SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

 

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 11-K

 

 

x

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE

 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

For fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

 OR

 

o

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE

 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

For the transition period from ________to ________

 Commission file number 1-6262  

 

A.

Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from that of the issuer

 

named below:

 

 

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN 

 

4101 Winfield Road

Warrenville, Illinois 60555

 

B.

Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the address of

 

its principal executive office:

 

 

BP p.l.c.

1 St. James’s Square

London SW1Y 4PD England

 

 



  

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

 

To the Savings Plan Investment Oversight Committee of BP Corporation North America Inc.

 

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets available for benefits of the BP DirectSave Plan as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related statement of changes in assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 2004. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Plan’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. 

 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. We were not engaged to perform an audit of the Plan’s internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Plan’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

 In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the assets available for benefits of the Plan at December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the changes in its assets available for benefits for the year ended December 31, 2004, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

  

 

Ernst & Young LLP

 

 

Chicago, Illinois

June 9, 2005      

 

1

 



  

   

EIN 36-1812780

Plan No. 052

 

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________ 

 

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

thousands of dollars 

 

 

December 31,

 

2004

 

2003

 

 

 

 

Investment in the BP Master Trust

 

 

 

for Employee Savings Plans

$ 2,566

 

$ 2,377

 

 

 

 

Assets available for benefits

$ 2,566

 

$ 2,377

                 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.

 

2

 



  

EIN 36-1812780

Plan No. 052

 

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________

 

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004

thousands of dollars

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additions of assets attributed to:

 

 

 

 

Participant contributions

 

$

431

 

Company contributions

 

 

46

 

Rollover contributions

 

 

1

 

Net investment gain – BP Master Trust

 

 

 

 

for Employee Savings Plans

 

 

241

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total additions

 

 

719

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deductions of assets attributed to:

 

 

 

 

Distributions to participants

 

 

(526

)

Transfer of assets to other BP

 

 

 

 

sponsored savings plans

 

 

(4

)

 

 

 

 

 

Total deductions

 

 

(530

)

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase in assets during the year

 

 

189

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assets available for benefits:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of year

 

 

2,377

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of year

 

$

2,566

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.

 

 

3

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________

 

 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

1.

DESCRIPTION OF PLAN

 

The following description of the BP DirectSave Plan (the “Plan”) provides only general information. Participants should refer to the Plan document for more complete information.

 

 The Plan, established on April 1, 1988, is a defined contribution plan which is subject to and complies with the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Employees of BP America Inc. (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries who are hourly employees at Company-operated retail locations, plane fueling or tank farm operations are eligible to participate in the Plan. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of BP p.l.c. (“BP”). The Company reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan at any time. 

 

The purpose of the Plan is to encourage eligible employees to regularly save part of their earnings and to assist them in accumulating additional financial security for their retirement. The Plan provides that both participant contributions and Company matching contributions be held in a trust by an independent trustee for the benefit of participating employees. Plan assets are held in the BP Master Trust for Employee Savings Plans (the “Master Trust”). The trustee of the Master Trust is State Street Bank and Trust Company. 

 

Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company, Inc. is the Plan’s recordkeeper. BP Corporation North America Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company) is the Plan sponsor and its Senior Vice President, Human Resources is the Plan administrator.  

 

Under the Plan, participating employees may contribute up to 100% of their qualified pay on a pre-tax and/or after-tax basis, subject to Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) limits. Participants who attain age 50 before the end of the applicable year are eligible to make additional elective deferrals (catch-up contributions), subject to IRS limits. Participants may elect to invest in numerous investment fund options offered under the Plan. Participants may change the percentage they contribute and the investment direction of their contributions at any time throughout the year. Participants are permitted to rollover amounts representing distributions from other qualified plans. 

 

Prior to 2003, the Plan did not provide for a Company match of employee contributions. For certain employees, effective January 1, 2003, a specified percentage of the employee contribution, up to a maximum of $400, was matched by the Company in the form of cash and initially invested in the BP Stock Fund. Effective January 1, 2005, Company contributions are invested in funds selected by participants. Effective January 1, 2005, participants, other than eligible employees of Air BP, became eligible for a Company match equal to $0.50 for each $1.00 of employee contributions up to 4% of compensation. Participants may elect to sell any portion of their investment fund(s) and reinvest the proceeds in one or more of the other available investment alternatives. Except where the fund provider, the recordkeeper, or the Plan have restrictions or take discretionary action responsive to frequent trading or market timing concerns, there are no restrictions on the number of transactions a participant may authorize during the year. The Plan does not provide for loans to participants.  

 

4

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________ 

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

 

1.

DESCRIPTION OF PLAN (continued)

 

The benefit to which a participant is entitled is the benefit which can be provided by the participant’s vested account balance. Participants are immediately vested in their contributed accounts. Vesting in Company matching contribution accounts is dependent upon specific criteria as described in the Plan document. Forfeitures of Company contributions by participants who withdrew from the Plan before vesting amounted to $20,825 and $3,479 during the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. The Plan uses forfeitures to pay certain administrative expenses and to reduce future Company contributions.

 

 All reasonable and necessary Plan administrative expenses are paid out of the Master Trust or paid by the Company. Generally, fees and expenses related to investment management of each investment option are paid out of the respective funds. As a result, the returns on those investments are net of the fees and expenses of the managers of those investment options and certain other brokerage commissions, fees and expenses incurred in connection with those investment options.

 

2.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Method of Accounting. The financial statements of the Plan are prepared under the accrual method of accounting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts. Actual results may differ in some cases from the estimates. 

 

Investment Valuation. All investments of the Master Trust, except as noted below, are stated at fair value generally as determined by quoted closing market prices, if available. Investments in guaranteed investment contracts and synthetic guaranteed investment contracts, which are fully benefit responsive, are valued at contract value which approximates fair value. Money market investments are valued at cost which approximates fair value. Other investments for which no quoted market prices are available are valued at fair value as determined by the trustee based on the advice of its investment consultants.

 

3.

 INCOME TAX STATUS


The Plan has received a determination letter from the IRS dated October 8, 2003, with respect to its qualified status under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and the related trust is exempt from taxation. The Plan is required to operate in conformity with the IRC in order to maintain its qualification. Although the Plan has been amended since receiving the determination letter, the Plan administrator and the Company’s tax counsel believe the Plan continues to meet the applicable tax qualification requirements of the IRC. The Plan sponsor reserves the right to make any amendments necessary to maintain the qualification of the Plan and trust.

 

5

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

 

4.

RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES


Investment securities held in the Master Trust are exposed to various risks such as interest rate, market and credit risks. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, it is at least reasonably possible that changes in the values of investment securities could occur in the near term and that such changes could materially affect participants’ account balances and the amounts reported in the statements of assets available for benefits.

 

5.

MASTER TRUST


All investment assets of the Plan are held in the Master Trust with the assets of other BP sponsored savings plans. 


The beneficial interest of the plans in the Master Trust is adjusted daily to reflect the effect of income collected and accrued, realized and unrealized gains and losses, contributions and withdrawals, and all other transactions. The Master Trust constitutes a single investment account as defined in the master trust reporting and disclosure rules and regulations of the Department of Labor.

 

The Master Trust holds guaranteed investment contracts and synthetic guaranteed investment contracts in order to achieve certain fixed income objectives and to manage interest rate risk. The crediting interest rates on the contracts ranged from 3.9% to 7.6% at December 31, 2004 (3.7% to 7.6% at December 31, 2003). The average yield earned on the contracts during the year ended December 31, 2004 was 4.2%. The crediting interest rates on synthetic guaranteed investment contracts are generally reset quarterly by the issuer, but can not be less than 0%. The contract values of synthetic guaranteed investment contracts are net of ($6 million) at December 31, 2004 and ($12 million) at December 31, 2003 representing the fair value of the related wrapper contracts. The Master Trust’s interest in the contracts represents the maximum potential credit loss from concentrations of credit risk associated with its investment.

 

Certain Master Trust investments include American Depositary Shares of BP p.l.c. (“BP ADSs”). Transactions in BP ADSs qualify as party-in-interest transactions under the provisions of ERISA. Purchases and sales of BP ADSs during 2004 amounted to $871 million and $1,197 million, respectively.

 

 In order to provide the BP Stock Fund liquidity, in November 2004, BP Corporation North America Inc. agreed to advance the Master Trust up to $200 million. Amounts borrowed by the Master Trust under the revolving loan facility do not bear interest and are repayable within three days. At December 31, 2004, there were no amounts outstanding under the agreement. 

 

6

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

_________________

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

 

5.

MASTER TRUST (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2004 and 2003, the Plan’s percentage interest in the Master Trust was 0.03% and 0.03%, respectively. The net assets of the Master Trust as of December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, and changes in net assets of the Master Trust for the year ended December 31, 2004 are as follows:

 

 NET ASSETS

thousands of dollars 

 

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2003

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BP ADSs

 

$

3,185,260

 

$

2,986,237

 

Registered investment companies

 

 

2,657,274

 

 

2,078,502

 

Common collective trust funds

 

 

1,203,099

 

 

1,155,675

 

Money market and short-term

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

investment funds

 

 

860,118

 

 

973,201

 

Synthetic guaranteed investment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

contracts

 

 

675,461

 

 

649,418

 

Guaranteed investment contracts

 

 

28,207

 

 

52,856

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total investments

 

 

8,609,419

 

 

7,895,889

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Receivables:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends and interest

 

 

418

 

 

6

 

Securities sold

 

 

1,355

 

 

5,600

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

 

8,611,192

 

 

7,901,495

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Securities purchased

 

 

8,859

 

 

1,030

 

Fees and expenses

 

 

481

 

 

744

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

9,340

 

 

1,774

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets

 

$

8,601,852

 

$

7,899,721

 

 

7

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

__________________

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

 

5.

MASTER TRUST (continued)

 

CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2004

thousands of dollars

 

 

 

 

 

Additions of assets attributed to:

 

 

 

 

Transfer of assets from participating plans:

 

 

 

 

Participant contributions

 

$

218,778

 

Rollover contributions

 

 

31,946

 

Company contributions

 

 

135,971

 

Loan repayments

 

 

56,103

 

Interest and dividends

 

 

203,650

 

Transfer of assets from BP Solar 401(k) Plan

 

 

20,392

 

Net realized and unrealized appreciation

 

 

 

 

in fair value of investments:

 

 

 

 

BP ADSs

 

 

523,478

 

Registered investment companies

 

 

191,249

 

Common collective trust funds

 

 

127,947

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total additions

 

 

1,509,514

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deductions of assets attributed to:

 

 

 

 

Transfer of assets to participating plans:

 

 

 

 

Distributions to participants

 

 

749,248

 

Loans to participants

 

 

56,714

 

Administrative expenses

 

 

1,421

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total deductions

 

 

807,383

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net increase in assets during the year

 

 

702,131

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of year

 

 

7,899,721

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of year

 

$

8,601,852

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 



  

 SIGNATURE 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

  

 

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

 

By Plan Administrator

 

Date: June 24, 2005

/s/ Simon Drysdale                                        
Simon Drysdale
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
BP Corporation North America Inc.

 

 

9

 



  

BP DIRECTSAVE PLAN

___________________ 

 

EXHIBITS

 

 

Exhibit No.

Description

 

 

23

Consent of Independent Registered

 

Public Accounting Firm

  

10