The Contract may contain provisions which give the Contractor relief from certain obligations or an entitlement to an adjustment to the Unitary Charge if the Contract Waste delivered falls outside certain defined parameters. Although these clauses are often seen and referred to as dealing with composition risk the parameters themselves are more likely to be defined in terms of Calorific Value.
The Contract Management Manual should provide a clear reference to any relevant clauses in the Contract and set out the procedure to be followed within the Contract Management Team in the event that the Contractor makes a claim for relief. This is likely to be an exceptional event in most contracts, but a significant amount of money could be involved so careful consideration should be given to the decision making process so that decisions are informed by appropriate technical input, and are taken at the right level within the Authority.