LICENSE TO LEAD: Smart, Swift & Competitive Oil and Gas Licensing

Outline

1. DAY 1: LEADERSHIP THREAD The Regulator as Strategic Leader

   The global contest for capital What investors weigh when choosing where to explore: geology, fiscal terms, stability, speed and predictability. Licensing models compared Concessions, production sharing contracts, risk service contracts and hybrids, with the trade-offs of each. Allocation methods Bid rounds, open-door and permanent-offer systems and direct negotiation, with lessons from Norway, the UK, Brazil and Guyana. Vision & Mandate Defining the regulator's purpose and leading with clarity when investment, revenue, safety and environmental goals pull in different directions.

2. Day 2: PRICING A LICENSE RIGHT

   Anatomy of licensing cost Signature bonuses, rentals, royalties, cost recovery limits, profit oil splits, R-factors and state participation. The hidden cost of delay Duplicate submissions, slow approvals and uncertainty, which investors quietly price in as risk. Government take vs. attractiveness Modelling progressive and regressive terms across oil price scenarios to find the balance point. Deciding with Data Using fiscal models, benchmarks and impact assessments to defend decisions to ministers, parliament and the public.

3. Day 3: TERMS THAT ATTRACT, PROTECT AND ENDURE

   Key license terms Duration and phases, work obligations, relinquishment, stability clauses, local content and decommissioning. Clear, bankable contracts Model contracts and standard terms that reduce ambiguity, negotiation time and disputes. Making licensing easy Clear eligibility, published timelines, open data rooms,pre-qualification and predictable evaluation. Transparency & governance Contract disclosure, beneficial ownership, EITI standards and conflict-of-interest controls. Ethical Leadership Building a culture of integrity, managing political pressure and safeguarding institutional independence