The way to reach oil and gas procurement is to get approved before you pitch. Many operators route new suppliers through a sponsor, a registration process and, for onsite work, a third-party prequalification service. A list of buyer names will not get you past those steps, so your CRM has to track qualification as well as contacts.
This guide explains how the process tends to work, what to check at each operator, and how we would set up a CRM pipeline to fit it. It is written for B2B sellers and service firms targeting US energy accounts. If you have not yet worked out which segment to target, start with our guide to who buys IT across upstream, midstream and downstream.
Why does a contact list rarely work on its own?
Procurement teams do not only buy. They also control who is allowed to sell. A buyer who likes your offer may still be unable to issue a purchase order until your company exists in their supplier system and meets their conditions.
That changes what a good first conversation looks like. Instead of asking for a meeting about your product, ask what it takes to become an eligible supplier for this kind of work, and who inside the company would sponsor you. The answer tells you how real the opportunity is and gives you a concrete next step.
What does an operator usually ask of a new supplier?
Requirements differ by company, so treat any list as a starting point. Ovintiv publishes a clear example on its prospective suppliers page. It asks suppliers to be specific about the goods or services they provide, and it expects:
- An Ovintiv sponsor who gives a business justification and starts the process
- A completed supplier contact questionnaire
- Proof of a corporate tax number and proof of insurance as required by its agreement
- Registration with OpenInvoice
- An acceptable ISNetworld grade if you provide onsite services
Larger operators also run their own systems. ExxonMobil describes a supplier collaboration portal for invoices and requests, and it points suppliers to SAP Business Network for service and shipping items. Knowing which system each account uses saves your team time when a real request arrives.
How does ISNetworld affect your chances?
ISNetworld is a contractor management database. A 2012 ISNetworld release says contractors supply health and safety, procurement, quality and regulatory information, and its experts review what contractors report.
The requirement can come straight from the operator. Babst Calland reported that EQT requires its contractors to join ISN, while EQT still sets its own safety requirements and makes approvals in-house. Ovintiv goes further and says it does not recognize other data firms, such as PEC Premier.
Grades matter too. A 2019 Marsh McLennan Agency overview described letter grades from A to F, scoring that varies by hiring client, and fees then running from $1,700 to $5,000 a year based on employee count. Those figures are dated, so confirm current pricing with ISN directly. The useful lesson is that a subscription alone does not qualify you. Your safety record and paperwork still have to meet that client's standard.
Who should you map inside an operator account?
Procurement is one role among several. We suggest mapping four groups on every target account, even if you only know one person at first:
- The sponsor: the field, operations or IT leader who has the problem and can justify bringing you in
- Procurement or supply chain: the people who run sourcing events, contracts and vendor records
- Health, safety and environment: the reviewers who care about your record if your people go on site
- Accounts payable: the team whose invoicing system you must use to get paid
Titles vary widely between companies, so record what each person actually does rather than relying on a job title alone.
How should your CRM track a long approval cycle?
A standard sales pipeline assumes a buyer can say yes when ready. Here, supplier approval often runs alongside the deal, so we would track it as its own record on the account. A simple setup includes these fields:
- Sponsor name and whether the business justification has been submitted
- Supplier system used, such as OpenInvoice or SAP Business Network
- Prequalification service required, your current grade and its renewal date
- Insurance certificates on file, with expiry dates
- Approval status: not started, submitted, approved, or expired
Then add one rule to your forecast: a deal cannot move to a late stage until the approval status says approved or a named person has confirmed a path to it. That single rule keeps forecasts honest. Our CRM workflow audit checks for gaps like this in an existing setup.
What should you automate, and what should stay personal?
Automate the things people forget. Renewal reminders for grades and insurance, tasks when a document is due, and alerts when an account has been waiting too long all suit workflow automation. A missed certificate renewal can quietly take you out of the running, and no one should have to rely on memory to catch it.
Keep sponsor conversations personal. Sponsors take a risk by vouching for a new supplier, so generic sequences do little to earn that trust. Write to them about their specific problem and make their job of justifying you easy, with a short description of your work and the documents they will need.
Which operators should you pursue first?
Start where you can already meet the conditions. Before you add an operator to your target list, answer three questions:
- Does our work require going on site, and do we hold the grade this operator expects?
- Do we know someone who could sponsor us?
- Is the cost of qualifying justified by the size of the opportunity?
A short list of accounts with clear answers will usually beat a long list of companies you cannot yet sell to. A prequalification subscription may serve more than one client if they accept the same service, so one investment could open several doors. Confirm that with each client first.
Frequently asked questions
Rarely. A contact list can start a conversation, but new suppliers usually still need a sponsor, registration and, for onsite work, a prequalification record. Plan for those steps from the first call.
No. ISNetworld is widely requested, but each operator sets its own rules. Ovintiv says it recognizes only ISNetworld, while other companies may use a different service or none. Check each account before you pay for a subscription.
It depends on the work and the operator. Ovintiv ties its ISNetworld condition to onsite services, so remote-only work may be treated differently. If your team will visit a site, ask early and get the answer in writing.
There is no standard timeline. It depends on the sponsor, the documents you have ready and the operator's own process. Log the real dates in your CRM so your forecast reflects what each account actually takes.
Sources
- Ovintiv: Prospective Suppliers
- Babst Calland: EQT Requires Contractors To Be Part Of ISN
- ExxonMobil: Supplier collaboration portal and SAP Business Network
- ISNetworld: Valero Energy press release (2012)
- Marsh McLennan Agency: ISNetworld overview (2019)
Want a CRM that tracks supplier approval?
We set up pipelines, fields and reminders that fit long approval cycles, so renewals do not slip and forecasts reflect reality.
