The guidance refers to the WIDP Residual Waste Treatment Contract as the "WIDP Contract". The legal agreement between the Authority and the Contractor is referred to simply as the "Contract" or the "Authority's Contract" throughout this guidance. Alternative terms with the same meaning are sometimes used, for example Project Agreement.
This guidance follows the WIDP Contract in referring to the Authority and the Contractor throughout, except for references to the Contractor in the procurement period where the phrase "bidder" is used.
For the purposes of this guidance, references to the "post close" period relate to the entire period from Contract signature through to Contract expiry. This includes what is sometimes referred to as the Transition Period i.e. the period from Contract signature up to the end of the second year of the operational period of the Contract. In turn the Transition Period includes the "pre service period" which is used occasionally to refer to the period between Contract signature and the commencement of services.
In general we refer to the Unitary Charge or Annual Unitary Charge when referring to the payment made by the Authority to the Contractor. This follows the approach in WIDP's guidance on payment mechanisms5 and the WIDP Contract6. The phrase "gate fee" is not used as it tends to obscure the fact that most payment mechanisms involve a different payment per tonne (or "gate fee") at different tonnages, thereby generating an average gate fee that varies with tonnage.
In the sections on project governance we use the term "Contract Management Board" when referring to the principal body charged by the Authority with overall responsibility for overseeing the project. In practice terminology for this group varies quite widely. Alternative names we have seen include Operational Management Board and Project Board.
For the body formed to facilitate direct and regular liaison between the Contractor and the Authority we have used the term "Liaison Committee" in accordance with the contractual terminology in the WIDP Contract. Other terms we have seen used include Partnership Board (the terminology used in the 4ps guidance on contract management7) and Project Liaison Group.
For simplicity we refer to Authority and facility in the singular throughout the guidance. Where there are specific issues arising for projects involving more than one Authority and/or more than one facility, these are identified in the text.
Where we have used terms as defined in the WIDP Contract, these appear in capital letters. Any additional capitalised terms used in this guidance but not derived from the WIDP Contract are defined in the Glossary and Abbreviations section at the beginning of this document.
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5 This guidance is available online at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/local-authorities/widp/widp-procurement-pack/
6 WIDP's guidance is available online at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/local-authorities/widp/
7 4ps' guide to contract management for PFI and PPP projects is available online at http://www.localpartnerships.org.uk/PageContent.aspx?id=2&tp=Y&s=0&title=&Stage=0&Sector=0&Type=0&searchbtn=Go&x=36&y=15&p=88