EXECUTION VERSION
exhibit 1.1
ConocoPhillips
Debt Securities
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ConocoPhillips
Company
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
1. Introductory.
ConocoPhillips, a Delaware corporation (the “ Company
”), and ConocoPhillips Company, a Delaware corporation and a
wholly owned subsidiary of ConocoPhillips (“ CPCo
”), propose that the Company will issue and sell from time to
time certain of its unsecured debt securities fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by CPCo (the “ Guarantor
”) registered under the registration statement referred to in
Section 2(a) (such securities, including the guarantee relating
thereto by CPCo (the “ Guarantee ”), being
hereinafter called the “ Registered Securities
”). The Registered Securities will be issued under an
indenture, dated as of October 9, 2002 (the “
Indenture ”), among the Company, CPCo and The Bank of
New York Trust Company, National Association, as trustee
(the “ Trustee ”), in one or more series,
which series may vary as to interest rates, maturities, redemption
provisions, selling prices and other terms, with all such terms for
any particular series of the Registered Securities being determined
at the time of sale. Particular series of the Registered Securities
will be sold pursuant to a Terms Agreement referred to in
Section 3, for resale in accordance with terms of offering
determined at the time of sale.
The Registered Securities involved in
any such offering are hereinafter referred to as the “
Offered Securities ”. The firm or firms which agree to
purchase the Offered Securities are hereinafter referred to as the
“ Underwriters ” of such securities, and the
representative or representatives of the Underwriters, if any,
specified in a Terms Agreement referred to in Section 3 are
hereinafter referred to as the “ Representatives
”; provided, however, that if the Terms Agreement does not
specify any representative of the Underwriters, the term
“Representatives”, as used in this Agreement (other
than in Sections 2(b), 2(c), 2(f) and 6 and the second
sentence of Section 3), shall mean the Underwriters.
2. Representations and
Warranties of the Company . The Company, as of the date of each
Terms Agreement referred to in Section 3, represents and
warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter that:
(a) The Company and CPCo meet the
requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Act and have prepared
and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission ”) an automatic shelf registration
statement, as defined in Rule 405, on Form S-3
(No. 333-133363 and 333-133363-03), including a prospectus
(hereinafter referred to as the “ Base Prospectus
”), relating to the Registered Securities, which registration
statement became effective upon filing. Such registration
statement, as amended at the time of any Terms Agreement referred
to in Section 3 entered into in connection with a specific
offering of the Offered Securities (each such date and time as
specified in such Terms Agreement hereinafter referred to as the
“ Execution Time ”) and including
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any documents
incorporated by reference therein, including exhibits (other than
any Form T-1) and financial statements and any prospectus
supplement relating to the Offered Securities that is filed with
the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (“
Rule 424(b) ”) under the Securities Act of 1933
(the “ Act ”) and deemed part of such
registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Act, is
hereinafter referred to as the “ Registration
Statement .” The Base Prospectus, as supplemented as
contemplated by Section 3 to reflect the terms of the Offered
Securities and the terms of offering thereof, as first filed with
the Commission pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b),
including all material incorporated by reference therein, is
hereinafter referred to as the “ Final Prospectus
.” Any preliminary prospectus supplement to the Base
Prospectus which describes the Offered Securities and the offering
thereof and is used prior to filing of the Final Prospectus,
together with the Base Prospectus, is hereinafter referred to as
the “ Preliminary Final Prospectus .” “
Free Writing Prospectus ” shall mean a free writing
prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 under the Act. “
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus ” shall mean an issuer
free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act.
“ Disclosure Package ” shall mean, with respect
to any specific offering of the Offered Securities, (i) the
Base Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the Execution Time,
(ii) the Preliminary Final Prospectus, if any, used most
recently prior to the Execution Time, (iii) the Issuer Free
Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B to the
Terms Agreement, (iv) the final term sheet prepared and filed
pursuant to Section 4(c) hereto, if any, and (v) any other
Free Writing Prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter
expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure
Package. No document has been or will be prepared or distributed in
reliance on Rule 434 under the Act.
(b) On the effective date of the
registration statement relating to the Registered Securities, such
registration statement conformed in all respects to the
requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (“
Trust Indenture Act ”) and the rules and regulations
of the Commission (“ Rules and Regulations ”)
and did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and at the
Execution Time and at the Closing Date, the Registration Statement
and the Final Prospectus will conform in all respects to the
requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and
Regulations, and neither of such documents will include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, except that the foregoing does not apply to
statements in or omissions from any of such documents based upon
written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter
through the Representatives, if any, specifically for use
therein.
(c) At the Execution Time, the
Disclosure Package will not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading, except that the
foregoing does not apply
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to statements
in or omissions from any of such documents based upon written
information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the
Representatives, if any, specifically for use therein.
(d) (i) At the time of filing
the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most
recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with
Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by
post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to
Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of
prospectus), (iii) at the time the Company or any person
acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of
Rule 163(c)) made any offer relating to the Offered Securities
in reliance on the exemption in Rule 163, and (iv) at the
Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date
for purposes of this clause (iv)), the Company was or is (as the
case may be) a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined
in Rule 405. The Company agrees to pay the fees required by
the Commission relating to the Offered Securities within the time
required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso
therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and
457(r).
(e) (i) At the earliest time
after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or
another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the
meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) of any Offered Securities and
(ii) as of the Execution Time (with such date being used as
the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the
Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in
Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the
Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that
the Company be considered an Ineligible Issuer.
(f) Each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, if any, and the final term sheet prepared and filed
pursuant to Section 4(c) hereto do not include any information that
conflicts with the information contained in the Registration
Statement, including any document incorporated by reference therein
and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has
not been superseded or modified, except that the foregoing does not
apply to statements in or omissions from any of such documents
based upon written information furnished to the Company by any
Underwriter through the Representatives, if any, specifically for
use therein.
3. Purchase and Offering of
Offered Securities . The obligation of the Underwriters to
purchase the Offered Securities will be evidenced by an agreement
or exchange of other written communications (“ Terms
Agreement ”) at the time the Company determines to sell
the Offered Securities. The Terms Agreement will incorporate by
reference the provisions of this Agreement, except as otherwise
provided therein, and will specify the firm or firms which will be
Underwriters, the names of any Representatives, the principal
amount of the Offered Securities to be purchased by each
Underwriter, the commission or fee to be paid to the Underwriters
and the terms of the Offered Securities not already specified in
the Indenture, including, but not limited to, interest rate,
maturity, any redemption provisions and any sinking fund
requirements. The Terms Agreement will also specify the time and
date of delivery and payment (such
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time and
date, or such other time not later than seven full business days
thereafter as the Representatives and the Company agree as the time
for payment and delivery, being herein and in the Terms Agreement
referred to as the “ Closing Date ”), the place
of delivery and payment and any details of the terms of offering
that should be reflected in the prospectus supplement relating to
the offering of the Offered Securities. For purposes of
Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Closing Date (if later than the otherwise applicable settlement
date) shall be the date for payment of funds and delivery of
securities for all the Offered Securities sold pursuant to the
offering. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the
Offered Securities will be several and not joint. It is understood
that the Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities for
sale as set forth in the Final Prospectus.
If the Terms Agreement specifies
“Book-Entry Only” settlement or otherwise states that
the provisions of this paragraph shall apply, the Company will
deliver against payment of the cash purchase price the Offered
Securities in the form of one or more permanent global securities
in definitive form (the “ Global Securities ”)
deposited with the Trustee as custodian for The Depository Trust
Company (“ DTC ”) and registered in the name of
Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. Interests in any permanent
global securities will be held only in book-entry form through DTC,
except in the limited circumstances described in the Final
Prospectus. Payment for the Offered Securities shall be made by the
Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by official check or
checks or wire transfer to an account previously designated by the
Company at a bank acceptable to the Representatives, in each case
drawn to the order of the Company at the place of payment specified
in the Terms Agreement on the Closing Date, against delivery to the
Trustee as custodian for DTC of the Global Securities representing
all of the Offered Securities.
4. Certain Agreements of the
Company . The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that
it will furnish to counsel for the Underwriters one signed copy of
the registration statement relating to the Registered Securities,
including all exhibits, in the form it became effective and of all
amendments thereto and that, in connection with each offering of
Offered Securities:
(a) The Company will file the Final
Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to and in accordance with
Rule 424(b)(2) (or, if applicable and if consented to by the
Representatives, subparagraph (5)) not later than the second
business day following the execution and delivery of the Terms
Agreement.
(b) During any time when a prospectus
relating to the Offered Securities is required to be delivered
under the Act in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer
(including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied
pursuant to Rule 172), the Company will advise the
Representatives promptly of any proposal to amend or supplement the
Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus and will afford the
Representatives a reasonable opportunity to comment on any such
proposed amendment or supplement; and the Company will also advise
the Representatives promptly of the filing of any such amendment or
supplement and of the institution by the Commission of any stop
order
5
proceedings or
any notice from the Commission objecting to its use in respect of
the Registration Statement or of any part thereof and will use its
best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to
obtain as soon as possible its lifting, if issued.
(c) The Company will prepare a final
term sheet, containing solely a description of the Offered
Securities, in a form approved by the Representatives, and will
file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act within
the time required by such Rule.
(d) If there occurs an event or
development as a result of which the Disclosure Package would
include an untrue statement of a material fact or would omit to
state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not
misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives,
so that any use of the Disclosure Package may cease until it is
amended or supplemented, and will promptly prepare and file with
the Commission, at its own expense, an amendment or supplement that
will correct such statement or omission or an amendment that will
effect such compliance.
(e) If, at any time when a prospectus
relating to the Offered Securities is required to be delivered
under the Act in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer
(including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied
pursuant to Rule 172), any event occurs as a result of which
the Final Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include
an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Final
Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company promptly will notify
the Representatives of such event and will promptly prepare and
file with the Commission, at its own expense, an amendment or
supplement that will correct such statement or omission or an
amendment that will effect such compliance. The terms
“supplement” and “amendment” as used in
this Agreement include, without limitation, all documents filed by
the Company with the Commission subsequent to the date of the Final
Prospectus that are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the
Final Prospectus. Neither the Representatives’ consent to,
nor the Underwriters’ delivery of, any such amendment or
supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the conditions set
forth in Section 5 hereof.
(f) As soon as practicable, but not
later than 16 months, after the date of each Terms Agreement,
the Company will make generally available to its security holders
an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months
beginning after the latest of (i) the effective date of the
registration statement relating to the Registered Securities,
(ii) the effective date of the most recent post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement to become effective prior
to the date of such Terms Agreement and (iii) the date of the
Company’s most recent Annual
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Report on Form
10-K filed with the Commission prior to the date of such Terms
Agreement, which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of
the Act.
(g) The Company will furnish to the
Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all
exhibits, and during any time when a prospectus relating to the
Offered Securities is required to be delivered under the Act in
connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer (including in
circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to
Rule 172), the Base Prospectus, any related Preliminary Final
Prospectus, the Final Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents, in
each case as soon as available and in such quantities as the
Representatives reasonably request.
(h) The Company will use its
reasonable best efforts to arrange for the qualification of the
Offered Securities for sale and the determination of their
eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as
the Representatives designate and will continue such qualifications
in effect so long as required for the distribution; provided,
however, that neither the Company nor CPCo will be required in
connection therewith to register or qualify as a foreign
corporation where it is not now so qualified or to execute a
general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or
subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction where it is not now
so subject. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives of
the receipt by it or CPCo of any notification with respect to the
suspension of the qualification of the Offered Securities for offer
and sale in any such jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening
of any proceeding for such purpose.
(i) During the period of five years
after the date of any Terms Agreement, the Company will furnish or
make available to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of
the other Underwriters, if any, as soon as practicable after the
end of each fiscal year, a copy of the Company’s annual
report to stockholders for such year; and the Company will furnish
or make available to the Representatives (i) as soon as
available, a copy of each report (other than a report on Form 11-K)
and any definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with the
Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or mailed to
stockholders, and (ii) from time to time, such other
information concerning the Company or CPCo as the Representatives
may reasonably request in connection with the offering of the
Offered Securities.
(j) The Company will pay all expenses
incident to the performance of its obligations under the Terms
Agreement (including the provisions of this Agreement), for any
filing fees or other expenses (including reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel) in connection with qualification of the
Registered Securities for sale and determination of their
eligibility for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as
the Representatives may designate in accordance with Section 4(h)
and the printing of memoranda relating thereto, for any fees
charged by investment rating agencies for the rating of the Offered
Securities, for
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any applicable
filing fee incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements
of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, the review by
the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the
Registered Securities, for any travel expenses of the
Company’s officers and employees and any other expenses of
the Company in connection with attending or hosting meetings with
prospective purchasers of Registered Securities and for expenses
incurred in preparing, printing and distributing the Final
Prospectus, any preliminary prospectuses, any preliminary
prospectus supplements or any other amendments or supplements to
the Final Prospectus to the Underwriters.
(k) The Company agrees that, unless
it has obtained or will obtain, as the case may be, the prior
written consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter,
severally and not jointly, agrees with the Company that, unless it
has obtained or will obtain, as the case may be, the prior written
consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer
relating to the Offered Securities that would constitute an Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a
“free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405)
required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained
by the Company under Rule 433, other than the final term sheet
prepared and filed pursuant to Section 4(c) hereto; provided that
the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to
have been given in respect of the Free Writing Prospectuses, if
any, included in Schedule B to the applicable Terms Agreement.
Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the
Representatives or the Company is hereinafter referred to as a
“ Permitted Free Writing Prospectus .” The
Company agrees that (x) it has treated and will treat, as the
case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus and (y) it has complied and will
comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and
433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including
in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and
record keeping.
(l) The Company consents to the use
by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that (a) is
not an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and (b) contains only
(i) information describing the preliminary terms of the
Offered Securities or their offering, (ii) information required or
permitted by Rule 134 under the Act that is not “issuer
information” as defined in Rule 433 or
(iii) information that describes the final terms of the
Offered Securities or their offering and that is included in the
final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 4(c)
hereto.
(m) The Company will not, and will
cause CPCo not to, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or
otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the
Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to
United States dollar-denominated debt securities issued or
guaranteed by the Company or CPCo and having a maturity of more
than one year from the date of issue, or publicly disclose the
intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge, disposition or
filing, without the prior written consent of the Representatives
for a period beginning at the time of execution of the Terms
Agreement and ending the number of days after the Closing Date
specified under “Blackout” in the Terms
Agreement.
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5. Conditions of the
Obligations of the Underwriters . The obligations of the
several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Offered Securities
will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and
warranties on the part of the Company herein, to the accuracy of
the statements of Company officers made pursuant to the provisions
hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations
hereunder and to the following additional conditions
precedent:
(a) Immediately after the Final
Prospectus is filed with the Commission, the Representatives, on
behalf of the Underwriters, shall have received a letter, dated as
of the Execution Date, of Ernst & Young LLP confirming that
they are independent registered public accountants within the
meaning of the Act and the applicable published Rules and
Regulations thereunder and stating to the effect that:
(i) in their opinion the financial
statements and any schedules audited by them and included or
incorporated by reference in the Base Prospectus, Preliminary Final
Prospectus, Final Prospectus and the Disclosure Package comply as
to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the Act and the related published Rules and
Regulations;
(ii) they have performed the
procedures specified by the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board for a review of interim financial information as described in
Statement of Auditing Standards No. 100, Interim Financial
Information, on any unaudited financial statements included in the
Registration Statement;
(iii) on the basis of the review
referred to in clause (ii) above, a reading of the latest
available interim financial statements of the Company, inquiries of
officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and
accounting matters and other specified procedures, nothing came to
their attention that caused them to believe that:
(A) the unaudited financial
statements, if any, included in the Disclosure Package or the Final
Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with
the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related
published Rules and Regulations or any material modifications
should be made to such unaudited financial statements for them to
be in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles;
(B) if any unaudited
“capsule” information is contained in the Disclosure
Package or the Final Prospectus, the unaudited consolidated total
revenues, net income and net income per share amounts or other
amounts constituting such “capsule” information and
described in such letter do not agree with the corresponding
amounts set forth in the unaudited consolidated financial
9
statements or
were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with that
of the corresponding amounts in the audited statements of
income;
(C) at the date of the latest
available consolidated balance sheet of the Company read by such
accountants, there was any change in the capital stock, any
increase in total debt, any decrease in consolidated net current
assets (working capital) or any decrease in stockholders’
equity, as compared with amounts shown on the latest consolidated
balance sheet included in the Disclosure Package or the Final
Prospectus;
(D) At a subsequent specified date
not more than three business days prior to the date of such letter,
there was any change greater than 1% in the capital stock, or any
increase greater than 1% in total debt, as compared with the latest
available consolidated balance sheet; or
(E) for the period from the closing
date of the latest income statement included in the Disclosure
Package or the Final Prospectus to the closing date of the latest
available income statement read by such accountants there were any
decreases, as compared with the corresponding period of the
previous year and with the period of corresponding length ended the
date of the latest income statement included in the Disclosure
Package or the Final Prospectus, in consolidated total revenues or
net income;
except in all
cases set forth in clauses (C), (D) and (E) above for
changes, increases or decreases which the Disclosure Package and
the Final Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which
are described in such letter;
(iv) they have compared specified
dollar amounts (or percentages derived from such dollar amounts)
and other financial information contained in the Registration
Statement, the Final Prospectus and the Disclosure Package (in each
case to the extent that such dollar amounts, percentages and other
financial information are derived from the general accounting
records of the Company and its subsidiaries subject to the internal
controls of the Company’s accoun
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