Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd is a subsidiary of Nexen Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited. Nexen UK produces oil & natural gas from a number of fields including Buzzard, the largest North Sea discovery in over 25 years. In 2012, Nexen’s UK assets produced 203 mboe/d at 100% working interest (99,000 boe/d net).
Challenge
Nexen Petroleum UK Limited (Nexen) was seeking ways of supporting its Contractor Assurance process, including vendor assessment and selection, in the areas of QHSE management and employee Competence and Training. As an existing Achilles buyer, Nexen took up the opportunity to take advantage of the Achilles Verify process.
Initially, there were internal barriers to overcome due to some scepticism within the company, as to the benefits and robustness of the Achilles Verify process. A strong business case was therefore needed to justify the promotion and integration of the Verify process into Nexen’s own internal contractor management system.
Solution
To gain a full understanding of what was involved in the process and to confirm the background to how the scoring is applied in the published report, Lance Green, Nexen’s HSE Advisor, requested to attend and observe a supplier Verify audit. Lance attended the two day Achilles Verify renewal audit with AJT Engineering Ltd (AJT), an Aberdeen based engineering services provider engaged in both repair and refurbishment of oilfield equipment and the new manufacture of machined components and fabricated assemblies.
Result
By observing the full process Lance was able to confirm the detail and robustness of the audit including: opening meeting, site tour, assessment and verification of evidence against the Achilles Verify standard, discussion and evidence of implementation, through to the close out meeting where a summary of scores and identified improvement opportunities are outlined. It also showed how subcontracted services further along the supply chain can also be managed, as it was demonstrated during the audit that AJT provided maintenance of subsea equipment through Nexen’s current drilling contractor, yet were not a direct supplier to Nexen.
Attendance during the audit confirmed the detail behind the report and gave confidence that the published report gave a true reflection of the QHSE management and Competence and Training systems in place, together with the level of implementation. It also demonstrated that the improvement opportunities identified by the auditor and the associated supplier improvement plan added value to the process and aided continual improvement.
“Having attended an Achilles Verify audit and observed the process and detail of the information obtained, I was able to validate the detail behind the report and associated scoring. This allowed me to respond positively to any concerns raised by my colleagues within Nexen”
Lance Green – HSE Advisor, Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited
