DELAWARE GROUP EQUITY FUNDS II, INC.
SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT, made by and between DELAWARE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, INC., a
Delaware corporation ("Investment Manager"), and VANTAGE GLOBAL ADVISORS, INC.,
an [________] corporation ("Sub-Adviser").
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, DELAWARE GROUP EQUITY FUNDS II, INC., a Maryland corporation
("Fund"), on behalf of the Blue Chip Fund series ("Portfolio"), has been
organized and operates as an investment company registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act") and engages in the business of investing and
reinvesting its assets in securities, and
WHEREAS, the Investment Manager and the Fund have entered into an
agreement of even date herewith ("Investment Management Agreement") whereby the
Investment Manager will provide investment advisory services to the Fund on
behalf of the Portfolio; and
WHEREAS, the Investment Management Agreement permits the Investment
Manager to hire one or more sub-advisers to assist the Investment Manager in
providing investment advisory services to the Fund on behalf of the Portfolio;
and
WHEREAS, the Investment Manager and the Sub-Adviser are registered
investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and engage in the
business of providing investment management services.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein
contained, and each of the parties hereto intending to be legally bound, it is
agreed as follows:
1. The Investment Manager hereby employs the Sub-Adviser to manage the
investment and reinvestment of the Portfolio's assets, subject to the direction
of the Fund's Board of Directors and officers of the Fund for the period and on
the terms hereinafter set forth. The Sub-Adviser hereby accepts such employment
and agrees during such period to render the services and assume the obligations
herein set forth for the compensation herein provided. The Sub-Adviser shall for
all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor, and shall, unless
otherwise expressly provided and authorized, have no authority to act for or
represent the Fund in any way, or in any way be deemed an agent of the Fund.
The Sub-Adviser shall regularly make decisions as to what securities and other
instruments to purchase and sell on behalf of the Portfolio, shall effect the
purchase and sale of such investments, as agent of the Fund on behalf of the
Portfolio, in furtherance of the Portfolio's objectives and policies and shall
furnish the Board of Directors of the Fund with such information and reports
regarding its activities as the Investment Manager deems appropriate or as the
Directors of the Fund may reasonably request consistent with the provisions of
Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act.
In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement,
the Sub-Adviser shall act in conformity with the Articles of Incorporation,
By-Laws and Prospectus of the Fund and with the instructions and directions of
the Investment Manager and of the Board of Directors of the Fund and will
conform to and comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 and all other applicable federal and state laws and
regulations.
2. Under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, the Fund
shall conduct its own business and affairs and shall bear the expenses and
salaries necessary and incidental thereto including, but not in limitation of
the foregoing, the costs incurred in: the maintenance of its corporate
existence; the maintenance of its own books, records and procedures; dealing
with its own shareholders; the payment of dividends; transfer of stock,
including issuance and repurchase of shares; preparation of share certificates;
reports and notices to shareholders; calling and holding of shareholders'
meetings; miscellaneous office expenses; brokerage commissions; custodian fees;
legal and accounting fees; taxes; and federal and state registration fees.
Directors, officers and employees of the Sub-Adviser may be directors,
officers and employees of other funds which have employed the Sub-Adviser as
sub-adviser or investment manager.
In the conduct of the respective business of the parties hereto and in
the performance of this Agreement, the Fund, the Investment Manager and the
Sub-Adviser may share facilities common to each, with appropriate proration of
expenses between and among them.
3. (a) Subject to the primary objective of obtaining the best available
prices and execution, the Sub-Adviser will place orders for the purchase and
sale of portfolio securities and other instruments with such broker/dealers who
provide statistical, factual and financial information and services to the Fund,
to the Investment Manager, to the Sub-Adviser or to any other fund for which
the Investment Manager or Sub-Adviser provides investment advisory services
and/or with broker/dealers who sell shares of the Fund or who sell shares of any
other fund for which the Investment Manager or Sub-Adviser provides investment
advisory services. Broker/dealers who sell shares of the funds for which the
Investment Manager or Sub-Adviser provides advisory services shall only receive
orders for
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the purchase or sale of portfolio securities to the extent that the placing of
such orders is in compliance with the Rules of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (a) above
and subject to the policies and procedures as may be adopted by the Board of
Directors and officers of the Fund, the Sub-Adviser may ask the Fund and the
Fund may agree to pay a member of an exchange, broker or dealer an amount of
commission for effecting a securities transaction in excess of the amount of
commission another member of an exchange, broker or dealer would have charged
for effecting that transaction, in such instances where it and the Sub-Adviser
have determined in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in
relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such
member, broker or dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular transaction
or the Sub-Adviser's overall responsibilities with respect to the Fund and to
other funds and other advisory accounts for which the Investment Manager or the
Sub-Adviser exercises investment discretion.
4. The Sub-Adviser shall maintain all books and records with respect to
the Portfolio's portfolio transactions required by subparagraphs (b) (5), (6),
(7), (9), (10) and (11) and paragraph (f) of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act and
shall render to the Fund's Board of Directors such periodic and special reports
as the Board may reasonably request.
The Sub-Adviser shall keep the Portfolio's books and records
required to be maintained by the Sub-Adviser pursuant to this Paragraph 4 and
shall timely furnish to the Investment Manager all information relating to the
Sub-Adviser's services hereunder needed by the Investment Manager to keep the
other books and records of the Portfolio required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940
Act. The Sub-Adviser agrees that all records which it maintains for the
Portfolio are the property of the Fund and the Sub-Adviser will surrender
promptly to the Fund any of such records upon the Fund's request, provided
however that the Sub-Adviser may retain a copy of such records. The Sub-Adviser
further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 of the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act any such records as are
required to be maintained by it pursuant to this Paragraph 4.
5. As compensation for the services to be rendered to the Fund for the
benefit of the Portfolio by the Sub-Adviser under the provisions of this
Agreement, the Investment Manager shall pay to the Sub-Adviser the following
fee: For the services provided to the Investment Manager, the Investment Manager
pays the Sub-Adviser the following fee with respect to the Portfolio: (i) 0.10%
of the fee paid to the Investment Manager under the Portfolio's Investment
Management Agreement for the period _________, 1997 through December 31, 1997;
(ii) 0.20% of the fee paid to the Investment Manager under the Portfolio's
Investment Management Agreement for the period January 1, 1998 through December
31, 1998; and (iii)
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0.35% of the fee paid to the Investment Manager under the Portfolio's Investment
Management Agreement thereafter.
The fee shall be computed quarterly and will be paid to the
Sub-Adviser, quarterly, in arrears.
6. The services to be rendered by the Sub-Adviser to the Fund for the
benefit of the Portfolio under the provisions of this Agreement are not to be
deemed to be exclusive, and the Sub-Adviser shall be free to render similar or
different services to others so long as its ability to render the services
provided for in this Agreement shall not be impaired thereby; provided, however,
except for advisory arrangements implemented prior to the date of this
Agreement, during the term of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser, will not, without
the written consent of the Investment Manager, which consent will not be
unreasonably withheld, render investment management (or similar services) to
another registered investment company (or portfolio thereof) which the
Investment Manager reasonably determines would be in competition with and which
has investment policies similar to those of the Portfolio.
7. The Investment Manager agrees that it shall not use the
Sub-Adviser's name or otherwise refer to the Sub-Adviser in any materials
distributed to third parties, including the Portfolio's shareholders, without
the prior written consent of the Sub-Adviser.
8. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence,
or a reckless disregard of the performance of its duties as Sub-Adviser to the
Fund, the Sub-Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Fund, to the
Investment Manager or to any shareholder of the Fund for any action or omission
in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any
losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security,
or otherwise.
9. This Agreement shall be executed and become effective as of the date
written below if approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Portfolio. It shall continue in effect for a period of two
years and may be renewed thereafter only so long as such renewal and continuance
is specifically approved at least annually by the Board of Directors or by the
vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio and
only if the terms and the renewal hereof have been approved by the vote of a
majority of the Directors of the Fund who are not parties hereto or interested
persons of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such approval. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be
terminated by the Investment Manager or the Fund at any time, without the
payment of a penalty, on sixty days' written notice to the Sub-Adviser, of the
Investment Manager's or the Fund's intention to do so, in the case of the Fund,
pursuant to action by the Board of Directors of the Fund or pursuant to the vote
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio. The Sub-
Adviser may terminate this Agreement at any time, without the payment of a
penalty on sixty days' written notice to the Investment Manager and the Fund of
its intention to do so. Upon termination of this Agreement, the obligations of
all the parties hereunder shall cease and terminate as of the date of such
termination, except for any obligation to respond for a breach of this Agreement
committed prior to such termination, and except for the obligation of the
Investment Manager to pay to the Sub-Adviser the fee provided in Paragraph 5
hereof, prorated to the date of termination. This Agreement shall automatically
terminate in the event of its assignment. This Agreement shall automatically
terminate upon the termination of the Investment Management Agreement.
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10. This Agreement shall extend to and bind the successors of the
parties hereto. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed an original. This Agreement shall become effective
when one or more counterparts have been signed and delivered by each of the
parties hereto.
11. For the purposes of this Agreement, the terms "vote of a majority
of the outstanding voting securities", "interested person", and "assignment"
shall have the meaning defined in the 1940 Act.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their corporate
seals to be affixed and duly attested and their presents to be signed by their
duly authorized officers as of the ___th day of February, 1997.
DELAWARE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, INC.
By:_________________________________
Attest:_____________________________
VANTAGE GLOBAL ADVISORS, INC.
By:_________________________________
Attest:_____________________________
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Agreed to and accepted as of the
day and year first above written:
DELAWARE GROUP EQUITY FUNDS II, INC.
on behalf of the Blue Chip Fund series
By:_________________________________________
Attest:______________________________________
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