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