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ExxonMobil fails to name 309 local companies it utilized last year
ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Kimberly Brasington
American oil giant, ExxonMobil, has often said that it takes local content “seriously”. But how important is such an issue to this multibillion dollar entity when it is unable to name the 309 companies it claims to have utilized last year?
It was earlier last week that the entity was challenged by the Chairman of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC), Manniram Prashad, to provide the evidence to support its claims.
Prashad told Kaieteur News, “If these figures are accurate then we would obviously be happy about it. But 309 Guyanese-owned suppliers? That is just concerning when there is no evidence provided at the same time to support it. Hence, we would like the evidence of this. We would like to have a list of the companies and the services they provided and when.”
This information was not provided on Tuesday where ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Kimberly Brasington, delivered a presentation on the work being done by her company thus far. When questioned by this newspaper recently, Brasington still failed to provide the names.
Instead, the Government Affairs Advisor said, “This should be a good news story not a controversial one. ExxonMobil Guyana, on behalf of all our contractors, was excited to share some of the project’s local content numbers and thought Guyanese would be proud.
“We take building local content seriously and have demonstrated that through action and capacity building. We want Guyanese suppliers, businesses and individuals to be a part of the industry.”
Brasington said that one way that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), ExxonMobil’s affiliate in Guyana, and its contractors continue to expand local content efforts is by doing business with Guyanese companies and entities and providing grants to local charities and foundations.
Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber
Chairman, Manniram Prashad
In 2017, Brasington said that ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors together utilized 348 Guyanese registered suppliers, businesses, and organizations. She said that 309 of those are Guyanese-owned.
The Government Affairs Advisor said that many of the 309 entities mentioned are part of the supply chain, or the ‘knock-on effect’ of the industry. She stated that the direct opportunities with ExxonMobil are relatively small in number.
Brasington said, “For example, the Guyana Shore Base Inc. is a direct contractor to ExxonMobil in Guyana. The Guyana Shore Base then goes out and uses local companies to do things such as complete civil work and construct pipe racks, which all get rolled up and reported in the 309 number.”
Brasington said that Guyanese businesses provide a wide range of goods and services, including public relations, catering, security, transportation, housing, communications, legal, and IT.
She commented that there is no limit to the category of support. The project needs all types of goods and services.
Brasington said that EEPGL reports its local content metrics to the Government on a quarterly basis, including the complete list. Going forward, she said that the company can put out more detailed information on all the various categories that the 309 fit into and give more details and examples.
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