---
title: "Onshore Oil & Gas: Development of a Soil-Gas Monitoring Protocol for Assessing the Integrity of Decommissioned Wells"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ef63765c-1dbf-4d72-9fa3-0caed195a28e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ef63765c-1dbf-4d72-9fa3-0caed195a28e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef63765c-1dbf-4d72-9fa3-0caed195a28e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef63765c-1dbf-4d72-9fa3-0caed195a28e.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2021-11-12"
---

# Onshore Oil & Gas: Development of a Soil-Gas Monitoring Protocol for Assessing the Integrity of Decommissioned Wells

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ef63765c-1dbf-4d72-9fa3-0caed195a28e

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## Summary

The public procurement process involves the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which is based in Lancaster, England. The tender titled "Onshore Oil & Gas: Development of a Soil-Gas Monitoring Protocol for Assessing the Integrity of Decommissioned Wells" aims to create a systematic monitoring protocol for assessing the integrity of decommissioned oil and gas wells. This project is classified under research consultancy services and has a total budget of £40,000. The tender process is currently in the award stage, having published its request for quotations on 8 October 2021, with the submission deadline set for 1 November 2021. The contract is scheduled to commence on 15 November 2021 and conclude by 31 March 2022.

This tender presents valuable opportunities for businesses in the environmental consultancy and research sectors, particularly those with expertise in soil-gas measurement and protocol development. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs) would be well-positioned to participate in this competitive quotation process. The successful bidder will not only contribute to an essential environmental project but will also potentially enhance their reputation and open paths to further contracts in the growing field of environmental monitoring and assessment.

## Notice

This project focuses on the use of soil-gas measurements to infer the integrity status of decommissioned onshore oil and gas wells in England. The integrity of buried decommissioned wells may be impaired by long-term degradation of well materials and seals, so that fugitive gas may be released through the overlying soil. Previous studies have measured soil-gas to try and infer integrity, but the measurements and inferences have been variable - so the integrity status of decommissioned wells remains uncertain. This project will develop and trial a protocol for making, interpreting and reporting soil-gas measurements, so that integrity status can be determined with more confidence. The project will start with a desk-based review of existing methods for measuring and interpreting soil-gas to infer decommissioned well integrity. An initial concept scheme for monitoring soil gas will then be developed and trialled at a minimum of 3 decommissioned production wells. The results of the review and trial will be used to develop a systematic monitoring protocol, which will include examples and advice on how it may be used to confirm the presence, or absence, of fugitive releases from decommissioned wells. The work will be summarised in a report that will make recommendations for improving the protocol, and will discuss how soil-gas monitoring compares with other techniques for assessing well integrity. It will also use expert judgement to comment on up to 3 related technical issues such as: (i) the role of low permeability surficial sediments in containing fugitive releases, (ii) the potential for using the protocol in other situations involving engineered sub-surface containment of gases. The protocol will focus on methane, but will include accompanying gases if they help to identify methane sources. The protocol will cover basic reconnaissance methods for "screening" decommissioned well sites, and more detailed "follow-up" methods for investigating "screened in" sites that may have fugitive releases from decommissioned wells. The protocol will consider the criteria to be used when deciding if monitoring at a site should escalate from reconnaissance to detailed investigation. It will distinguish between methane signals and variations due to (a) background levels, (b) natural soil processes including diurnal and seasonal cycles, (c) potential confounding sources e.g. agricultural emissions, and (d) any additional methane (i.e. additional to a-c) that may be a fugitive emission from a decommissioned well. The protocol will consider uncertainties so that a level of confidence can be associated with any assessment that fugitive methane is, or is not, present from a decommissioned well. It will also consider how the emission flux of methane from a decommissioned well may be determined from soil gas measurements. Additional information: To apply please respond to the attached Invitation to Quote and associated documents. Email your response to roger.timmis@environment-agency.gov.uk. Tenders to be received no later than 17:00 on 1 November 2021. If you have any further questions about this tender then please e-mail roger.timmis@environment-agency.gov.uk.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6a57c3c8-2459-447f-889f-676816c06d93 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Competitive quotation (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 12 Nov 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 1 Nov 2021 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 8 Nov 2021 |
| Contract period | 10 Nov 2021 - 31 Mar 2022 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £40,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £39,945 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Locality | LANCASTER |
| Post town | Lancaster |
| Postcode | LA1 4YQ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD4 Lancashire |
| ITL 3 | TLD44 Lancaster and Wyre |
| Local authority | Lancaster |
| Electoral ward | University |
| Westminster constituency | Lancaster and Wyre |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73210000 - Research consultancy services

## Release History

- 12 Nov 2021 at 12:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6a57c3c8-2459-447f-889f-676816c06d93
- 8 Oct 2021 at 10:33 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4d6da13-4179-444e-a7d3-2b6e0593094e
- 8 Oct 2021 at 09:35 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4d6da13-4179-444e-a7d3-2b6e0593094e

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6a57c3c8-2459-447f-889f-676816c06d93
  12th November 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4d6da13-4179-444e-a7d3-2b6e0593094e
  8th October 2021 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/1d4f2a58-96df-45ca-950b-ca53424ffdb5
  Request for quotation
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/41b29d74-c724-4ea7-9142-90d271286f4a
  Terms & Conditions
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/SupplierAttachment/ede03995-ac77-4a62-b6b2-ef39b76e4875

## Provenance

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