Exhibit 1.1

GS Acquisition Holdings Corp II

70,000,000 Units

 

 

Underwriting Agreement

[•], 2020

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC,

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

As representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several Underwriters

named in Schedule I hereto,

c/o Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

200 West Street

New York, New York 10282-2198

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

388 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10013

Ladies and Gentlemen:

GS Acquisition Holdings Corp II, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated in this agreement (this “Agreement”), to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 70,000,000 units (the “Firm Units”) of the Company and, at the election of the Underwriters, up to 10,500,000 additional units, if any (the “Optional Units”, the Optional Units, together with the Firm Units that the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being hereinafter called the “Units”).

Each Unit consists of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and one-quarter of one redeemable warrant, where each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Warrant(s)”). The shares of Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units will not trade separately until the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus (as defined below) (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day), unless the Representatives inform the Company of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to (a) the Company’s preparation of an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering (as defined below), (b) the filing of such audited balance sheet with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on a Current Report on Form 8-K or similar form by the Company, and (c) the Company having issued a press release announcing when such earlier separate trading will begin. Each whole Warrant entitles its holder, upon exercise, to purchase one share of Common


Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, during the period commencing on the later of thirty (30) days after the completion of an initial Business Combination (as defined below) and twelve (12) months from the date of the consummation of the Offering, and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the date of the completion of such initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as defined below) if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period indicated in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Liquidation”); provided, however, that pursuant to the Warrant Agreement (as defined below), a Warrant may not be exercised for a fractional share and only whole Warrants are exercisable. As used herein, the term “Business Combination” (as described more fully in the Prospectus) shall mean a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.

The Company has entered into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, effective as of [•], 2020, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST”), as trustee (the “Trust Agreement”), in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Registration Statement (as defined below), pursuant to which proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) and the Offering will be deposited and held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and the holders of the Firm Units and the Optional Units, if and when issued in each case as described more fully in the Prospectus.

The Company has entered into a Warrant Agreement, effective as of [•], 2020, with respect to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants with CST), as warrant agent, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement (the “Warrant Agreement”), pursuant to which Computershare will act as warrant agent in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants.

The Company has entered into a Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of July 3, 2018 (the “Founder’s Purchase Agreement”), with GS Sponsor II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 575 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (including the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof, the “Founder Shares”), for an aggregate purchase price of $5,000. The Founder Shares are substantially similar to the shares of Common Stock included in the Units except as described in the Prospectus.

In April 2020, the Company effectuated a 5000-for-1 stock split resulting in an aggregate of 2,875,000 Founder Shares outstanding and held by the Sponsor.

In June 2020, the Company effectuated a 7-for-1 stock split resulting in an aggregate of 20,125,000 Founder Shares outstanding and held by the Sponsor (up to 2,625,000 of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent the option to purchase the Optional Units is not exercised in full).

The Company has entered into a Warrants Purchase Agreement, effective as of [•], 2020 (the “Warrant Purchase Agreement”), with the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 8,000,000 warrants (or 9,050,000 warrants if

 

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the option to purchase the Optional Units is exercised in full), at a price of $2.00 per warrant, each entitling the holder, upon exercise, to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (the “Private Placement Warrants”). The Private Placement Warrants are substantially similar to the Warrants included in the Units, except as described in the Prospectus.

The Company has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of [•], 2020, with the Sponsor and the other parties thereto, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company has granted certain registration rights in respect of the Private Placement Warrants, the Founder Shares, the shares of Common Stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants and certain warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (“Working Capital Warrants”) (including the shares of Common Stock underlying such warrants) as described in the Prospectus.

The Company has caused to be duly executed and delivered a letter agreement, dated [•], 2020, by and among the Sponsor and each of the Company’s officers, directors, and director nominees, in the form filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letter”).

The Company has entered into an Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of [•], 2020, with an affiliate of the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement (the “Services Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company will, subject to the terms of the Services Agreement, pay to the affiliate of the Sponsor an aggregate monthly fee of up to $10,000 for office space, administrative and support services from the date the Units are first listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) until the earlier of (x) the consummation of an initial Business Combination and (y) the Liquidation.

The Company and the Underwriters, in accordance with the requirements of Rule 5121 of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (“Rule 5121”) and subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, also hereby confirm the engagement of the services of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as a “qualified independent underwriter” (the “QIU”) within the meaning of Rule 5121 in connection with the offering and sale of the Units. No compensation will be paid to the QIU for its services as the QIU.

1.    The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:

(a)    A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[•]) and pre-effective amendment[s] no. [•] thereto (as amended, the “Initial Registration Statement”) in respect of the Units has been filed with the Commission; the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto in the form heretofore delivered to you, have been declared effective by the Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size of the offering (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for

 

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that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of the Initial Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Preliminary Prospectus relating to the Units that was included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(d) hereof) is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act is hereinafter called a “Section 5(d) Communication”; and any Section 5(d) Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act is hereinafter called a “Section 5(d) Writing”; and any “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act is hereinafter called a “Free Writing Prospectus”);

(b)    (A) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 9(b) of this Agreement);

(c)    The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (file number 001-[•]) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Units, the Common Stock and the Warrants, which registration is currently effective on the date hereof. The Units have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Exchange, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization;

(d)    For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is [•] p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement. The Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the information listed on Schedule II (a) hereto, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”), as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of each Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4(a) of this Agreement) will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Section 5(d) Writing does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each Section 5(d)

 

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Writing, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of each Time of Delivery will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information;

(e)    The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement, as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, and as of each Time of Delivery, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information;

(f)    The Company has not, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus, (i) sustained any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree or (ii) entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company, in each case other than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, there has not been (x) any change in the capital stock (other than as a result of (i) the exercise, if any, of stock options or the award, if any, of stock options or restricted stock in the ordinary course of business pursuant to the Company’s equity plans that are described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, (ii) the issuance, if any, of stock upon conversion of Company securities as described in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus or (iii) as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus) or long-term debt of the Company or (y) any Material Adverse Effect (as defined below); as used in this Agreement, “Material Adverse Effect” shall mean any material adverse change or effect, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change or effect, in or affecting (i) the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, or (ii) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, including the issuance and sale of the Units or the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included therein, or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

(g)    The Company does not own any real property and the Company has good and marketable title to all personal property owned by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company; and any real

 

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property and buildings held under lease by the Company are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company;

(h)    The Company has been (i) duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except, in the case of this clause (ii), where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; the Company has no subsidiaries;

(i)    The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and conform to the description thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus;

(j)    None of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The offers and sales of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Act, the applicable state securities and blue sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such shares of capital stock, exempt from or not subject to such registration requirements. The holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Units or the shares of Common Stock or Warrants included in the Units, arising by operation of law or under the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) or bylaws of the Company; and, except as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares or other ownership interests in the Company are outstanding;

(k)    The Units have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be validly issued, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability, and will conform to the description of the Units contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Units is not subject to any preemptive or similar rights;

(l)    The shares of Common Stock included in the Units have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment for the Units by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable;

(m)    The Warrants included in the Units have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreement against payment

 

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for the Units by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(n)    The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, as applicable, and the Warrant Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. The holders of such shares of Common Stock are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; such shares of Common Stock are not and will not be subject to any preemptive or other similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of such shares of Common Stock (other than such execution (if applicable), countersignature (if applicable) and delivery at the time of issuance) has been duly and validly taken;

(o)    The Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered upon consummation of the Offering, will be validly issued, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principals of general applicability;

(p)    The issue and sale of the Units and the compliance by the Company with this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Services Agreement or the Insider Letter and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement, the Pricing Prospectus, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Services Agreement or the Insider Letter will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, (A) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company is subject, except, in the case of this clause (A) for such defaults, breaches, or violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (B) the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or by-laws (or other applicable organizational document) of the Company, or (C) any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Units or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for registration under the Act or the Exchange Act, the approval by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) of the underwriting terms and arrangements and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Units by the Underwriters;

 

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(q)    The Company is not (i) in violation of its certificate of incorporation or bylaws (or other applicable organizational document), (ii) in violation of any statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, or (iii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound, except, in the case of the foregoing clauses (ii) and (iii), for such defaults as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;

(r)    The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus under the caption “Description of Securities”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Units, under the caption “United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”, and under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects;

(s)    Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any officer or director of the Company, is a party or of which any property of the Company is the subject which, if determined adversely to the Company (or such officer or director), would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or others;

(t)    The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Units and the application of the proceeds thereof, will not be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”);

(u)    At the time of filing the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Units, and at the date hereof, the Company was and is an “ineligible issuer,” as defined under Rule 405 under the Act;

(v)    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), who have certified certain financial statements of the Company, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;

(w)    [Reserved];

(x)    [Reserved];

(y)    The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;

 

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(zz)    This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;

(aa)    The Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(bb)    The Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(cc)    The Founder’s Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(dd)    The Warrant Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(ee)    The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

(ff)    The Insider Letter executed by the Company, the Sponsor and each executive officer, director and director nominee of the Company, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, enforceable against the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Company’s knowledge, each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability;

 

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(gg)    The Services Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability.

(hh)    The Company has not and, to the knowledge of the Company, no director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company has (i) made, offered, promised or authorized any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense; (ii) made, offered, promised or authorized any direct or indirect unlawful payment; or (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law (collectively, “Anti-Bribery Laws”). The Company has instituted and maintained policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and ensure continued compliance with all Anti-Bribery and Laws and with the representation and warranty contained herein;

(ii)    The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with the requirements of applicable anti-money laundering laws, including, but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended by the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the anti-money laundering laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Company conducts business (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened;

(jj)    The Company is not and, to the knowledge of the Company, no director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company is currently the subject or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person,” the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, the United Nations Security Council, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Units hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject or the target of Sanctions or (ii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions;

(kk)    The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted

 

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accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus under the Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Act, to the extent applicable;

(ll)    From the time of initial confidential submission of a registration statement relating to the Units with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which a Section 5(d) Communication was made) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”);

(mm)    There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company will be in compliance with, the requirements of Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual (taking into account any applicable phase-in requirements). Further, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the effective date of the Registration Statement the Company will be in compliance with, the phase-in requirements and all other provisions of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance requirements set forth in the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual;

(nn)     Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Units hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the Underwriters;

(oo)    All information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by the Sponsor and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees and provided to the Underwriters, is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information that would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors and director nominees to become inaccurate and incorrect;

(pp)    Prior to the date hereof, the Company has not selected any Business Combination target and the Company has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target;

 

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(qq)    The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units;

(rr)    The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity;

(ss)    No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, director nominee, officer, stockholder, special advisor, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Act or the Exchange Act to be described in the Registration Statement, Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus that is not described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers, directors or director nominees of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company;

(tt)    The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate;

(uu)    Upon delivery and payment for the Units on the Closing Date (as defined below), the Company will not be subject to Rule 419 and none of the Company’s outstanding securities will be deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act; and

(vv)    As of the time of filing of the Registration Statement, the Company was a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act Regulations.

2.    Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of $9.80 per Unit, the number of Firm Units set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase Optional Units as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per unit set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2 (provided that the purchase price per Optional Unit shall be reduced by an amount per unit equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Units but not payable on the Optional Units), that portion of the number of Optional Units as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of Optional Units by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of Optional Units which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator of which is the maximum number of Optional Units that all of the Underwriters are entitled to purchase hereunder.

 

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The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at their election up to 10,500,000 Optional Units, at the purchase price per unit set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering sales of units in excess of the number of Firm Units, provided that the purchase price per Optional Unit shall be reduced by an amount per unit equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Units but not payable on the Optional Units. Any such election to purchase Optional Units may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a period of 45 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Units to be purchased and the date on which such Optional Units are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days after the date of such notice.

In addition to the discount from the public offering price represented by the purchase price set forth in the first sentence of Section 2 of this Agreement, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.35 per Unit (including both Firm Units and Optional Units) purchased hereunder (the “Deferred Discount”). The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the holders of the Common Stock included in the Units sold pursuant to this Agreement (the “Public Stockholders”), (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount and (ii) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Deferred Discount to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis.

3.    Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Units, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Units for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus (the “Offering”).

4.    (a) The Units to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in definitive or book-entry form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request upon at least forty-eight hours’ prior notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to the Representatives, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates, if any, representing the Units to be made available for checking and packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the applicable Time of Delivery with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian (the “Designated Office”). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Units, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on [•], 2020 (the “Closing Date”) or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional Units, 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified by the Representatives in the written notice given by the Representatives of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Optional Units, or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date for delivery of the Firm Units is herein called

 

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the “First Time of Delivery”, such time and date for delivery of the Optional Units, if not the First Time of Delivery, is herein called the “Second Time of Delivery”, and each such time and date for delivery is herein called a “Time of Delivery”.

(b)    The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 8 hereof, including the cross receipt for the Units and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8(m) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Ropes & Gray LLP, 1211 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036 (the “Closing Location”), and the Units will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day (as defined below) next preceding such Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. “New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

5.    The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

(a)    To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the last Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to file promptly all material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Units, of the suspension of the qualification of the Units for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;

(b)    Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Units for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Units, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;

(c)    Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the

 

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Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required under the Act at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Units and if at such time any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) under the Act in connection with sales of any of the Units at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

(d)    To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule 158);

(e)    During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-Up Period”), without the prior written consent of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., not to (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with or confidentially submit to the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Units, Common Stock or Warrants, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Common Stock or any such substantially similar securities, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise (other than the Units to be sold hereunder or pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company may (1) issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants, (2) issue and sell the Optional Units on exercise of the option provided for in Section 2 hereof, (3) register with the Commission pursuant to the Registration Rights

 

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Agreement, in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, the resale of the securities covered thereby, and (4) issue securities in connection with a Business Combination, or (iii) release the Sponsor or any officer, director or director nominee from the 180-day lock-up contained in the Insider Letter; provided that this Section 5(e) shall not apply to the forfeiture of any Founder Shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of Founder Shares to any current or future independent director of the Company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of the Insider Letter at the time of such transfer and as long as, to the extent any reporting obligation under Section 16 of the Exchange Act is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related filing pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act includes a practical explanation as to the nature of such transfer.

(f)    Until the Termination Date (as defined below), to furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company for such quarter in reasonable detail;

(g)    During a period of five years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, or until such earlier time as a Liquidation occurs or the Company is acquired or completes a going private transaction in a transaction where the Units and the shares of Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units are no longer outstanding (as applicable, the “Termination Date”), to furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to deliver to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii) such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the Company are consolidated in reports furnished to its stockholders generally or to the Commission), provided that any documents publicly filed or furnished with the Commission pursuant to the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) shall be deemed to have been furnished or delivered to you pursuant to this paragraph;

(h)    To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”;

(i)    To use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Units and the shares of Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units on the Exchange;

(j)    On or prior to the date hereof, to retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (the “Audited Balance Sheet”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering on the Closing Date. As soon as the Audited Balance Sheet becomes available, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the Closing Date, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the

 

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Audited Balance Sheet. Additionally, upon the Company’s receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the option provided for in Section 2 hereof, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four Business Days after the receipt of such proceeds, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall disclose the Company’s sale of the Optional Units and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom, unless the receipt of such proceeds is reflected in the Audited Balance Sheet included in the Current Report on Form 8-K referenced in the immediately prior sentence;

(k)    To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;

(l)    If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111 under the Act;

(m)    For a period commencing on the effective date of the Registration Statement and ending on the Termination Date, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and warrant agent; and for a period commencing on the effective date of the Registration Statement and ending on the completion of an initial Business Combination, the Company shall retain a trustee;

(n)    Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo, if any, for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line offering of the Units (the “License”); provided, however, that the License shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without any fee and may not be assigned or transferred;

(o)    To promptly notify you if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Units within the meaning of the Act and (ii) the last Time of Delivery;

(p)    The Company will not consummate an initial Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and its affiliates, the Sponsor or any of the Company’s officers or directors unless it or a committee of independent and disinterested members of the Company’s Board of Directors obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that such initial Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. The Company shall not pay the Sponsor or its affiliates or any of the Company’s officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates any fees or compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of an initial Business Combination except as disclosed or contemplated in the Registration Statement;

(q)    For a period of 90 days following the effective date of the Registration Statement, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, or has provided or will provide any

 

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investment banking, financial, advisory and/or consulting services to the Company, the Company agrees that it shall promptly provide to FINRA (via a FINRA submission), the Representatives and their counsel a notification prior to entering into the agreement or transaction relating to a potential Business Combination: (i) the identity of the person or entity providing any such services; (ii) complete details of all such services and copies of all agreements governing such services prior to entering into the agreement or transaction; and (iii) justification as to why the value received by any person or entity for such services is not underwriting compensation for the Offering. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer materials or proxy statement, as applicable, which the Company may file in connection with the Business Combination for purposes of offering redemption of shares held by its stockholders or for soliciting stockholder approval, as applicable;

(r)    The Company shall advise FINRA, the Representatives and their counsel if they are aware that, other than Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and its affiliates, any 5% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Member participating in the distribution of the Units;

(s)    The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account to be invested only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act as set forth in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates an initial Business Combination, it will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act;

(t)    During the period prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination or Liquidation, the Company may instruct the trustee under the Trust Agreement to release interest from the Trust Account, the amounts necessary to pay tax obligations. Otherwise, all funds held in the Trust Account (including any interest income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable thereon)) will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or the Liquidation; provided, however, that (a) in the event of the Liquidation, up to $100,000 of interest income may be released to the Company and (b) funds in the Trust Account may be released in connection with redemptions of shares of Public Stock in connection with certain amendments to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described therein;

(u)    The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities that are issuable upon the exercise of any of the Warrants, the Private Placement Warrants and any Working Capital Warrants outstanding from time to time and the conversion of the Founder Shares;

(v)    Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the Company shall not issue additional shares of Common Stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the Trust Account or (ii) vote on any initial Business Combination;

 

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(w)    Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company’s audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments made by the Company to the Sponsor, to the Company’s officers or directors, or to the Company’s or any of such other persons’ respective affiliates;

(x)    The Company agrees that it will use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period;

(y)    To the extent required by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, the Company will maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences;

(z)    The Company may consummate the initial Business Combination and conduct redemptions of shares of Common Stock for cash upon consummation of such Business Combination without a stockholder vote pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act, including the filing of tender offer documents with the Commission. Such tender offer documents will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under the Commission’s proxy rules and will provide each stockholder of the Company with the opportunity prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination to redeem the shares of Common Stock held by such stockholder for an amount (the “Redemption Price”) of cash equal to (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, representing (x) the proceeds held in the Trust Account from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and (y) any interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by (B) the total number of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering (the “Public Stock”) then outstanding. If, however, a stockholder vote is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement in connection with the initial Business Combination or the Company decides to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will submit such Business Combination to the Company’s stockholders for their approval (“Business Combination Vote”). With respect to the initial Business Combination Vote, if any, the Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote all of their Founder Shares and any other shares of Common Stock purchased during or after the Offering in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder

 

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approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company will offer to each Public Stockholder holding shares of Common Stock the right to have its shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules of the Commission at a per share redemption price equal to the Redemption Price. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company may proceed with such Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock voted by the stockholders at a duly held stockholders meeting are voted to approve such Business Combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding Common Stock of the Company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstaring shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote at such meeting. If, after seeking and receiving such stockholder approval, the Company elects to so proceed, it will redeem shares, at the Redemption Price, from those Public Stockholders who affirmatively requested such redemption. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock who properly exercise their redemption rights, in accordance with the applicable tender offer or proxy materials related to such Business Combination and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws of the Company, shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account in connection with an initial Business Combination, and the Company shall pay no distributions with respect to any other holders of shares of capital stock of the Company in connection therewith. In the event that the Company does not effect a Business Combination by twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering (or such later date as has been approved pursuant to a valid amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Stock, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Stock, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Only Public Stockholders holding shares of Common Stock included in the Units shall be entitled to receive such redemption amounts and the Company shall pay no such redemption amounts or any distributions in liquidation with respect to any other shares of the Company. The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with its initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Stock if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within twenty-four months from the closing of the Offering or with respect to any other provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company offers to redeem the Public Stock in connection with such amendment, as described in the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus;

(aa)    In the event that the Company desires or is required by an applicable law or regulation to cause an announcement (a “Business Combination Announcement”) to be placed in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or any other news or media publication or outlet or to be made via a public filing with the Commission announcing the consummation of an initial Business Combination that indicates that the Underwriters were

 

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the underwriters in the Offering, the Company shall supply the Representatives with a draft of the Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representatives with a reasonable advance opportunity to comment thereon, subject to the agreement of the Underwriters to keep confidential such draft announcement in accordance with the Representative’ standard policies regarding confidential information;

(bb)    Upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Company will direct the Trustee to pay the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Deferred Discount out of the proceeds of the Offering held in the Trust Account. The Underwriters shall have no claim to payment of any interest earned on the portion of the proceeds held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount. If the Company fails to consummate its initial Business Combination within twenty-four months from the closing of the Offering (or later if the Public stockholders approve an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation extending such deadline), the Deferred Discount will not be paid to the Representatives and will, instead, be included in the distribution of the proceeds held in the Trust Account made to the Public Stockholders upon Liquidation. In connection with any such Liquidation, the Underwriters forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount;

(cc)    The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of the Units within the meaning of the Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 5 hereof; and

(dd)    Upon the earlier to occur of the expiration or termination of the Underwriters’ option to purchase additional units, the Company shall cancel or otherwise effect the forfeiture of Founder Shares from the Sponsor in an aggregate amount equal to the number of Founder Shares determined by multiplying (a) 2,625,000 by (b) a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 10,500,000 minus the number of Optional Units purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their option to purchase additional units, and (ii) the denominator of which is 10,500,000. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional units in full, the Company shall not cancel or otherwise affect the forfeiture of the Founder Shares pursuant to this subsection.

6.(a)    The Company represents and agrees that it has not made or used and will not make or use any offer relating to the Units that would constitute a Free Writing Prospectus;

(b)    The Company represents that it has satisfied and agrees that it will satisfy the conditions under Rule 433 under the Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show;

(c)    The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of a Section 5(d) Writing any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Section 5(d) Writing would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter a Section 5(d) Writing or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission;

 

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(d)    The Company represents and agrees that (i) it has not engaged in, or authorized any other person to engage in, any Section 5(d) Communications, other than Section 5(d) Communications with the prior consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Act; and (ii) it has not distributed, or authorized any other person to distribute, any Section 5(d) Writings, other than those distributed with the prior consent of the Representatives that are listed on Schedule III hereto; and the Company reconfirms that the Underwriters have been authorized to act on its behalf in engaging in Section 5(d) Communications;

(e)    Each Underwriter represents and agrees that any Section 5(d) Communications undertaken by it were with entities that are qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Act.

7.    The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of the Units under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing, reproduction and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Section 5(d) Writing, and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Units; (iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Units for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Units and the shares Common Stock and Warrants included in the Units on the Exchange; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters (not to exceed $25,000 in the aggregate) in connection with, any required review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Units; (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the cost and charges of any trustee, warrant agent, transfer agent or registrar; (viii) the fees and expenses of the QIU and (ix) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel.

8.    The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Units to be delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Applicable Time and such Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:

 

22


(a)    The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Act, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Pricing Prospectus or Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

(b)    Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you their written opinion and negative assurance letter in form and substance reasonably acceptable to you, dated such Time of Delivery, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;

(c)    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion and negative assurance letter in substantially the form as previously agreed to by the Representatives;

(d)    On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery, PwC shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to you;

(e)    On the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Founder’s Purchase Agreement, the Warrant Purchase Agreement, the Insider Letter and the Registration Rights Agreement;

(f)    (i) The Company shall not have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Pricing Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, other than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any change or effect, or any development involving a prospective change or effect, in or affecting (x) the business, properties, general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of

 

23


operations of the Company, except as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (y) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, including the issuance and sale of the Units, or to consummate the transactions contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in your judgment so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Units being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

(g)    On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock, if any, by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock;

(h)    Since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Prospectus, there has been no Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in the Prospectus;

(i)    On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or on the Nasdaq Capital Market; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the New York Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in your judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Units being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus;

(j)    The Units to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed on the Exchange;

(k)    [Reserved];

(l)    The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; and

(m)    The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by the Company of all of its

 

24


obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (e) of this Section and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.

9.    (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any “roadshow” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Act (a “roadshow”), any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act or any Section 5(d) Writing, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Section 5(d) Writing, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

The Company also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the QIU, its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the QIU within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act, or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal fees or other expenses reasonably incurred by the QIU in connection with defending or investigating any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred) incurred as a result of the QIU’s participation as a “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121 in connection with the Offering provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense results from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the QIU. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.

(b)    Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any roadshow or any Section 5(d) Writing, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus,

 

25


the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any roadshow or any Section 5(d) Writing, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. As used in this Agreement with respect to an Underwriter and an applicable document, “Underwriter Information” shall mean the written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the fourth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)”, and the information contained in the seventh, fourteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and twenty-first paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)”.

(c)    Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; provided that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party other than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d)    If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits

 

26


received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Units. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. Benefits, if any, received by the QIU in its capacity as such shall be deemed to be equal to the total compensation, if any, received by the QIU for acting in such capacity. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), (i) no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Units underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission and (ii) the QIU, in its capacity as such, shall not be responsible for any amount in excess of the compensation received by the QIU for acting in such capacity. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if indemnity may be sought pursuant to subsection (a) above, in respect of such action or proceeding, then in addition to such separate firm for the indemnified parties, the indemnifying party shall be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of not more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the QIU in its capacity as such and all persons, if any, who control such QIU within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act.

 

27


(e)    The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each employee, officer and director of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer or other affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company (including any person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as about to become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.

10.    (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Units which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Units on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Units on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Units, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Units, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Units.

(b)    If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Units which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Units to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Units which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Units of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

(c)    If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Units which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the Units to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Units of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Optional Units)

 

28


shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.

11.    The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Units.

12.    If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any Units are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Units, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof.

13.    In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you jointly or by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. on behalf of you as the representatives.

All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail to you as the Representatives in care of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Registration Department, and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, electronic mail or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: [Chief Executive Officer; email: IR-GSacquisitions]; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, electronic mail or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its questionnaire delivered to counsel to the Underwriters, or electronic mail constituting such questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request; provided, however, that notices under subsection 5(e) shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail to you as the Representatives at Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, Attention: Control Room and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York; and if to the other parties to a lock-up letter to the address provided therein. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

In accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

 

29


14.    This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Units from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

15.    Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business.

16.    The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.

17.    This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

18.    This Agreement and any transaction contemplated by this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated by this Agreement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts.

19.    THE COMPANY AND EACH OF THE UNDERWRITERS HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

30


20.    This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

21.    Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment.

22.    Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

(a)    In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(b)    In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(c)    As used in this section:

“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).

“Covered Entity” means any of the following:

(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);

(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or

(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

 

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“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us one for the Company and the Representatives plus one for each counsel counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.

[Signature pages follow]

 

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Very truly yours,
GS ACQUISITION HOLDINGS CORP II
By:  
  Name:
  Title:

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Accepted as of the date hereof:

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

On behalf of each of the Underwriters

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter

  

Total
Number of

Firm Shares

to be
Purchased

   

Units

to be

Purchased if

Maximum
Option

Exercised

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

     [•]       [•]  

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

     [•]       [•]  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     70,000,000       80,500,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

2


SCHEDULE II

(a) Information other than the Pricing Prospectus that comprise the Pricing Disclosure Package:

The initial public offering price per share for the Shares is $10.00.

The number of Units purchased by the Underwriters is 70,000,000.

The Underwriters have an option to purchase an additional 10,500,000 Units.


SCHEDULE III

SCHEDULE OF SECTION 5(D) WRITINGS

Reference is made to the material in the testing-the-water presentation made to potential investors by the Company, to the extent such materials are deemed to be a “written communication” within the meaning of Rule 405 of the Act.