Dear Alain and Vittorio,
 following the phone conference call of last thursday, I should like to remark some points.

 1-  After some works performed last autumn in order to prepare the baseground for the proposal, we have not carried out on sc spectrometer solenoids significant
activities, waiting both the acceptance of the proposal and the understanding of the INFN  involvement. Now, as Vittorio pointed out, the financing of the solenoids (partly or completely) by INFN is at this time questioned (though it is not excluded that next year situation may change). So as first point I have to say that, though we
are very interested to MICE, we can,at present, perform some work only in the shadow of other activities (namely CMS coil). Which  work?

 2- As I stressed during the conference call, if  T0 is the date where  the II solenoid is in operation at RAL, the starting date of the construction is T0-30 months.

In order a firm can start the work, it is necessary to go through  the following steps:
 i- Preliminary design     (Ready: work done for the proposal)
 ii - Technical design of the solenoids and cryostats, with  relevant interactions with other coils  of the cooling line (At least 5 months + 1-2 months 
for a Technical Design Review)
 iii - Specification.  Technical Specication written on the base of the approved Technical Design (2 months)
 iv- Tender. This point depends a lot on the Institute managing  the money for the tender. However a minimum time is that one for  nominating a tender committee, send inquires to firms, receveive the answers, some discussions with firms and then choice of the firm  (3 months). (In INFN it would be around 5 months)
v- Formal contract.  This points can take a lot (in INFN usually it is around 2-3 months)
By summing all these months we  have  minimum one year before putting the order (though  1.5 year can not
be excluded)

 3-  We can start working on technical design. For us it is fundanental to carry out our work in the frame of the design of all the magnets, so  tigth contacts with designers of the other coils is mandatory. I have checked our schedules and it is difficult for us to meet people before last week in august.
 Supposing to have all the basic information in September,  we  could try to finish the design within january 2004.
A review shoud be organised for February or March. To get time Specification should be also drafted in this period so to be ready in April to launch the  tender .