7.1 The Partners recognise that the procurement of the residual waste treatment project will require the negotiating, agreeing and implementation of a legally binding SLA relating to the collection of municipal waste and its delivery to a contractor.7
7.2 The Partners agree to work together to agree a timetable for reaching agreement on the terms of a legally-binding SLA in accordance with Defra"s Criteria for Securing Waste PFI Credits (August 2007) or any subsequent guidance issued by Defra or the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme (WIDP).
7.3 The Partners recognise that the agreement of the SLA is vital to the management of the waste disposal authority of certain risks associated with the successful procurement of the residual waste treatment project.
7.4 The Partners acknowledge that through the Joint Waste Partnership the WCAs should be able to play a role in the selection of the technological solution chosen for the residual waste treatment project given the importance of the technology choice on the methods of waste collection to be employed by the waste collection authorities and the likely impact on the terms of the SLA.
7.5 The Partners will work together to develop the following key aspects of the residual waste treatment project:
• The strategic waste management objectives;
• The procurement strategy and the reference project;
• Risk management, risk allocation and contractual structures;
• Project team and governance;
• Sites, planning and design; and
• The promotion of combined heat and power ("CHP") through the procurement process.
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7 Authorities may wish to use the WIDP template Service Level Agreement (SLA) (Module 6C) to create Heads of Terms which can be appended to the MoU. This will depend on how advanced negotiations are when the MoU is entered into.