Costs

Philosophy underpinning costs

23. Costs will generally be borne by the Applicant, or the party that stands to gain from the process. However, the success of S.E.E. Mail will arise from positive relationships between Applicants and Participating Agencies. This drives a philosophy that costs will be reduced to a practical minimum wherever possible.

24. There is a strong expectation that individual Participating Agencies will be generous with their time, where there is a benefit for Participating Agencies generally. In such an instance, individual Participating Agencies assisting with a Site Certification process may chose to absorb a level of costs that they might not otherwise accept.

25. In practical terms this means that the S.E.E. Manager may direct Participating Agencies being used as Operational Reference Sites not to charge the Applicants for recovery of direct costs borne by them as part of the Site Certification process.

26. Where the time required from a Participating Agency being used as an Operational Reference Site exceeds the estimate provided by the Applicants, the participating Agency may, with the agreement of the S.E.E. Manager's representative, charge the Applicants for recovery of those additional direct costs borne by them, at a rate predetermined as part of the Site Certification process.

Costs borne by Applicants

27. The Applicant will bear all direct costs associated with the preparation and presentation of an application for Site Certification. The S.E.E. Manager will under no circumstances be liable for any costs incurred by an Applicant.

28. Costs that will be incurred by the S.E.E. Manager and invoiced to the Applicants will where possible be notified to the S.E.E. Manager in advance of the Site Certification process commencing.