxxxx will not be liable for any delay or failure in performance when such delay or failure arises from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God, acts of government in its sovereign or contractual capacity, acts of public enemy or terrorists, acts of civil or military authority, war, riots, civil strife, terrorism, blockades, sabotage, rationing, embargoes, epidemics, pandemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases or any other public health crises, earthquakes, fire, flood, other natural disaster, quarantine or any other employee restrictions, power shortages or failures, utility or communication failure or delays, labor disputes, strikes, or shortages, supply shortages, equipment failures, or software malfunctions. |
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| (l) | Entire Agreement; Appendix. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. The Appendix to this Agreement shall be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. This Agreement shall be binding upon all successors to the Fund (by operation of law or otherwise). |
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank. Signature page follows.]
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If the above is acceptable, please execute and return the enclosed duplicate of this Agreement to Xxxxxxxxx LLC, 1290 Avenue of the Xxxxxxxx, 0xx xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx.
| Sincerely, | ||
| XXXXXXXXX LLC | ||
| By: |
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| Xxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | ||
| Title: | Chief Operating Officer>US | |
| Agreed to and accepted as of | ||
| the date first set forth above: | ||
| BLACKROCK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRUST | ||
| By: |
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| Xxx X. Xxxx | ||
| Title: | Treasurer of the Fund | |
| BLACKROCK ADVISORS, LLC | ||
| By: |
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| Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx | ||
| Title: | Managing Director | |
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| BLACKROCK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRUST June 11, 2021 Page 6 |
APPENDIX I
BLACKROCK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TRUST
FEES & SERVICES SCHEDULE
| BASE SERVICES |
$ | 8,500 | ||||
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| ● | Advance review of Offering documents | |||||
| ● | Strategic advice relating to the Offering | |||||
| ● | Dissemination of Offering documents to bank and broker community | |||||
| ● | Communication with bank and broker community during Offering period | |||||
NOTE: The foregoing fees are exclusive of Expenses and custodial charges as described in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this Agreement. In addition, the Fund will be charged a fee of $1,000 per extension if the Offering is extended for any reason.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
| Services | Flat Fee | Unit Fee | ||||||
| Program Setup Fee |
$ | 1,500 | ||||||
| Outbound Calls (per call) |
$ | 6.50 | ||||||
| Inbound Calls - Per Minute (minimum $1,000) |
$ | 2.75 | ||||||
| Mobile Telephone upcharge |
$ | 1.25 | ||||||
| Per extension or subsequent offering period |
$ | 1,000.00 | ||||||
FEE PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
The Fund shall pay Xxxxxxxxx as follows:
| • | Upon execution of this Agreement, the Fund shall pay Xxxxxxxxx $8,500, which amount is in consideration of Xxxxxxxxx’x commitment to represent the Fund and is non-refundable; |
| • | If applicable, immediately prior to the commencement of the mailing, the Fund shall advance to Xxxxxxxxx a portion of anticipated custodial charges; as described in paragraph (d) of this Agreement; and |
| • | Upon completion of the Offer, the Fund shall pay Xxxxxxxxx the sum of (i) any variable fees as described above under “Additional Services” which have accrued over the course of the Offer, (ii) all unreimbursed custodial charges, as described in paragraph (d) of this Agreement, and (iii) all Expenses. |
Xxxxxxxxx will send the Fund an invoice for each of the foregoing payments, which invoices will include written transfer instructions.
