Debt Securities
fully and unconditionally guaranteed by ConocoPhillips
Company
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. 333-157547), 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 any
documents
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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(h) 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 time
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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
6
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 Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, 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 accounting
system or are derived directly from such records by analysis or
computation) with the results obtained from inquiries, a reading of
such general accounting records and other procedures specified in
such letter and have found such dollar amounts, percentages and
other financial information to be in agreement with such results,
except as otherwise specified in such letter; and
(v) they
have read any pro forma financial information which is included in
the Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus and
performed
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the additional
procedures suggested by Example D of Stat
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