Price Adjustments 17.1 Prices for Goods/Services supplied in terms of this Agreement shall be subject to review as indicated in the Schedule of Requirements/Works Order annexed hereto.
17.2 No less than 2 [two] months prior to any proposed Price adjustment, the Parties shall commence negotiations for Prices for the next period or as otherwise indicated in Schedule 1 hereto. The Parties shall have regard for market-related pricing of equivalent goods, continuous improvement initiatives, costs [including labour, raw materials and transport/delivery], order size and frequency and changes to the specification of the Goods/Services.
17.3 Pursuant to clause 17.2 above, the Supplier/Service Provider shall keep full and accurate records of all costs associated with the supply of the Goods/Services to Transnet, in a form to be approved in writing by Transnet. The Supplier/Service Provider shall produce such records to Transnet for inspection at all reasonable times on request and such records may, at Transnet's option, be audited by Transnet or its designated representatives.
17.4 Should Transnet and the Supplier/Service Provider fail to reach an agreement on Price for the successive period, either Party shall be entitled to submit this matter to dispute resolution in accordance with clause 32 of the Master Agreement [Dispute Resolution].
17.5 If during the period of this Agreement Transnet can purchase similar Goods/Services of a like quality from another supplier at a total delivered cost to a Transnet facility that is lower than the total delivered cost of the Goods/Services purchased hereunder from the Supplier/Service Provider, Transnet may notify the Supplier/Service Provider of such total delivered cost and the Supplier/Service Provider shall have an opportunity to adjust the Price of the Goods/Services purchased hereunder, on such a basis as to result in the same total delivered cost to Transnet, within 30 [thirty] calendar days of such notice. If the Supplier/Service Provider fails to do so or cannot legally do so, Transnet may (i) purchase the Goods/Services from such other supplier in which case the obligations, including, but not limited to, any purchase and sale requirements and/or commitments, if any, of Transnet and the Supplier/Service Provider hereunder shall be reduced accordingly; (ii) terminate this Agreement without any penalty, liability or further obligation; or (iii) continue purchases under this Agreement.
17.6 If during the period of this Agreement the Supplier/Service Provider sells any materials which are the same as, equivalent to, or substantially similar to the Goods/Services herein, at a total delivered cost to a third party lower than the total delivered cost to a Transnet facility, then the Supplier/Service Provider has an opportunity to adjust its Price for the Goods/Services purchased hereunder within 30 [thirty] calendar days so that the Price is the same or lower than the total delivered cost of such third party. If the Supplier/Service Provider fails to do so or cannot legally do so, Transnet may (i) purchase the Goods/Services from any other such supplier, in which case the obligations, including, but not limited to, any purchase and sale requirements and/or commitments, if any, of Transnet and the Supplier/Service Provider hereunder shall be reduced accordingly; or
Purchase Price Adjustment (a) If, for the twelve (12)-month period ended December 31, 2010 (the “Adjustment Period”):
(i) The EBITDA of the Nordic Business is less than $108,000,000 (the “EBITDA Floor”), Seller shall pay to Buyer as provided in Section 2.5(c)(iv) an amount equal to the excess of the EBITDA Floor over the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period; or
(ii) The EBITDA of the Nordic Business is greater than $118,000,000 (the “EBITDA Ceiling”), Buyer shall pay to Seller as provided in Section 2.5(c)(iv) an amount equal to the excess of EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period over the EBITDA Ceiling (any payment required pursuant to Sections 2.5(a)(i) or (ii), the “Contingent Payment”). For the avoidance of doubt, no payment shall be required pursuant to this Section 2.5 if EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period is greater than or equal to the EBITDA Floor and less than or equal to the EBITDA Ceiling.
(b) Except as may otherwise be agreed by the parties, as promptly as practicable, but in no event later than ninety (90) days after the end of the Adjustment Period, Buyer shall in good faith prepare and deliver to Seller a statement (the “Adjustment Statement”) setting forth Buyer’s calculation of the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period, calculated on a basis consistent with Schedule D (for the avoidance of doubt, such calculation shall be performed in local currency and shall be converted into U.S. Dollars using the exchange rates set forth in Schedule D), and Buyer’s calculation of the Contingent Payment, if any, with respect thereto; provided, however, if the Adjustment Period ends on or prior to the Closing Date, such Adjustment Statement shall be delivered as promptly as practicable after Closing, but in no event later than ninety (90) days after Closing (in which case, for the avoidance of doubt, after the end of the Adjustment Period and prior to the Closing, Seller shall, in accordance with Section 6.2, permit Buyer and its Representatives to have reasonable access to the books, records and other documents (including work papers) reasonably necessary for Buyer to begin to prepare the Adjustment Statement). For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall the Contingent Payment be payable prior to the Closing.
(c) Without prejudice to any of Buyer’s rights hereunder, following delivery of the Adjustment Statement, the following provisions will apply:
(i) Buyer shall, and shall cause the Nordic Companies to, permit Seller and its Representatives to have reasonable access to the books, records and other documents (including work papers) pertaining to or used in connection with preparation of the Adjustment Statement and provide Seller with copies thereof (as reasonably requested by Seller). If Seller disagrees with Buyer’s calculation of the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period or the Contingent Payment, Seller shall, within sixty (60) days after Seller’s receipt of the Adjustment Statement, notify Buyer in writing of such disagreement by setting forth Seller’s calculation of the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period and the Contingent Payment, and describing in reasonable detail the basis for such disagreement (an “Adjustment Objection Notice”). If no Adjustment Objection Notice is delivered on or prior to the sixtieth (60th) day after Seller’s receipt of the Adjustment Statement, Buyer’s calculation of such EBITDA and the Contingent Payment shall be deemed to be binding on the parties hereto. If an Adjustment Objection Notice is timely delivered to Buyer, then Buyer and Seller shall negotiate in good faith to resolve their disagreements with respect to the computation of such EBITDA and the Contingent Payment. In the event that Buyer and Seller are unable to resolve all such disagreements within fifteen (15) days after Buyer’s receipt of such Adjustment Objection Notice, Buyer and Seller shall submit such remaining disagreements to the Auditor for resolution.
(ii) Buyer and Seller shall use their respective reasonable efforts to cause the Auditor to resolve all remaining disagreements with respect to the computation of the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period and the amount of any Contingent Payment as soon as practicable, but in any event shall direct the Auditor to render a determination within forty-five (45) days after its retention. The Auditor shall consider only those items and amounts in Buyer’s and Seller’s respective calculations of such EBITDA and Contingent Payment that are identified as being items and amounts to which Buyer and Seller have been unable to agree on. In resolving any disputed item, the Auditor shall act as an expert and not as an arbitrator and the Auditor may not assign a value to any item greater than the greatest value for such item claimed by either party or less than the smallest value for such item claimed by either party. The Auditor’s determination of such EBITDA and the amount of any Contingent Payment shall not be limited to the materials submitted by Buyer and Seller but may include any relevant accounting literature or guidance, and shall be based on Schedule D and the definition of “EBITDA” included herein. The determination of the Auditor shall be conclusive and binding upon the parties hereto.
(iii) The costs and expenses of the Auditor in determining the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period and the amount of any Contingent Payment shall be borne equally by Buyer and Seller.
(iv) Within five (5) Business Days after the EBITDA of the Nordic Business for the Adjustment Period and the amount of any Contingent Payment are finally determined pursuant to this Section 2.5, (A) if any Contingent Payment is payable pursuant to Section 2.5(a)(i), Seller shall pay the amount thereof by (x) wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account(s) designated by Buyer or (y) in a manner as otherwise agreed by the parties or (B) if any Contingent Payment is payable pursuant to Section 2.5(a)(ii), Buyer shall pay the amount thereof by (x) wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account(s) designated by Seller or (y) in a manner as otherwise agreed by the parties.
(d) Following the Closing, until December 31, 2010, Buyer shall manage and operate the Nordic Business in a commercially reasonable manner and consistent with the business plan for the applicable Nordic Company for the then current year previously delivered to Buyer (the “Business Plan”). Seller acknowledges and agrees that, following the Closing, Buyer shall, in its sole and absolute discretion, have complete control over all strategic and operational decisions concerning the Nordic Business and may manage and operate the Nordic Companies and their businesses as Buyer determines in a manner consistent with the Business Plan. Seller further agrees that (i) the right of Buyer to receive the Contingent Payment does not create in Seller any right to control or direct the management and operations of the Nordic Companies and (ii) Seller will have no claim against Buyer or any of its Affiliates (including the Nordic Companies) with respect to the management and operation of the Nordic Companies, including any impact thereof on the EBITDA of the Nordic Companies or on the amount of any Contingent Payment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the impact of any change as a result of any deviation from the Business Plan shall be excluded from the calculation of EBITDA.
(e) All payments made pursuant to this Section 2.5 shall have the nature of adjustments to the Closing Purchase Price and shall be treated accordingly by all parties hereto (and all of their Affiliates) for all Tax purposes to the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law.