Working with suppliers

Our core value of Care doesn’t stop at our door. Our suppliers of goods and services all have a role to play in how we work to Protect Tomorrow. Today.

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Our Supplier and Contractor Expectations call for the operations and business practices of our suppliers to be conducted in a manner consistent with the International Labour Organization 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (ILO Declaration) and the goals of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). They also communicate our expectation that our suppliers comply with all local laws and regulations. To remain in good standing, our suppliers are expected to meet our stringent compliance, anti-corruption, conflict of interest, safety, and other guidelines.

Our approach

We work to promote inclusive sourcing open to all.

We are committed to respecting human rights and working to reduce impacts to the environment.

We seek to work with qualified suppliers that share our commitment.

Supplier stewardship

We consider sustainability-related elements in our procurement processes. For example, we seek opportunities to support responsible sourcing, including identification of potential human rights impacts within procurement category families.

Potential suppliers are reviewed on their operational, technical, and financial performance. When considering a supplier, we also perform due diligence on compliance. We use third-party sources to screen potential suppliers across compliance areas including sanctions, anti-corruption, and human trafficking.

In our bid process, we communicate our expectations that suppliers:

  • Comply with all applicable laws prohibiting the utilization of forced or compulsory labor.
  • Provide its employees with working conditions, including payment of wages and benefits, that comply with all applicable laws.
  • Ensure that its employees meet the legal employment age requirements in the country of employment.

Our standard terms and conditions used by our procurement team oblige suppliers to:

  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including those related to employment, safety, security, health, and the environment.
  • Impose similar terms and conditions on their subcontractors.
  • Permit audits and allow access to relevant sites, documents, and personnel.
  • Report utilization of diverse and small businesses as appropriate.

Annually, we remind suppliers of our expectations in a year-end letter, available in dozens of languages and customized for specific regions. This letter reinforces our expectations that suppliers conduct business in compliance with our Standards of Business Conduct and applicable laws, rules, and regulations. It also provides contact information for any questions or concerns.

We audit a select number of suppliers each year for contract compliance on aspects including pricing, safety, drug and alcohol policy, invoicing, and travel expenses. Contracts may be terminated if suppliers do not meet our expectations.

We define our suppliers according to the size and frequency of our purchases and review performance of our top-tier suppliers using criteria aligned with our 14 sustainability focus areas in an effort to identify risks and opportunities, and promote innovation.

Environmental performance

We aim to work with innovative suppliers to reduce environmental impacts in our supply chain. We also engage with suppliers to share our expectations.

Our cost models and sourcing strategies include environmental considerations like reducing energy use and incorporating recycled content into packaging materials. Sustainability questions are part of our sourcing platform and are considered in evaluating bids and selecting suppliers.

Whether through collaboration with our transport and logistics suppliers or through our focus on efficiently running our warehouses, our approach continues to tackle everyday challenges in innovative and cost-effective ways.

Human rights due diligence

We are committed to respecting human rights and expect our suppliers to do the same. Through our procurement processes and systems, we assess direct suppliers for potential human rights risks, with a focus on workers’ rights, including safe and healthy working conditions, as well as elimination of forced labor, child labor, and discrimination.

Our Statement on Labor and the Workplace articulates our support of the principles of the International Labour Organization (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles on Rights at Work. This includes eliminating child labor, forced labor, and workplace discrimination, the recognition of the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, and a safe and healthy workplace.

The standard terms and conditions used by our global procurement organization require adherence to all applicable laws and regulations. Requests for quotes from our procurement staff typically include clauses regarding the prohibition of forced or compulsory labor and payment of wages and benefits in accordance with local laws. Participants in bidding activities must comply with these requirements.

Audits further enhance transparency and compliance with our expectations in our supply chain. Our standard contracts typically require suppliers and their subcontractors to allow us to access all offices and work sites and to interview personnel. We select a percentage of suppliers annually for such audits, which include a compliance review on contract provisions.

When it comes to the issue of human trafficking, we proactively communicate our expectations to suppliers and manage risks through our Standards of Business Conduct, our Statement on Labor and the Workplace, and our due diligence processes. We also work to reduce the conditions that can lead to human trafficking by promoting economic growth and personal prosperity.

Our due diligence process for identifying and assessing human rights risks focuses on the supplier, the commodity, and the location. Additional due diligence is done for goods and services involving low-skilled labor in countries ranked below Tier 1 in the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. If higher risk is identified, potential suppliers complete a questionnaire to assess their policies and practice human rights risks in the supply chain is available to procurement professionals who conduct supply chain due diligence.

spotlight

Recognizing excellence in our suppliers

Lexi Southall, President - Brieser Construction 
Josh Sanford, Engineering Manager - ExxonMobil

Our Supplier Excellence program recognizes suppliers that demonstrate superior performance consistent with our expectations and values. Local awards recognize suppliers working at a specific site, such as Brieser Construction, a woman-owned supplier near the Joliet refinery in Channahon, Illinois. For more than 40 years, Brieser has been the site’s primary civil contractor. In 2023, Brieser was recognized for reliably and consistently meeting their commitments on time – and, more importantly, safely. In fact, Brieser had zero recordable safety incidents at the refinery in more than a decade.

Supplier diversity

We promote awareness of inclusive sourcing options with local, diverse, and small suppliers to increase competition and innovation while striving to make a positive impact on communities. Where there is lack of such suppliers, we work to build capabilities with current and potential suppliers.

We aim to build mutually beneficial relationships that contribute to the growth of our diverse supplier base through outreach, business development, and training programs. In 2023, we contributed to grants for education and growth of diverse owned businesses in the United States working with organizations such as the American Petroleum Institute, National Minority Supplier Development Council, and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

We buy goods and services from local suppliers and build their capabilities through local programs. This helps build long-term local economic capacity, strengthens community relationships, and supports the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Inclusive sourcing open to all brings a competitive edge through new perspectives, ideas, and practices that help our businesses grow. For example, when a radio system at one of our refineries was reaching its standard end of life, replacing it was an expensive proposition. It was a registered diverse supplier that brought us an innovative and cost-effective solution to refurbish the radio batteries on a rolling basis. As a result, we can safely and reliably use the system for years to come.

We encourage local, diverse, and small businesses to register in the supplier diversity database, SupplierOne, to gain visibility with procurement professionals. We also work with organizations to help us identify and develop relationships with certified diverse suppliers globally. Diverse databases may be considered in identifying potential suppliers, in addition to other options.

In 2024, we had more than $6.8 billion in annual spend with diverse suppliers in the United States.1

Our supplier diversity efforts also continue around the world, in accordance with applicable laws. This includes spend with businesses owned by Indigenous Peoples in Canada and women in countries outside of the United States.

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    FOOTNOTES:

    1. Includes direct ExxonMobil spending on Tier 1 suppliers and a select group of Tier 2 suppliers which includes small business owned, veteran business owned, and other classifications informed by industry reporting guidance. At all times decisions are made based on the best supplier for the need. 2024 data from Pioneer operations not available at time of publication.