Orphan Well - Exploratory 2025 NW

This contract involves the exploration of orphan wells across Ohio to gather critical information on their equipment, materials, and conditions, with the ultimate goal of facilitating future well plugging efforts. It is a competitively bid project through OhioBuys, with three regional contracts to be awarded, each assigned to a different contractor based on a regional map of Ohio. The selected contractors will be responsible for conducting exploratory work, and while their primary purpose is to collect data, they must also have certain equipment on hand to address any worsening conditions that may arise during exploration. The contract duration will be determined by either a specific timeframe or a maximum expenditure limit, with work authorized through work orders. Contractors are required to submit separate OhioBuys offers for each region, and no single contractor will be awarded more than one region. The project is classified as mission-critical, emphasizing its importance for public safety and environmental protection, and is mandated by statute to ensure orphan wells are properly evaluated and eventually plugged. The contract value ranges from $500,000 to $1,500,000, and the solicitation was posted on August 7, 2024, with responses due by August 27, 2024. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Oil and Gas oversees the project, which aims to support future plugging operations by providing detailed insights into the condition of orphan wells across the state.