After months of silence on the number of local companies from which ExxonMobil has purchased goods and services, the US oil corporation says that the onus is 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. It has also estimated that some US$14 million has been spent on local contractors.
“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 Sunday Stabroek.