$450,000,000 BRISTOW GROUP INC. 6.250% Senior Notes due 2022 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
Execution Version
$450,000,000
BRISTOW GROUP INC.
6.250% Senior Notes due 2022
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
September 27, 2012
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
SUNTRUST ROBINSON HUMPHREY, INC.
As Representatives of the Several Underwriters,
c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC,
Eleven Madison Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010-3629
Dear Sirs:
1. Introductory. Bristow Group Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), agrees with the several Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (“Underwriters”) to issue and sell to the several Underwriters $450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.250% Senior Notes due 2022 (“the “Notes”) to be issued under an indenture, dated as of June 17, 2008 (the “Base Indenture”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture to be dated as of the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) (the “Second Supplemental Indenture” and together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), between the Company, the Guarantors (as defined below) and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee. The Notes will be guaranteed (the “Guarantees”) on a senior unsecured basis by Bristow U.S. LLC, a Louisiana limited liability company (the “Louisiana Guarantor”), Bristow Alaska Inc., an Alaska corporation (the “Alaska Guarantor”), and Bristow Helicopters Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Delaware Guarantor”), all wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company. The Louisiana Guarantor, the Alaska Guarantor and the Delaware Guarantor are herein collectively referred to as the “Guarantors.” The Notes and the Guarantees are herein collectively called the “Securities.”
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company and each of the Guarantors, jointly and severally, represent and warrant to, and agree with, the several Underwriters that:
(a) Filing and Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Certain Defined Terms. The Company and the Guarantors have filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-183816), including a related prospectus or prospectuses, covering the registration of the Securities under the Act, which has become effective. “Registration Statement” at any particular time means such registration statement in the form then filed with the Commission, including any amendment thereto, any document incorporated by reference therein and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to such registration statement, that in any case has not been superseded or modified. “Registration Statement” without reference to a time means the Registration Statement as of the Effective Time. For purposes of this definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in the Registration Statement as of the time specified in Rule 430B.
For purposes of this Agreement:
“430B Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(e) or retroactively deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B(f).
“430C Information” means information included in a prospectus then deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430C.
“Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Applicable Time” means 3:00 P.M. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement.
“Closing Date” has the meaning defined in Section 3 hereof.
“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Effective Time” of the Registration Statement relating to the Securities means the time of the first contract of sale for the Securities.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Final Prospectus” means the Statutory Prospectus that discloses the public offering price, other 430B Information and other final terms of the Securities and otherwise satisfies Section 10(a) of the Act.
“General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being so specified in Schedule B to this Agreement.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).
“Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not a General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
“Rules and Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission.
“Securities Laws” means, collectively, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), the Act, the Exchange Act, the Trust Indenture Act, the Rules and Regulations, the auditing principles, rules, standards and practices applicable to auditors of “issuers” (as defined in Sarbanes-Oxley) promulgated or approved by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as applicable, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“Exchange Rules”).
“Statutory Prospectus” with reference to any particular time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and all 430B Information and all 430C Information with respect to the Registration Statement. For purposes of the foregoing definition, 430B Information shall be considered to be included in the Statutory Prospectus only as of the actual time that form of prospectus (including a prospectus supplement) is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and not retroactively.
“Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939.
Unless otherwise specified, a reference to a “rule” is to the indicated rule under the Act.
(b) Compliance with Securities Act Requirements. (i) (A) At the time the Registration Statement initially became effective, (B) at the time of each amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act (whether by post effective amendment, incorporated report or form of prospectus), (C) at the Effective Time relating to the Securities and (D) on the Closing Date, the Registration Statement conformed and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and Regulations and did not and will 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 (ii) (A) on its date, (B) at the time of filing the Final Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) and (C) on the Closing Date, the Final Prospectus will conform in all
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material respects to the requirements of the Act, the Trust Indenture Act and the Rules and Regulations, and will 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 in light of the circumstances under which they were made. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any such document based upon written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.
(c) Automatic Shelf Registration Statement. (i) Well-Known Seasoned Issuer Status. (A) At the time of initial filing of the Registration Statement, (B) 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 Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), and (C) 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 Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163, the Company was a “well known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405, including not having been an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405.
(ii) Effectiveness of Automatic Shelf Registration Statement. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, that initially became effective within three years of the date of this Agreement. If immediately prior to the Renewal Deadline (as hereinafter defined), any of the Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline file, if it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (the “Lead Underwriter”). If the Company is no longer eligible to file an automatic shelf registration statement, the Company will prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Lead Underwriter, and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Securities. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration statement, as the case may be. “Renewal Deadline” means the third anniversary of the initial effective time of the Registration Statement.
(iii) Eligibility to Use Automatic Shelf Registration Form. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) objecting to use of the automatic shelf registration statement form. If at any time when Securities remain unsold by the Underwriters the Company receives from the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or otherwise ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration statement form, the Company will (i) promptly notify the Lead Underwriter, (ii) promptly file a new registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating to the Securities, in a form satisfactory to the Lead Underwriter, (iii) use its best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to be declared effective as soon as practicable, and (iv) promptly notify the Lead Underwriter of such effectiveness. The Company will take all other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Securities to continue as contemplated in the registration statement that was the subject of the Rule 401(g)(2) notice or for which the Company has otherwise become ineligible. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include such new registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may be.
(iv) Filing Fees. The Company has paid or shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the 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).
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(d) Ineligible Issuer Status. (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 the Securities and (ii) at the date of this Agreement, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, including (x) the Company or any other subsidiary in the preceding three years not having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or having been made the subject of a judicial or administrative decree or order as described in Rule 405 and (y) the Company in the preceding three years not having been the subject of a bankruptcy petition or insolvency or similar proceeding, not having had a registration statement be the subject of a proceeding under Section 8 of the Act and not being the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the Securities, all as described in Rule 405.
(e) General Disclosure Package. As of the Applicable Time and the Closing Date, neither (i) the General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time and the preliminary prospectus, dated September 27, 2012 (which is the most recent Statutory Prospectus distributed to investors generally), and the other information, if any, stated in Schedule B to this Agreement to be included in the General Disclosure Package, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (ii) any individual Limited Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted 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. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Statutory Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.
(f) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in the next sentence, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement or as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if republished immediately following such event or development, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (i) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives and (ii) the Company has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission. The foregoing two sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8(b) hereof.
(g) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other), business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Effect”).
(h) Subsidiaries. Except with respect to the pending investment, as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the entities listed on Schedule D hereto include every direct and indirect subsidiary of the Company that is a “significant subsidiary” (as such term is defined in Item 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X).
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Each Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or otherwise organized and is an existing corporation, limited liability company or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with power and authority (corporate, limited liability company and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and each Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation or other business entity in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity securities of each Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and, in the case of corporate subsidiaries, nonassessable and the capital stock or other equity securities of each Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, are owned free from liens, encumbrances and defects, except to the extent such capital stock or other equity securities are subject to a lien or encumbrance in connection with the Amended and Restated Revolving Credit and Term Loan Agreement, dated November 22, 2010 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time), among the Company, certain lenders party thereto and SunTrust Bank as administrative agent, JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association and Bank of America, N.A. as co-syndication agents, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Regions Bank and BBVA Compass as co-documentation agents (the “Credit Facility”) and the 364-Day Term Loan Credit Agreement, to be dated on or about September 28, 2012 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time), among the Company, certain lenders party thereto and SunTrust Bank as administrative agent, Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, as co-syndication agents and Regions Bank and Compass Bank, as co-documentation agents (the “364-Day Term Loan Facility”).
(i) Execution and Delivery of Indenture. The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and the Guarantors and has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act; the Securities have been duly authorized by the Company and the Guarantors and, when the Securities are delivered and paid for pursuant to this Agreement on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have been duly executed and delivered, such Securities will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, will conform in all material respects to the information in the General Disclosure Package and to the description of such Securities contained in the Final Prospectus and the Indenture and such Securities will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company and the Guarantors, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
(j) No Finder’s Fee. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with this offering.
(k) Registration Rights. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to a Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Act (collectively, “registration rights”) that have not been validly waived or satisfied prior to the date hereof.
(l) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, authorization, or order of, or filing or registration with, any person (including any governmental agency or body or any court) is required for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture in connection with the offering, issuance and sale of the Securities, except such as have been obtained, or made and such as may be required under state securities laws; provided, however, that a filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) may be made after the date hereof so long as such filing is made within the time period specified in the applicable provision of such rule in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
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(m) Title to Property. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, in each case free from liens, charges, encumbrances and defects that would affect the value thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them and (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no terms or provisions that would interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them, except in each case, for such liens, charges, encumbrances, defects and exceptions that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from Transaction. The execution, delivery and performance of the Indenture, and this Agreement, and the issuance and sale of the Securities and compliance with the terms and provisions thereof will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other significant subsidiaries pursuant to, (i) the charter or by-laws or similar constitutive document of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries, (ii) any statute, rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries or any of their properties, (iii) or any agreement or instrument to which the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the properties of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries is subject except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), where any such breach, violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition that gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries.
(o) Absence of Existing Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its respective charter or by-laws or similar constitutive document or in default (or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would be in default) under any existing obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, loan agreement, mortgage, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of the properties of any of them is subject, except for such defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantors.
(q) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess, and are in compliance with the terms of, adequate certificates, authorizations, franchises, licenses and permits (“Licenses”) necessary or material to the conduct of their respective businesses now conducted or proposed in the General Disclosure Package to be conducted by them, except where the lack thereof would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect and have not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Licenses that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantors, is imminent, and the Company and the Guarantors are not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, that, in any such case, is reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(s) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own, possess or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate trademarks, trade names and other rights to inventions, know-how, patents, copyrights, confidential information and other intellectual property (collectively, “intellectual property rights”) necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, or presently employed by them, except where the failure to own, possess or acquire such intellectual property rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect and have not received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any intellectual property rights that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Environmental Laws. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any statute, any rule, regulation, decision or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, relating to the use, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or relating to the protection or restoration of the environment or human exposure to hazardous or toxic substances (collectively, “environmental laws”), owns or operates any real property contaminated with any substance that is subject to any environmental laws, is liable for any off-site disposal or contamination pursuant to any environmental laws, or is subject to any claim relating to any environmental laws, which violation, contamination, liability or claim would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company is not aware of any pending investigation which is reasonably expected to lead to such a claim.
(u) Accurate Disclosure. The statements in the Registration Statement, General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the headings “Material U.S. Federal Income and Estate Tax Considerations,” “Description of the Notes,” “Description of Indebtedness,” and “Underwriting,” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are, in all material respects, accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.
(v) Absence of Manipulation. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action that is designed to or that has constituted or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(w) Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any third-party statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in a Registration Statement, a Statutory Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate.
(x) Internal Controls and Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package, the Company, its subsidiaries and its directors (in their capacities as such) are in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and all applicable Exchange Rules. The Company maintains a system of internal controls, including, but not limited to, disclosure controls and procedures, internal controls over accounting matters and financial reporting, an internal audit function and legal and regulatory compliance controls (collectively, “Internal Controls”) that comply with the Securities Laws and are sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. General Accepted Accounting Principles and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences, (v) the Company has adopted and applies corporate governance guidelines and (vi) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, a Statutory Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The Internal Controls are overseen by the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board in accordance with Exchange Rules. The Company has not publicly disclosed or reported to the Audit Committee or the Board, and the Company does not reasonably expect to publicly disclose or report to the Audit Committee or the Board within the next 90 days, a significant deficiency, material weakness or change in Internal Controls of the Company, or fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in Internal Controls (each, an “Internal Control Event”), other than those described in the General Disclosure Package or which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(y) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
(z) Absence of Accounting Issues. To the best of the knowledge of the executive officers of the Company and the Guarantors with reasonable diligence, except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package, the Audit Committee is not reviewing or investigating, and neither the Company’s independent auditors nor its internal auditors have recommended that the Audit Committee review or investigate, (i) adding to, deleting, changing the application of, or changing the Company’s disclosure with respect to, any of the Company’s material accounting policies, in each case in any material respect; (ii) any matter which could reasonably be expected to result in a restatement of the Company’s financial statements for any annual or interim period during the current or prior three fiscal years; or (iii) any Internal Control Event.
(aa) Litigation. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign) against or affecting the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties that, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect, or would materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company or the Guarantors to perform its obligations under the Indenture or this Agreement, or which are otherwise material in the context of the sale of the Securities; and no such actions, suits or proceedings (including any inquiries or investigations by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign) are threatened or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantors, contemplated.
(bb) Financial Statements. The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, a Statutory Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates shown and their results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States applied on a consistent basis. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, a Statutory Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(cc) Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. KPMG LLP, who have audited certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Laws.
(dd) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, since the end of the period covered by the latest audited financial statements included in the General Disclosure Package (i) there has been no change, nor any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, that is material and adverse, (ii) except as disclosed in or contemplated by the General Disclosure Package, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock and (iii) except as disclosed in or contemplated by the General Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change in the capital stock, short-term indebtedness, long-term indebtedness, net current assets or net assets of the Company and its subsidiaries.
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(ee) Investment Company Act. The Company and the Guarantors are not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”).
(ff) Ratings. No “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) (as in effect on July 20, 2010) (i) has imposed (or has informed the Company that it is considering imposing) any condition (financial or otherwise) on the Company’s retaining any rating assigned to the Company or any securities of the Company or (ii) has informed the Company that it is considering any of the actions described in Section 7(c)(ii) hereof.
(gg) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Since September 27, 2007, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor to the knowledge of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA; and the Company and its subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws to which they may be subject. The Company, its subsidiaries and their affiliates have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(hh) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantors, threatened.
(ii) Compliance with OFAC. None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company and the Guarantors, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject of any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently the subject of any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
3. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company and the Guarantors agree to sell to the several Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such Underwriters’ name in Schedule A hereto at a purchase price of 98.50% of the principal amount of the Notes plus accrued interest from October 12, 2012 to the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined).
The Company and the Guarantors will deliver the Securities to or as instructed by the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representatives against payment of the purchase price by the Underwriters in Federal (same day) funds by wire transfer to an account at a bank acceptable to Credit Suisse drawn to the order of the Company at the office of Baker Botts L.L.P. (“Baker Botts”),
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910 Louisiana, Houston, Texas 77002, at 10 A.M., New York time, on October 12, 2012, or at such other time not later than seven full business days thereafter as the Representatives and the Company determine, such time being herein referred to as the “Closing Date”. 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 settlement date for payment of funds and delivery of securities for all the Securities sold pursuant to the offering. The Notes so to be delivered or evidence of their issuance will be made available for checking at the above office of Baker Botts at least 24 hours prior to the Closing Date.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Final Prospectus.
5. Certain Agreements of the Company and the Guarantors. The Company and the Guarantors, jointly and severally, agree with the several Underwriters that:
(a) Filing of Prospectuses. The Company has filed or will file each Statutory Prospectus (including the Final Prospectus), pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 424(b) not later than the second business day following the earlier of the date it is first used or the execution and delivery of this Agreement. The Company has complied and will comply with Rule 433.
(b) Filing of Amendments; Response to Commission Requests. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives of any proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or any Statutory Prospectus at any time and will offer the Representatives a reasonable opportunity to comment on any such amendment or supplement; and the Company will also advise the Representatives promptly of (i) the filing of any such amendment or supplement, (ii) any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment to the Registration Statement, for any supplement to any Statutory Prospectus or for any additional information, (iii) the institution by the Commission of any stop order proceedings in respect of the Registration Statement or the threatening of any proceeding for that purpose, and (iv) the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceedings for such purpose. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(c) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is (or but for the exemption in Rule 172 would be) required to be delivered under the Act by any Underwriter or dealer, any event occurs as a result of which the Final Prospectus (or the General Disclosure Package if the Final Prospectus has not yet been filed pursuant to the Act) 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 Registration Statement or supplement the Final Prospectus (or the General Disclosure Package if the Final Prospectus has not yet been filed pursuant to the Act) to comply with the Act, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives of such event and will promptly prepare and file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and the dealers and any other dealers upon request of the Representatives, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance. If any such amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Final Prospectus (or any new registration statement contemplated by Section 2(c)) is required to be filed or delivered at any time during the nine months immediately following the date that the Final Prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), the costs of preparing and filing such amendment or supplement (or such new registration statement), and the other costs incidental thereto, shall be at the Company’s expense; if any such amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Final Prospectus (or such new registration statement) is required to be filed or delivered at any time later than nine months immediately following the date that the Final Prospectus is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), the costs of preparing and filing such amendment or supplement (or such new registration statement), and the other costs incidental thereto, shall be at the Underwriters’ expense. 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 7 hereof.
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(d) Rule 158. As soon as practicable, but not later than 17 months after the date of this Agreement, the Company will make generally available to its securityholders an earnings statement covering a period of at least 12 months beginning after the date of this Agreement and satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.
(e) Furnishing of Prospectuses. The Company will furnish to the Representatives copies of the Registration Statement, including all exhibits, any Statutory Prospectus, the Final 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. The Company will pay the expenses of printing and distributing to the Underwriters all such documents.
(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will arrange for the qualification of the 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 of the Securities; provided, however, that neither the Company nor the Guarantors shall be obligated to qualify or register as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(g) Reporting Requirements. During the period of five years hereafter, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and, upon request, to each of the other Underwriters, as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, a copy of its annual report to stockholders for such year; and the Company will furnish to the Representatives (i) as soon as available, a copy of each report and any definitive proxy statement of the Company filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act or mailed to stockholders, and (ii) from time to time, such other publicly available information concerning the Company as the Representatives may reasonably request. However, so long as the Company is subject to the reporting requirements of either Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and is timely filing reports with the Commission on its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”), it is not required to furnish such reports or statements to the Underwriters.
(h) Payment of Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including but not limited to any filing fees and other expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters) incurred in connection with qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives designate and the preparation and printing of memoranda relating thereto, costs and expenses related to the review by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) of the Securities (including filing fees and the fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such review), costs and expenses relating to investor presentations or any “road show” in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities including, without limitation, any travel expenses of the Company’s officers and employees and any other expenses of the Company including the chartering of airplanes, fees and expenses in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act, and expenses incurred in distributing preliminary prospectuses and the Final Prospectus (including any amendments and supplements thereto) to the Underwriters and for expenses incurred for preparing, printing and distributing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses to investors or prospective investors, but not including travel and lodging expenses of the Underwriters.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received in connection with this offering in the manner described in the “Use of Proceeds” section of the General Disclosure Package and, except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the Company does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(j) Absence of Manipulation. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
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(k) Restriction on Sale of Securities. For the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and continuing until the date that is 90 days after the date of this Agreement, the Company will not offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company and having a tenor of no more than one year without the prior written consent of the Representatives, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
6. Free Writing Prospectuses. (a) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of Credit Suisse, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and Credit Suisse, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the 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 with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and Credit Suisse is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required, legending and record keeping.
(b) Term Sheets. The Company will prepare a final term sheet relating to the Securities, containing only information that describes the final terms of the Securities and otherwise in a form consented to by Credit Suisse, and will file such final term sheet within the period required by Rule 433(d)(5)(ii) following the date such final terms have been established for the offering of the Securities. Any such final term sheet is an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus for purposes of this Agreement. The Company also consents to the use by any Underwriter of a free writing prospectus that contains only (i)(x) information describing the preliminary terms of the Securities or their offering or (y) information that describes the final terms of the Securities or their offering and that is included in the final term sheet of the Company contemplated in the first sentence of this subsection or (ii) other information that is not “issuer information,” as defined in Rule 433, it being understood that any such free writing prospectus referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above shall not be an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus for purposes of this Agreement.
7. Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Securities on the Closing Date will be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantors herein (as though made on the Closing Date), to the accuracy of the statements of Company officers made pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and the Guarantors of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions precedent:
(a) Accountants’ Comfort Letter. The Representatives shall have received letters, dated, respectively, the date hereof and the Closing Date, of KPMG LLP confirming that they are a registered public accounting firm and independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Laws and substantially in the form of Schedule C hereto (except that, in any letter dated the Closing Date, the specified date referred to in Schedule C hereto shall be a date no more than three days prior to the Closing Date).
(b) Filing of Prospectus. The Final Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with the Rules and Regulations and Section 5(a) hereof. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Underwriter, shall be contemplated by the Commission.
(c) No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred (i) any change, or any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, properties or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, other than as set forth in the General Disclosure Package, which, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities or to enforce
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contracts for the sale of Securities; (ii) any downgrading in the rating of any debt securities of the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) as in effect on July 20, 2010), or any public announcement that any such organization has under surveillance or review its rating of any debt securities of the Company (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading, and no implication of a possible downgrading, of such rating); (iii) any change in U.S. or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impractical to market or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, whether in the primary market or in respect of dealings in the secondary market; (iv) any suspension or material limitation of trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or The NASDAQ Stock Market, or any setting of minimum or maximum prices for trading on such exchange; (v) any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market; (vi) any banking moratorium declared by any U.S. federal New York authorities; (vii) any major disruption of settlements of securities, payment, or clearance services in the United States or any other country where such securities are listed or (viii) any attack on, outbreak or escalation of hostilities or act of terrorism involving the United States, any declaration of war by Congress or any other national or international calamity or emergency if, in the judgment of the Representatives, the effect of any such attack, outbreak, escalation, act, declaration, calamity or emergency is such as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities.
(d) Opinion of Counsel for Company. The Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Baker Botts L.L.P., counsel for the Company and the Guarantors, to the effect that:
(i) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in the State of Texas;
(ii) Indenture; Securities. The Base Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Delaware Guarantor and the Second Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Delaware Guarantor; the Securities delivered on the Closing Date have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and the Delaware Guarantor and conform in all material respects to the description of such Securities contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus; and each of the Base Indenture and the Second Supplemental Indenture (assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee) and the Securities delivered on the Closing Date (when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the indenture and delivered through the facilities of DTC against payment of the purchase price therefore) constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company and the Guarantors enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding at equity or at law) and public policy; and the Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act;
(iii) Investment Company Act. Each of the Company and the Guarantors is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities delivered on the Closing Date and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act;
(iv) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing with, any governmental agency or body or any court is required to be obtained or made by the Company or the Guarantors for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the offering, issuance and sale of the Securities delivered on the Closing Date by the Company or the Guarantors, except such as have been obtained or made and such as may be required by FINRA or under state securities laws;
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(v) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts Resulting from Transaction. The execution, delivery and performance of the Indenture and this Agreement by the Company and the Guarantors and the issuance and sale of the Securities and compliance by the Company and the Guarantors with the terms and provisions thereof will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other significant subsidiaries named in Schedule D to this Agreement pursuant to (i) the charter or by-laws or similar constitutive document of the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries named in Schedule D to this Agreement, (ii) any statute, rule, regulation or order known to such counsel of any governmental agency or body or any court having jurisdiction over the Company, the Guarantors or any of the Company’s other subsidiaries or any of their properties (provided, however, that such counsel need express no opinion with respect to compliance with any state securities or other federal or state anti-fraud statutes, rules or regulations or other securities laws), or (iii) any agreement or instrument that is filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), where any such breach, violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(vi) Compliance with Registration Requirements; Effectiveness. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Act and the Final Prospectus was filed with the Commission pursuant to the subparagraph of Rule 424(b) specified in such opinion on the date specified therein, and, to the best of the knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or contemplated by the Commission under the Act;
(vii) Description of Securities and Offering. The statements in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Notes,” and “Description of Indebtedness” of legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings are accurate summaries thereof in all material respects, and the Securities, the Indenture and this Agreement conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the heading “Description of the Notes,” “Description of Indebtedness” and “Underwriting”;
(viii) Description of Tax Considerations. The statements in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income and Estate Tax Considerations” of legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings are accurate summaries thereof in all material respects; and
(ix) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Delaware Guarantor.
(e) Such counsel shall also include, in a separate paragraph of its opinion, statements to the following effect:
Such counsel has reviewed the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus and has participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company and the Guarantors, with representatives of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and with the Underwriters’ representatives and the Underwriters’ counsel, at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, the Final Prospectus and related matters were discussed. The purpose of such counsel’s professional engagement was not to establish or confirm factual matters set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus, and such counsel has not undertaken to verify independently any of the factual matters in such documents. Moreover, many of the determinations required to be made in the preparation of the Registration Statement,
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the General Disclosure Package and the Final Prospectus involve matters of a non-legal nature. Accordingly, such counsel is not passing upon, and does not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained or included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Final Prospectus (except to the extent stated in Sections 7(d)(vii) and 7(d)(viii) above). Subject to the foregoing and on the basis of the information such counsel gained in the course of performing the services referred to above, such counsel advises the Underwriters that:
(a) the Registration Statement, as of the latest Effective Time, the preliminary prospectus, as of the Applicable Time, and the Final Prospectus, as of its date and the Closing Date, appear on their face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; and
(b) nothing came to such counsel’s attention that caused such counsel to believe that:
(1) the Registration Statement, as of the latest Effective Time, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
(2) the General Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(3) the Final Prospectus, as of its date or as of the Closing Date, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
it being understood that in each case such counsel has not been asked to, and does not, express any belief with respect to (a) the financial statements and schedules and other financial or accounting information contained or included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom or (b) the representations and warranties and other statements of fact contained in the exhibits to the Registration Statement or to documents incorporated by reference therein or (c) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Form T-1.
(f) Opinion of General Counsel of the Company. The Representatives shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date, of E. Chipman Earle, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of the Company, to the effect that:
(i) Good Standing of the Company. The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation in good standing in all jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(ii) Subsidiaries. The Delaware Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or otherwise organized and is an existing corporation, limited liability company or other business entity in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with power and authority (corporate, limited liability company and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package; and each subsidiary of the Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation or other business entity in good standing in all other jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity securities of each Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and, in the case of corporate subsidiaries, nonassessable; and the capital stock or other equity securities of the
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Delaware Guarantor and each other significant subsidiary owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, are owned free from liens, encumbrances and defects, except to the extent such capital stock or other equity securities are subject to a lien or encumbrance in connection with the Credit Facility or the 364-Day Term Loan Facility;
(iii) Title to Property. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, (A) the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real properties and all other properties and assets owned by them, in each case free from liens, charges, encumbrances and defects that would materially affect the value thereof or materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them and (B) the Company and its subsidiaries hold any leased real or personal property under valid and enforceable leases with no terms or provisions that would materially interfere with the use made or to be made thereof by them, except, in each case, for such liens, charges, encumbrances, defects and exceptions that would not have a Material Adverse Effect;.
(iv) Absence of Existing Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar constitutive document and (B) to the best of such counsel’s knowledge, no default (or event which, with the giving of notice or lapse of time would be a default) has occurred in the due performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument that is described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the General Disclosure Package or filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement except, in the case of clause (B), for such defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(v) Shares of the Company. All outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company and the Guarantors are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable; and
(vi) Legal or Governmental Proceedings. Such counsel does not know of any legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body required to be described in a Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus which are not described as required or of any contracts or documents of a character required to be described in a Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to a Registration Statement which are not described and filed as required.
(g) Opinion of Alaska Counsel for the Issuers. The Representatives shall have received from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, counsel for the Company, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to such matters with respect to the State of Alaska, as the Representatives may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(h) Opinion of Louisiana Counsel for the Issuers. The Representatives shall have received from Phelps Dunbar LLP, counsel for the Company, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to such matters with respect to the State of Louisiana as the Representatives may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(i) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received from Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
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(j) Officer’s Certificate. The Representatives shall have received a certificate, dated the Closing Date, of an executive officer of the Company and the Guarantors and a principal financial or accounting officer of the Company and the Guarantors in which such officers shall state that: the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantors in this Agreement are true and correct; the Company and the Guarantors have complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the best of their knowledge and after reasonable investigation, are contemplated by the Commission; and, subsequent to the dates of the most recent financial statements in the General Disclosure Package, there has been no material adverse change, nor any development or event involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole except as set forth in the General Disclosure Package.
The Company will furnish the Representatives with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and documents as the Representatives reasonably request. The Representatives may in its sole discretion waive on behalf of the Underwriters compliance with any conditions to the obligations of the Underwriters hereunder.
8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company and the Guarantors, jointly and severally, will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its partners, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Indemnified Party”), against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of the Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the Final Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending against any loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, and in connection with the enforcement of this provision with respect to any of the above as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that neither the Company nor any Guarantor will be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement in or omission or alleged omission from any of such documents in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.
(b) Indemnification of Company. Each Underwriter will severally and not jointly indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Guarantors, each of its directors and each of its officers who signs a Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each, an “Underwriter Indemnified Party”), against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which such Underwriter Indemnified Party may become subject, under the Act, the Exchange Act, other Federal or state statutory law or regulation or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any part of the Registration Statement at any time, any Statutory Prospectus as of any time, the Final Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, and will reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter Indemnified
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Party in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not such Underwriter Indemnified Party is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission as such expenses are incurred, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of (i) the following information in the Final Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the information contained in the 11th, 12th and 13th paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting.”
(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under subsection (a) or (b) above, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof; but the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under subsection (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under subsection (a) or (b) above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened action in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on any claims that are the subject matter of such action and (ii) does not include a statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of an indemnified party.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Guarantors bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company and the Guarantors, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in
18
connection with investigating or defending any action or claim which is the subject of this subsection (d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. The Company, the Guarantors and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8(d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 8(d).
9. Default of Underwriters. If any Underwriter or Underwriters default in their obligations to purchase Securities hereunder on either the Closing Date and the aggregate principal amount of Securities that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase does not exceed 10% of the total principal amount of Securities that the Underwriters are obligated to purchase on the Closing Date, Credit Suisse may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Securities by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by the Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated severally, in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder, to purchase the Securities that such defaulting Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase on the Closing Date. If any Underwriter or Underwriters so default and the aggregate principal amount of Securities with respect to which such default or defaults occur exceeds 10% of the total principal amount of Securities that the Underwriters are obligated to purchase on the Closing Date and arrangements satisfactory to Credit Suisse and the Company for the purchase of such Securities by other persons are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement will terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except as provided in Section 10. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section. Nothing herein will relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
10. Survival of Certain Representations and Obligations. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the Guarantors or their officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation, or statement as to the results thereof, made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company, the Guarantors or any of their respective representatives, officers or directors or any controlling person, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. If the purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters is not consummated for any reason other than solely because of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket expenses (including fees and disbursements of counsel) reasonably incurred by them in connection with the offering of the Securities, and the respective obligations of the Company, the Guarantors and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 8 hereof shall remain in effect. In addition, if any Securities have been purchased hereunder, the representations and warranties in Section 2 and all obligations under Section 5 shall also remain in effect.
11. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and, if sent to the Underwriters, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to the Representatives, c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010-3629, Attention: LCD-IBD, c/o SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., Attn: Legal, 3333 Peachtree Road, 9th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30326, or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to it at 2103 City West Blvd., 4th Floor, Houston, Texas 77042, Attention: E. Chipman Earle; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8 will be mailed, delivered or telegraphed and confirmed to such Underwriter.
12. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 8, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
19
13. Representation of Underwriters. The Representatives will act for the several Underwriters in connection with this financing, and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives jointly will be binding upon all the Underwriters.
14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.
15. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and the Guarantors acknowledge and agree that:
(a) No Other Relationship. The Undewriters have been retained solely to act as underwriters in connection with the sale of Securities and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Final Prospectus, irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or is advising the Company or the Guarantors on other matters;
(b) Arms’ Length Negotiations. The price of the Securities set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company and the Guarantors following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Underwriters and the Company and the Guarantors are capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) Absence of Obligation to Disclose. The Company and the Guarantors have been advised that the Underwriters and their affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Guarantors and that the Underwriters have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company and the Guarantors by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) Waiver. The Company and each of the Guarantors waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Underwriters for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Underwriters shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company or the Guarantors in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company or the Guarantors.
16. Applicable Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
The Company and each of the Guarantors hereby submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company and each of the Guarantors irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in Federal and state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit or proceeding in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
[Signature Page Follows]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with the Representatives’ understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company one of the counterparts hereof, whereupon it will become a binding agreement among the Company, the Guarantors and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
| BRISTOW GROUP INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Joseph A. Baj | |
|
| ||
| Name: | Joseph A. Baj | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
| BRISTOW U.S. LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Joseph A. Baj | |
|
| ||
| Name: | Joseph A. Baj | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
| BRISTOW ALASKA INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Joseph A. Baj | |
|
| ||
| Name: | Joseph A. Baj | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
| BRISTOW HELICOPTERS INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Joseph A. Baj | |
|
| ||
| Name: | Joseph A. Baj | |
| Title: | Vice President | |
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first above written.
| CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Ryan E. Tull | |
|
| ||
| Name: Ryan E. Tull | ||
| Title: Director | ||
| SUNTRUST ROBINSON HUMPHREY, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Christopher L. Wood | |
|
| ||
| Name: Christopher L. Wood | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
Acting on behalf of themselves and as the Representatives of the several Underwriters.
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
| Underwriter | Principal Amount of Notes | |||
| Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC | $ | 90,000,000 | ||
| SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. | 90,000,000 | |||
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated | 56,250,000 | |||
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | 56,250,000 | |||
| J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | 56,250,000 | |||
| Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | 56,250,000 | |||
| HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 22,500,000 | |||
| U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. | 22,500,000 | |||
|
|
| |||
| Total | $ | 450,000,000 | ||
|
|
| |||
SCHEDULE B
1. General Use Free Writing Prospectuses (included in the General Disclosure Package)
“General Use Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” includes each of the following documents:
1. Final term sheet, dated September 27, 2012 and filed as a free writing prospectus on September 27, 2012, for the Securities.
2. Other Information Included in the General Disclosure Package
The following information is also included in the General Disclosure Package:
None
SCHEDULE C
September , 2012
The Board of Directors
Bristow Group Inc.
2103 City West Boulevard., 4th Floor
Houston, Texas 77042
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
As Representatives of the Several Underwriters,
c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC,
Eleven Madison Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010-3629
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have audited the consolidated balance sheets of Bristow Group Inc. (the Company) and subsidiaries as of March 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ investment, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended March 31, 2012, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2012. The consolidated financial statements, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting referred to above, are included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2012, which is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement (no. 333-183816) on Form S-3 including the prospectus supplement dated September 27, 2012, (herein collectively referred to as the Registration Statement) filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933 (the Act); our reports with respect thereto are also incorporated by reference in that Registration Statement.
In connection with the Registration Statement:
| 1. | We are an independent registered certified public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB). |
| 2. | In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements audited by us and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the related rules and regulations adopted by the SEC. |
| 3. | We have not audited any financial statements of the Company, or the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of any date or for any period subsequent to March 31, 2012; although we have conducted an audit for the year ended March 31, 2012, the purpose (and therefore the scope) of the audit was to enable us to express our opinion on the consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2012, and for the year then ended, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2012, but not on the consolidated financial statements or internal control over financial reporting for any interim period within that year. |
| 4. | For purposes of this letter we have read the fiscal year 2013 minutes of meetings of the stockholders, the audit committee, the board of directors, the compensation committee, the disclosure committee, and the corporate governance & nominating committee of the Company and its subsidiaries as set forth in the minute books at September 24, 2012, officials of the Company having advised us that the minutes of all such meetings through that date were set forth therein. We have carried out other procedures to September 24, 2012, as follows (our work did not extend to the period from September 25, 2012 to September 27, 2012, inclusive): |
| (a) | With respect to the three-month periods ended June 30, 2012 and 2011, we have: |
| (i) | Performed the procedures specified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for a review of interim financial information as described in SAS No. 100, Interim Financial Information, on the unaudited condensed consolidated interim balance sheet as of June 30, 2012, and related unaudited condensed consolidated interim statements of income, stockholders’ investment, and cash flows for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2012 and 2011, included in the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement. |
| (ii) | Inquired of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters whether the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements referred to in 4a(i) comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the SEC. |
| (b) | With respect to the period from July 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012, we have: |
| (i) | Read the incomplete unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company and subsidiaries for July and August of both 2011 and 2012 furnished to us by the Company, officials of the Company having advised us that no such financial statements as of any date or for any period subsequent to August 31, 2012, were available. The financial information for July and August of both 2011 and 2012 is incomplete because they omit notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. |
| (ii) | Inquired of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters whether the incomplete unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements referred to in 4b(i) are stated on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Registration Statement. |
The foregoing procedures do not constitute an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Also, they would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments in the following paragraph. Accordingly, we make no representations regarding the sufficiency of the foregoing procedures for your purposes.
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| 5. | Nothing came to our attention as a result of the foregoing procedures, however, that caused us to believe that: |
a.
| (i) | Any material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements described in 4a(i), included in the Registration Statement, for them to be in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. |
| (ii) | The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements described in 4a(i) do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the SEC. |
b.
| (i) | At August 31, 2012, there was any change in the capital stock, increase in long-term debt, or decrease in consolidated net current assets or stockholders’ investment of the consolidated companies as compared with amounts shown in the June 30, 2012, unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, except that long-term debt increased $589,000; or |
| (ii) | For the period from July 1, 2012, to August 31, 2012, there were any decreases, as compared to the corresponding period in the preceding year, in consolidated revenue or in the total or per-share amounts of net income, except in all instances for changes, increases, or decreases that the Registration Statement discloses have occurred or may occur. |
| 6. | As mentioned in 4b, Company officials have advised us that no consolidated financial statements as of any date or for any period subsequent to August 31, 2012, are available; accordingly, the procedures carried out by us with respect to changes in financial statement items after August 31, 2012, have, of necessity, been even more limited than those with respect to the period referred to in 4. We have inquired of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters whether (a) at September 24, 2012, there was any change in the capital stock, increase in long-term debt or any decreases in consolidated net current assets or shareholders’ investment of the consolidated companies as compared with amounts shown on the June 30, 2012, unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or (b) for the period from July 1, 2012, to September 24, 2012, there were any decreases, as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year, in consolidated revenues or in the total or per-share amounts of net income. On the basis of these inquiries and our reading of the minutes as described in 4, nothing came to our attention that caused us to believe that there was any such change, increase, or decrease, except in all instances for changes, increases, or decreases that the Registration Statement discloses have occurred or may occur. |
| 7. | For purposes of this letter, we have also read the items identified by you on the attached copies of the Registration Statement, Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Proxy Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, and have performed the following procedures, which were applied as indicated by the corresponding letter inserted next to the items. |
27
For purposes of reporting our findings, in those statements in which one or both of the compared amounts or percentages were rounded to some degree and the amounts or percentages were in agreement, except that they were not rounded to the same degree, we have nevertheless stated that we found the compared amounts to be in agreement. With respect to these items, we make no comment as to the Company’s determination as to what constitutes the appropriate presentations, disclosures, explanations, or causal relationships of such items.
With respect to the disclosure by the Company of any non-GAAP financial measures as defined by Regulation G, we make no comment as to whether such measures or the resulting disclosures comply with the requirements of Regulation G or Item 10 (e) of Regulation S-K. Unless otherwise indicated, the following conventions have been adopted in presenting the procedures and findings:
| A | Compared the indicated amount or percentage to (or recomputed the indicated amount or percentage from) the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Form 10-K for the applicable fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 and found such amounts or percentages to be in agreement. |
(However, we make no comment as to the appropriateness of the definition or components of the computed amount of EBITDAR.)
| B | Compared to the indicated amount or percentage to (or recomputed the indicated amount or percentage from) the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements or notes thereto included in the Form 10-Q for quarter ended June 30 for fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, and found such amounts or percentages to be in agreement. |
| C | Compared the indicated amount or percentage to (or recomputed the indicated amount or percentage from) a schedule or schedules prepared by the Company from its accounting records and found such amounts to be in agreement. |
(However as applicable, we make no comments as to the reasons given for variations in financial condition and result of operations amount or percentages in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2012, or the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.)
| D | Compared to and recomputed from amounts on a schedule prepared by the Company based on information included in the Registration Statement and found the amounts to be in agreement. |
(However, we make no comment as to the reasonableness of the “Use of Proceeds” or whether such use will actually take place.)
| 8. | Our audits of the consolidated financial statements for the periods referred to in the introductory paragraphs of this letter comprised audit tests and procedures deemed necessary for the purpose of expressing an opinion on such financial statements taken as a whole. For none of the periods referred to therein, or any other period, did we perform audit tests for the purpose of expressing an opinion on individual balances of accounts or summaries of selected transactions such as those enumerated above, and accordingly, we express no opinion thereon. |
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| 9. | It should be understood that we make no representations regarding questions of legal interpretation or regarding the sufficiency for your purposes of the procedures enumerated in the preceding paragraphs; also, such procedures would not necessarily reveal any material misstatement of the amounts or percentages listed above. It should also be understood that our procedures with respect to the information contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (MD&A) included in the Form 10-K that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement were limited to applying the procedures stated above and therefore we make no representations regarding the accuracy of the discussion contained therein, whether any facts have been omitted, or regarding the adequacy of the disclosures in MD&A, other than with respect to the results of the procedures performed as described in paragraph 7 above. Further, we have addressed ourselves solely to the foregoing data set forth in the Registration Statement and the pages appended hereto and make no representations regarding the adequacy of disclosures or regarding whether any material facts have been omitted. |
| 10. | This letter is solely for the information of the addressees and to assist the underwriters in conducting and documenting their investigation of the affairs of the Company in connection with the offering of the securities covered by the Registration Statement, and it is not to be used, circulated, quoted, or otherwise referred to within or without the underwriting group for any other purpose, including, but not limited to, the registration, purchase, or sale of securities, nor is it to be filed with or referred to in whole or in part in the Registration Statement or any other document, except that reference may be made to it in the underwriting agreement or in any list of closing documents pertaining to the offering of the securities covered by the Registration Statement. |
Very truly yours,
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SCHEDULE D
BRISTOW GROUP INC.
Significant Subsidiaries of the Registrant
| Company | Place of Incorporation | Percentage of Stock Owned | ||||
| BL Holdings II CV | Netherlands | 100 | % | |||
| BriLog Leasing Limited | Cayman Islands | 100 | %* | |||
| Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited | England | 49 | % | |||
| Bristow Cayman Ltd. | Cayman Islands | 100 | %* | |||
| Bristow Helicopter Group Limited | England | 100 | %* | |||
| Bristow Helicopters (Australia Pty.) Ltd | Australia | 100 | %** | |||
| Bristow Helicopters Inc. | Delaware | 100 | % | |||
| Bristow Helicopters International Limited | England | 100 | %** | |||
| Bristow Helicopters Limited | England | 100 | %** | |||
| Bristow Technical Services, Ltd | England | 100 | %** | |||
| Bristow (UK) LLP | England | 100 | % | |||
| Bristow US Holdings L.L.C. | Delaware | 100 | % | |||
| Bristow U.S. LLC | Louisiana | 100 | % | |||
| Bristow Worldwide LP | England | *** | ||||
| United Helicopters Limited | England | 100 | %** | |||
| * | Percentage owned by Bristow Worldwide LP |
| ** | Percentage owned by Bristow Helicopter Group Limited (BHGL) or its subsidiaries |
| *** | Bristow Worldwide LP is a partnership between Bristow (UK) LLP and Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited. Under the Partnership Agreement 95.88% of the profits and losses of Brilog Leasing Limited and Bristow Cayman Ltd. and 5% of the profits and losses of Bristow Helicopter Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries are allocated to Bristow (UK) LLP. The remaining 4.12% of the profits and losses of Brilog Leasing Limited and Bristow Cayman Ltd. and 95% of the profits and losses of Bristow Helicopter Group Limited and its subsidiaries are allocated to Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited |
