Gov’t releases listing of Exxon’s local suppliers

-says $2.8B spent in first quarter

Government yesterday released the names of the 227 local companies and individuals that ExxonMobil has done business with in the first quarter of the year and the Department of Public Information (DPI) said that they accounted for $2.8 billion spent by the oil company in the period.

The listings did not detail the services provided or indicate whether the transactions represented long term or one-off agreements but the DPI used the release to single out critics of the contract signed between the government and Exxon’s local affiliate and its partners, saying that they were among the local company’s “making hay” from the oil giant’s spending.

“Kaieteur News, which has been executing an unrelenting daily anti-Oil & Gas campaign, is among the hundreds of local companies that have been cashing in on ExxonMobil’s multi-billion-dollar investment in the Guyanese economy. Ram & McRae, which is owned by vocal Oil and Gas critic Christopher Ram, is another of the Guyanese companies making hay from the oil giant’s spend in Guyana,” a DPI statement accompanying the list stated. It also singled out the Guyana Times and Sleep In hotel as beneficiaries.

Ram yesterday denied that his accounting and auditing firm’s services were used by ExxonMobil or its affiliates. His firm is to issue a statement today.

The list seems to be focused primarily on service providers and it is unclear how it will be developed to meet government’s own local content objectives, which are geared towards enhancing skills and creating businesses to support the oil and gas sector.

“Local Content under the Guyanese narrative will be understood as the sum of inputs of local goods and services including employment across the oil and gas value chain. The primary aim and objective of the policy is ensuring the education, inclusion, and advancement of as many as possible in the value chain of the oil and gas industry. In an effort to maximize benefits and retain value from Guyana’s petroleum resources, considerable focus will be given towards Capacity Development, Local Content and Value Addition,” Guyana’s Second Draft Local Content Policy states.

According to World Bank research on local content and oil and gas oil content portal oilandgasiq.com, the main local content objective of every country to provide jobs and to keep its wealth within its borders.

As a result, the listing provided by Exxon may face criticism over whether it meets the understanding of local content as the building of a skilled local workforce and a competitive manufacturing and supplier base, and oil and gas technology transfer.

Critics noted that the premier skills development institutions, such as the University of Guyana and the Government Technical Institute, had not been included in the listing. This newspaper has been unable to verify if the institutions formed part of the company’s local content plans.

Exxon Impact

The DPI, in another statement, said “the Exxon Impact” is not limited to large corporations as it noted that $10 billion had been spent here by Exxon for last year and this quarter alone.

“In fact, the majority of the suppliers listed are categorised as small businesses. For example, there are 15 catering/restaurant companies, two small bottled water providers, several machinists and four graphic design firms,” the statement noted.

“All of the daily newspapers are selling advertising space to ExxonMobil and its affiliates. From medical services, trucking to security to real estate rentals the whole spectrum of the Guyanese private sector is becoming a vital part of an industry that will see the nation’s GDP double in the next few years,” it added.

After months of silence on the number of local companies from which ExxonMobil has purchased goods and services, the US oil corporation had told this newspaper last week that the onus was on the government to release the information and to demonstrate to its citizenry that it is holding its contractors accountable.

While not identifying the companies, Exxon has said that it utilised the services of 309 local suppliers last year. And for the first quarter of this year alone, it has said it utilised some 227 local suppliers at a cost of some US$14 million.

“ExxonMobil submits the list of companies to the government on a quarterly basis. It is the responsibility of the government to hold its contractors, including ExxonMobil, accountable,” ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor Kimberly Brasington told this newspaper. “The government can verify the list and or attest to the public that we do in fact submit the data to the government. Or the government can choose to disclose the list,” Brasington added.

With growing concerns about how government intends to address the issue of local content coupled with Exxon’s declarations about the number of local companies it did business with last year, there has been public pressure for the release of the names of the companies.

“When I saw the numbers I was skeptical at first because it sounded very high. Don’t get me wrong: If it is true that is just simply wonderful news for this country but we need to see who these companies are first before we go celebrating,” Chairman of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber Manniram Prashad had previously told this newspaper. “How do we know what they say is true?” he further questioned.

ExxonMobil has said that it has nothing to hide and all of its transactions are above board and within the remit of the law.

Its Public and Government Affairs Advisor also stressed that it takes the issue of building local content “seriously” and has demonstrated its commitment through action and capacity building here.

“We want Guyanese suppliers to be a part of the industry. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, ExxonMobil’s affiliate in Guyana, and its contractors continue to expand local content efforts through supplier utilization,” Brasington said.

“In 2017, ExxonMobil Guyana and its contractors together utilised 348 Guyanese registered       suppliers. 309 of those are Guyanese owned. The remaining 39 are foreign/ CARICOM-owned, locally registered. Many of the 309 entities mentioned are part of the supply chain, or the ‘knock-on effect’ of the industry…The most recent data from the first quarter local supplier list includes companies that are Guyanese registered and owned that were utilised by ExxonMobil and our contractors during the first quarter of 2018.  In the first quarter alone, ExxonMobil activities utilised 262 suppliers registered in Guyana – 227 Guyanese-owned and 35 foreign/CARICOM-owned, locally registered suppliers,” she added, while noting that US$14 million was spent on local suppliers.

The tables below list the companies in alphabetical order:

A

A. Ally & Sons Express

Amethyst Marine Services

Amy’s Pomeroon Foods Inc.

Andrew Pollard and Gigi K Macedo

Andron Alphonso

Anthony Cole

Aromas Café

Assuria Life GY Inc

Atlantic Marine Supplies

Auto Supply

Automotive Art Tire Center

B

B.M. Soat Auto Sales

BACIF

Bartica Development Business Association

Beharry Automotive Ltd.

Bel Air Rubis Service Station

Bounty Supermarket

Bourda Market

Branderz Guyana

Brandsville Apartments

Brasil Churrascaria

Budget Supermarket

C

Camex Restaurant Limited

Carmichael Investment

Carol Ann Correia

Caribbean Surgery Inc.

Centurion Data Services

Cevons

Chontelle Sewett

Chop Stix

Christopher or Patricia Callen

Correia & Correia

Crucial Inc.

Cyril’s Taxi Service

D

D. Singh’s Trading

DD Signs

Dalip Trading

Demerara Bank Limited

Dennis Charran

Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital

Dr. Shiwnandan

DSL Supermarket

DTS Trading

Dwayne Air Condition Repair

Dyrock Construction

E

EC Vieira Shipyard

Eldorado Offshore

E-Networks Incorporated

Engraving and Trophy World

Environmental Management Consultants

Eureka Labs

Eusi Anderson, attorney

Evans and Sons Service Center

Express Logistics

F

F.J. Camacho (Guyana Inc.)

Faiaz Ali

Falcon Logistics and Management Services

Farfan and Mendes

Farm Supplies Ltd

Fix It Hardware

François Catering Services

Frontline Car Wash

FuzeArts

G

Gafoor’s Apartment

Gafsons Industries Limited

GAICO Construction

Ganesh Ajodha

Garvin Gayadin

Gary De Jesus

GEMBABB Marine Survey

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Germans Restaurant

Giftland

Global Technology Inc.

Gowkaran Persaud

Grand Coastal Inn Inc.

Green Leaf Solution Guyana Inc.

Ground Structures Engineering Consultants

GT Motorsports Inc.

GTM Insurance

Guyana Red Cross Society

Guyana Energy Support Services

Guyana Logistics and Support Services

Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Ltd.

Guyana National Newspapers Ltd

Guyana Power and Light Inc.

Guyana Publications Inc.

Guyana Revenue Authority

Guyana Shore Base Inc.

Guyana Times Inc.

Guyoil

H

Haags Bosch Landfill

Hamid Hardware

Hamson Hardware

Hand-in-Hand Life Insurance Co.

Hans Neher

Harris Paints

Hemraj Boudnauth

Herdmanston Lodge

Hose N Bolts

Houston Industrial Services & Company

Hughes, Fields and Stoby

I

Iconic Marketing and Printing

Impressions

Industrial Fabrications Inc.

Industrial Safety Supplies Inc

I-Net Communications Inc

Institute of Private Enterprise Development Limited

Isabel Rahaman Nee Galvao trading as Rent A Tent

J

JAI Taxi Service

Jaigobin Lodge (Region 2)

Java Coffee Bar

Jerome Khan

John Ramotar – Refrigeration

JPS Trading

JSL International Guyana Inc.

Jus Water Inc.

K

Kares Engineering

King and Regent Service Center

Knight Rider Bus Services

K’s Restaurant

L

Leon St. Marthe

Linden Enterprise Network Inc.

Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

Low’s Shell

M

M&M Investments

Macaela Siobhan Cameron

MACORP

Maggie’s Snackette and Catering

Matpal Marine Inc.

Mattai’s the Food Mart

Maurice Solomon and Co.

Mercure Signes

Meshach Pierre

Metro Office and Computer Supplies

Mines Services Limited

MMC Security Force Inc (Serviced via Falcon)

Mode Trading Inc.

Moenudin McDoom

Mokesh Daby

MP Insurance

Mr. Colin Daniels

Mr. Colvin Lockhart

Mr. Kembleton Clyne

Mr. Kurt Branker

Mr. Ramesh Seebarran

Mrs. Caretta Ross- Hopkinson

Ms. Jamela A. Ali

Muneshwers Limited

N

Nabi Construction

National Hardware

National Insurance Scheme

National Media and Publishing Co Ltd

Nizam and Company

NP Electronics

NT Computeac

O

O&P Properties

Oasis Café Inc.

Oliver Frazier

OMG

Oshana and Orlando Rogers

P

Palm Court Restaurant & Bar

Parmesar Chartered Accountants

Paul Geer

Pegasus Hotel Guyana

Pest Pros

Phillips General Store

Pinnacle Safety Zone

Poonai and Poonai

Precious Metal Mines Incorporated

Prem’s Electrical

Puran Bros Disposal Inc.

Q

Queensway Security Services Inc.

R

R. Bassoo & Sons Construction

Ram & McRae

Ramchand Auto Sales

Ramchan’s Spare Parts

Rams and McRae

Ray’s Car Rental

Regal Stationary

Rennie Leow

Rentokil Guyana

Rooster’s Grill

Roraima Airways Inc.

Royal Castle Inc

RRT TIRE SHOP

Ruben Sawmills

Ryan Shivraj

S

Safeway Security

Sandhya Prasad or Seu Prasad

Sarjoo’s Trucking Services

Shanta’s New Market

Simran’s Fuel

Sleep In Hotel

SOL Guyana

Solomon & Co

Somwaru’s Travel Service

Sonia Noel

Special Auto

Stan Gouveia

Star Party Rentals

Starr Computers

Surendra N. Ramsaroop

Survival Supermarket

Sydney Qualis

T

Taste of India

The Boardroom

The Garage

The Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire Insurance Co. Ltd.

The Water Store

Timothy Jonas

TOTALTEC

Trans Guyana Airways

TSD Lal and Co

U

Unique

Universal Machining

USA Global Export Guy Ltd

V

V. Dalip Enterprise

Visual 360 Creative

VSH United Guyana

W

Waldyke Prince

Welfab Welding and Fabrication Services

Y

Yellow Mines Hydraulic Supply

Youth Challenge Guyana

Z

ZECO

Zhong Ya Hardware

Zhongda