On 6.6.1994, the City of Ghent and the Municipality of Destelbergen set up the Intercommunale Association for Waste Management of Ghent and the surrounding area (hereinafter referred to as' IVAGO ') with a view to transferring competence of the legal tasks relating to the organisation of waste collection and waste disposal activities. . In this context, a private partner (ECOV) was identified who provided its necessary knowledge and expertise in waste to the intercommunal in order to operate IVAGO. The IDM and IVLA waste intercommunals are also shareholders (0.01 percent) of IVAGO.

IVAGO currently qualifies as a contracting association with private participation within the meaning of Article 413 et seq. of the Decree of 22.12.2017 on Local Administration (hereinafter referred to as the “Local Administration Decree”) and is currently subject to the application of legal entity tax.

IVAGO was originally founded for a maximum duration of thirty years. As a result, IVAGO in its current legal form ends in principle on 5.6.2024. At that time, the current

private participation to an end. Even after the aforementioned date of 5.6.2024, the Contracting Authority intends to organise the activities of IVAGO through a contracting association with private participation within the meaning of Article 413 et seq. of the Decree Local Administration, which includes both the public partner (or the City of Ghent and the Municipality of Destelbergen, or the Contracting Authorities) as the — to be allocated

— private partner will participate.

Thus, the City of Ghent, as well as the municipality of Destelbergen, through a transparent public procurement procedure (i.e. the current Assignment), will designate a new private partner for participation in IVAGO from 6.6.2024 for a period of 18 years in principle.

The present Assignment consists of the designation of a private partner for IVAGO, for the purpose of achieving a sustainable cooperation of (maximum) 18 years.

(period 2024-2042), albeit that various evaluation moments will be built in interim and certain tasks could be terminated earlier.

The private partner will, in principle, become a shareholder of IVAGO and perform various tasks within and for IVAGO. The financing of the AEC rehabilitation (core task 2; see Selection guidance) and

of the final decision during the execution of the Assignment in cooperation with the private partner, expanding the heat and/or steam network (core task 4, see Selection guidance), shall be with IVAGO,

undertaking that the private partner will guarantee (limited) pre-financing during the execution of the work, depending on its progress and payments in that respect. The modalities will be elaborated in the next phase.

For the tasks that the Contracting Authorities generally aims to entrust to the private partner to be identified, and the comprehensive description of the tender, see Selection guidance.