1. An applicant may (but is not obliged to) request an informal, confidential and non-binding review of a proposed application to operate a new SLD.
2. The applicant will submit an application to the Secretariat and deposit the Stage 0 fee specified at Schedule 1 into the Account.
3. The Secretariat will conduct a Stage 0 review of the application and will provide a written report to the applicant within 15 working days of receiving the application. The review will not be made public unless the applicant so requests.
4. The purpose of the Stage 0 review is an informal aid to applicants to check that the form of an application broadly complies with the formal requirements of the SLD Procedure and of the SLD Policy. The Secretariat will not be obliged to provide an opinion on the merits of any application at Stage 0.
5. No element of Stage 0 (including the fact that an application has or has not been through Stage 0) will prejudice evaluation of applications at a later stage, and the Secretariat's view will not bind the Panel.
6. The sending of the Secretariat's report to the applicant will conclude Stage 0. In sending the report, the Secretariat will include a statement to the effect that Stage 0 has been completed.
F. Stage 1 - Request to initiate SLD Procedure
1. The applicant will submit the SLD application to the Secretariat, plus a summary of the application not exceeding 2,000 words for publication on the Secretariat's web site, and the Stage 1 fee as specified at Schedule 1 together with a formal request to initiate the SLD Procedure. The summary should include the following:
(a) a description of the proposed SLD and its purpose;
(b) a description of the applicant, together with brief biographies of key staff; and
(c) a description of the proposed registry structure, rules and start-up mechanisms.
2. Subject to D3, within 5 working days of receiving an application, the Secretariat will:
(a) acknowledge receipt of the application and fee;
(b) publish on its web site a notice to the effect that an application has been received, the name of the proposed SLD and the name of the applicant, together with the application and the summary;
(c) ask the Panel Chair to confirm that he/she does not have any conflict of interest in respect of the application. If a conflict of interest is declared, the Secretariat will appoint an alternative Panel Chair from its list of potential Panellists within 5 working days; and
(d) notify the applicant of the named contact point at the Secretariat and the name of the Panel Chair.
3. The appointments of the Panel Chair will be confirmed unless the applicant objects to him/her within 5 working days of the notification being sent to them. The final appointment of the Panel Chair marks the end of Stage 1.
4. The only grounds for objection to the proposed Panel Chair is "conflict of interests". An objection from the applicant on this grounds should be examined by the Secretariat. The Secretariat shall investigate the complaint to the degree that it feels necessary and as promptly as it believes reasonable. This investigation may include providing a copy of the complaint to the potential Panel Chair or requesting proof of any allegations made from the applicant. If the Secretariat upholds any objection the Panel Chair shall not sit on the Panel and shall nominate an alternative Panel Chair in respect of this application. The applicant may also object to the alternate Panel Chair, in which case the original Panel Chair will name a further alternative and so on.
5. Within 3 working days of the expiry of Stage 1, the Secretariat will inform the applicants that Stage 1 has ended.
G. Stage 2 - Call for competing applications
1. Within 5 working days of the commencement of Stage 2 (and subject to D3 above), the Secretariat will publish the application on its web site and will advertise the following:
(a) the existence of the application;
(b) the location of application and the summary on its own website;
(c) a call for competing applications;
(d) the closing date for receipt of any competing applications; and
(e) the website URL of a list of the members of the Pool.
2. Such advertisement will be published on the Secretariat's website and in suitable industry publications at the earliest reasonable opportunity.
3. Competing applicants will be given 40 working days from the date of publication of the advertisement in the first journal in accordance with paragraph G2 above to submit competing applications, together with a summary of not more than 2,000 words, notice of any objections to members of the Pool and the grounds for such objection, and the Stage 2 fees. The summary should cover the matters specified in paragraph F1 above.
4. The terms "applicant" and "application" and other terms relating to the application and evaluation process will, where such implication is clear in the context, refer equally to the initial applicant and to competing applicants from Stage 3 onwards.
5. The expiry of the 40 working day period for competing applications will mark the end of Stage 2. Within 3 working days of the expiry of Stage 2, the Secretariat will notify all applicants that Stage 2 has ended.