The Subsurface Formation Evaluation and Wireline Services Technical Procurement Advisor role
Every member of an Oil & Gas Team has his own expertise. Geologists, Reservoir Engineers, Petrophysicists, Geophysicists, Drillers, Well Intervention experts, have their own needs and requirements. Procuring efficiently in order to fullfil these requirements is a complex process the Technical Procurment Support person is handling from understanding these requirements to delivering the related answers.
The Techincal Procurement Advisor is able to speak every Geoscience Specialist languages, undersand every technical requirements, and translate them into the Service Provider’s language according to the agreed procurement strategy and objectives. He is aware of the various providers technologies and is able to select and procure efficiently the technologies that will fullfil the Company requirements at best.
In addition, by clearly translating the various Company technical requirements into Contractor’s language, the usual ambiguities and misunderstandings we very frequently face while operating these contracts can be drastically reduced, or even eliminated. And everyone gets what he expects from the business relationship.
Dueing the execution of the contract, the Technical Advisor continues to monitor the Operators GeoSciences needs and proposes technical solutions.
The economic value of Technical Procurement
The cost of any service can be split into a direct cost, invoiced for the service by its provider, and an indirect cost related to the impact of that service on the cost of other services. In the example of Wireline Logging, the direct cost is the service provider invoice, the indirect costs are all related support costs like drilling rig or logistic. In most offshore enviroment, the indirect costs are driving to total cost of the service.
Minimizing the direct cost is important, but evaluating to total cost is key to a proper service procurement process. The interrelating effects of the procured services must therefore be clearly understood, mapped, and evaluated or influenced during the procurement process. Saving 10k a month on logistic is great, but not at the cost of taking a risk to delay a million dollar a day operation.
Optimizing this process involves monitoring:
- HSE performance. Are the services delivered in a safe and environmentally friendly manner not jeopardizing people or asset safety?
- Data deliverability. Does the acquired dataset or the serices performed answer the original requirements?
- Data quality. Can the data be trusted?
- Cost effectiveness. Are the services delivered for an optimum direct and indirect cost?
The overall process covered
- Establish the data acquisition objectives (G&G Group) or services requirement (Drilling and Well Intervention teams, Production teams, …)
- Plan Wireline logging operations. Translate these objectives into technical requirements in Service Provider’s language.
- Assist Procurement team to communicate the objectives to the suppliers through tender process. Word tender document in order to Minimize Company explosure, minimize ambiguities and misunderstanding, and make sure the contractor response answers the technologies required.
- Evaluate Tender responses technically and economically
- Audit Supplier base (HSE, maintenance facility, …)
- Audit equipment availability and maintenance
- Audit proposed personnel qualification and verify and validate expertise and experience
- Validate that the proposed equipment is able to deliver the required data and services.
- Perform a risk assessment of data acquisition and optimize the tool selection and combinations based on well design and hole condition
- Prepare the data acquisition or other services program
- Design and communicate the Project Operation Protocol and the associated subcontractor Quality Assurance Plan.
- Monitor the operations to ensure the team is performing according to the program and the original requirements are fulfilled. Evaluate acquired Data Quality.
- Continously perform gap analysis between acquired dataset and requried one to solve new ongoing technical chalenges, and propose technical solutions to address these challenges.
- Negotiate technology upgrades with Contractors as required
- Flolow up on any equipment damaged in hole in order to minimize cost exposure to Company. Like an insurance company would do.
- Draft lessons learned, if any
- Review and approve wireline logging invoices
- Feedback into Company process improvement