Terms
of accountability for
BACPAC
Resources,
the
Recipient of the BAC library and the Shipping company.
To acquire BACPAC
Resources library copy, please read the terms of accountability
below and fax a signed agreement to BACPAC Resources.
The
laboratory led by Pieter J. de Jong has been publicly funded
for the preparation of many BAC libraries. The funding has
never covered the distribution of such libraries (or similarly
arrayed cDNA libraries). To facilitate access to the cDNA
libraries, we dedicate part of our activities to replicate
and to distribute clones, libraries and high-density screening
reagents to the scientific community. These activities are
carried out by the "BACPAC Resources" section of the laboratory.
BACPAC Resources is not a company and has no profit
objectives or monetary reserves. We have no direct
funding for the distribution aspects and are only charging
the minimal (non-profit) costs for all our resources.
We
have occasionally experienced long and unexpected delays during
international shipments. In most cases the delays were due
to customs regulations and procedures in the Recipient's country.
BACPAC Resources CANNOT share the financial
responsibility for delays at the border, or at any point during
the mailing. We only ship the packages using a recipient's
valid Federal Express or DHL/Airborne Express account, or
through international courier. This means that any mailing
difficulties or disputes are between the Recipient and the
shipping company. BACPAC Resources package the library dishes
professionally and include extra dry ice when we ship internationally
(compared to shipments within the USA). We do not ask for
reimbursement for the extra dry ice and extra boxes and will
absorb these extra costs as a courtesy. However, we cannot
accept any other financial liability for the shipment.
What
BACPAC Resources will do during international mailing of an
arrayed, frozen BAC library:
1)
We will include all the required information along with the
package to
ensure the best passage through customs in foreign countries.
Since we have no specific expertise about the rules and regulations
in the Recipients country, we rely only on information the
Recipient provides us.
2)
Once the package has been mailed, BACPAC Resources will immediately
provide the package's tracking number to the Recipient, so
that the recipient can monitor the whereabouts of the package.
What the recipient does with the tracking number or does not
do, is not the responsibility of BACPAC Resources.
What
the recipient should do :
1)
Print this form and fax us a signed copy of the acceptance
of financial responsibility. This will need to be signed by
the Recipient, or someone in the Recipient's institute or
workplace, who has the authority to accept financial responsibility.
2)
Provide BACPAC Resources with the best information to ensure
easy passage of the package through customs.
3)
Advise us on the dates best to ship and about upcoming holidays
or institutional recess in
order to avoid delays.
4) Follow the course
of the shipment of the package by the Federal
Express or DHL/Airborne
Express tracking number. To avoid delay or lost, please
track at least once a day following the mailing of the package.
This will provide an opportunity to detect possible problem
EARLY and thus permit corrective steps to be taken. We recommend
that the Recipient provide additional information to the shipping
and customs agencies as needed to experdite packages release
from possible customs hold-ups. If there is a delay at the
customs, then we also recommend that the recipient requests
shipping or customs agent to add dry ice to the package before
all ice has evaporated.
5)
Stay in contact with us during the course of the shipment.
Please confirm the arrival & integrity of the package.
We are interested to know if the packages arrived sufficiently
intact to avoid unnecessary risks to the contents of the package.
If the boxes appear to be broken and no longer intact, it
would be best to document this with digital pictures and send
us a copy by email (please less than 1 MB to avoid email stagnation).
The liability for broken packages remains however a matter
of concern between the shipping company and the recipient.
Possible damage claims need to be filed with the shipping
company and NOT with BACPAC Resources. We will use the information
only to permit us to plan packaging changes for future international
shipments.
Alternative
shipping procedures :
If
you want more assurance during shipping and better passage
through customs, then we recommend that you request
shipment by one of several international courier services.
These services are much more expensive but greatly reduce
the risks of unexpected delays.
What
will happen in case a library is lost during mailing -
in spite of good care by BACPAC Resources.
In
the event that the contents of the package ("the BAC Library")
have become useless due to mishandling by customs or shipping
personnel, the Recipient is still financially responsible
for the full costs of the package. This will need to be paid
promptly. Under no circumstances can BACPAC Resources afford
the financial risks. We
will consider mailing another package (again at full cost)
if we have a non-reserved copy of the requested BAC library
in our possession. Alternatively, we will do our best to place
your request at the top of the priority list once we start
the next cycle of library duplication for the requested library.
Agreement
with the terms of accountability and financial liability:
I
have understood the liabilities and the risks associated with
international shipments of biological materials. My signature
below indicates my acceptance to the financial
responsibility
and terms of the agreement indicated above.
Resource agreed
for shipment:_________________________________________
Name
(Please Print):________________________________________________
Title/Function
at Recipients Institute:_________________________________
Institute/Company:________________________________________________
Telephone:_____________________
Signature:_______________________________ Date:___________(mm/dd/yyyy)
BACPAC
Resources Contact Information:
Pieter
J. de Jong, Ph.D.
PHONE: (510) 450-7919
Research
Scientist & Principal Investigator
FAX:
(510) 450-7924
BACPAC
Resources
Skytel PAGER: 1-888-678-8371
Children's
hospital Oakland Research Institute
([email protected], urgent messages)
5700
Martin Luther King Jr. Way
EMAIL: [email protected]
Oakland,
CA 94609
USA
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