FWC conditions of October 2018  Contract number: [ complete ]  II.23.2. Recovery procedure  Before recovery, the contracting authority must  formally notify  the contractor of its intention to  recover the amount it claims, specifying the amount due and the reasons for recovery and  inviting the contractor to make any observations within 30 days of receipt.  If no observations have been submitted or if, despite the observations submitted, the contracting  authority decides to pursue the recovery procedure, it must confirm recovery by  formally  notifying  a debit note to the contractor, specifying the date of payment. The contractor must pay  in accordance with the provisions specified in the debit note.  If the contractor does not pay by the due date, the contracting authority may, after informing  the contractor in writing, recover the amounts due:  If the contractor does not honour the obligation to pay the amount due by the date set by the  contracting authority in the debit note, the amount due bears interest at the rate indicated in  Article II.21.8. Interest on late payments will cover the period starting on the day after the due  date for payment and ending on the date when the contracting authority receives the full amount  owed. Any partial payment is first entered against charges and interest on late payment and  then against the principal amount.  If the contract is signed by a group (joint tender), the group is jointly and severally liable under  the conditions set out in Article II.6 (liability). The contracting authority shall send the debit  note first to the leader of the group. If the leader does not pay by the due date the whole amount, and if the amount due cannot be  offset or can only be offset partially in accordance with Article II.23.2 (a), then the contracting  authority may claim the amount still due to any other member or members of the group by  respectively  notifying  them with a debit note in conformity with the provisions laid down in  Article II.23.2. Such checks and audits may be initiated at any moment during the provision of the  services and up to five years starting from the payment of the balance of the last  36  II.24.1 The contracting authority and the European Anti-Fraud Office may check or require  an audit on the  implementation of the FWC . This may be carried out either by OLAF’s  own staff or by any outside body authorised to do so on its behalf. II.24. CHECKS AND AUDITS  II.23.4. Recovery rules in the case of joint tender  II.23.3. Interest on late payment  (c) by taking legal action. (b) by calling in a financial guarantee if the contractor has submitted one to the  contracting authority; (a) by offsetting them against any amounts owed to the contractor by the Union or by the  European Atomic Energy Community or by an executive agency when it implements  the Union budget;