Spell out key aspects of the project timing and any key milestones. Do federal (national) or state (provincial) permits only allow the drilling contractor on site at certain times or durations? Are there exceptions in the permit due to habitat/breeding concerns with local wildlife? Will site access become problematic during a change in weather, ie. rain, snow, heat? If site access is only helicopter accessible, are there firm start and end dates? Are the dates pertaining to any site visits, question periods, tender submission, and project award clearly spelled out? 

There are many variables that contribute to the overall success of a drilling program. Setting clear expectations around anticipated penetration rates (if applicable, historic rates are best), acceptable core recovery percentage, drilling accuracy/hole deviation, survey intervals, core orientation, consumable supplies, sample storage / core boxes, water sourcing and transport, automated rod handling, accommodations for geotech support, etc. provides those bidding the work with consistent information, allowing a better value comparison in the end. Failing to define expectations often leads to operational confusion, delays, cost overruns, change orders, and future discussion around cost containment. No one wants their program shortened because time and money were wasted resolving issues that could have been clarified up front.

Unique site conditions can make or break a project. Understanding your permit and the applications to your drilling program are paramount. Requirements for water usage and drilling fluid disposal are vitally important. A drilling contractor can incur significant additional costs to complete a drilling project if drilling fluid management is not clear in the RFQ. Many drilling projects are now moving to drilling fluid management systems that produce a semi-dry solid and do not put any drilling fluid on the ground or in an onsite pit. What about noise? Are there requirements regarding wildlife disturbance, breeding periods, migration areas, nearby housing, or other potential issues where noise from the drilling activities on the site would impact a drilling contractor’s ability to operate?

Site disturbance has also become an increasingly important issue as it is typical for permits to only allow so many acres of active disturbance prior to reclamation activities. Given your site locations, how many active sites can you have with proper regard to safe operations?

Clearly defined travel routes to the drilling locations and laydown areas as well as expectations about off-road travel and potential one-off events are important and best sorted prior to bid submission so that all the potential service providers know what is required. Many contractors have seen instances where the drilling crews identify alternate travel routes, for various reasons, that do not meet project or permit expectations.

During the bidding process it is inevitable that questions will arise no matter how well the RFQ has been prepared. Having a clearly identified team and communication process speeds up resolution and keeps all the bidders on the same page. Identifying representatives from Geology, Hydrology, Health and Safety, Engineering, and Supply Chain/Procurement and having them in the loop on the project specifications assists potential bidders in getting questions answered and any necessary clarifications made easily and quickly.

Be clear about non-conforming bids. Will they be accepted and considered?  Accepting a non-conforming bid that may seem to provide a better value often ends up adding confusion to the decision-making process by straining accurate comparisons between contractors and lengthening the tender process through additional questions and needed clarifications. Take the time to be thorough up front and the outcome will be better served without wasting time trying to sort out how to compare a non-conforming tender.

At the end of the day, a strong contract is the best way to guarantee project success and if things get off track, it provides a clear backstop to discussions and issue resolution. Thinking through the key aspects of the program and vetting ideas and mitigation plans prior to issuing the RFQ results in bid submissions aligned to your expectations, allows for easier comparison among contractors, and keeps your project timing and costs on track from day one. Happy Drilling!

For example, consider the first exploration drilling project that might take place on Mars. New variables such as lack of oxygen, space travel, and extreme climates make for a difficult work environment and unfamiliar conditions. But at the end of the day, what’s most important is a drill teams’ ability to communicate effectively throughout the duration of the project.

Regardless of the place or world where a drilling project is located, success starts and finishes with communication. 

Consider projects you have completed… how did communication affect the outcome?

Because we interact and associate with people every day, communication can often be overlooked as an essential factor of success. Here are seven tips for effective communication to help keep your team in check, and ultimately exceed project goals and objectives.

Onsite team communication starts with all members understanding the chain of communication. During the drilling process, communication starts and stops at the driller’s controls. The driller is responsible for   all procedures and tasks on the job site, and is aware of every process. The driller also prioritizes tasks and communicates this to the entire team.

This chain of communication works because the drill crew knows the driller is the starting point for every process. The driller is the first to observe changes downhole communicated by the drill rig and the tooling, and then he/she transfers critical information to the rest of the onsite team. 

In the past, it was not uncommon for the supervisor (foreman), driller, and the driller assistant to be the only crew members to understand the drilling process. The rest of the drill crew was only expected to understand the job site specific daily tasks, and general safety requirements.

The old-world argument warns that educating all members onsite can lead to the possibility of leaking job site information and trade secrets to the competition. This antiquated way of operating created an information silo of many under-invested employees.

A 21st-century drilling team understands that it’s more important to hire team members who exhibit honesty and integrity, increasing the level of trust and ensuring critical information remains safe.

Furthermore, a thoroughly educated drill team can interpret and react faster to a drill rig’s communication. These teams anticipate catastrophic rig failures or downhole issues and implement corrective measures. When a drill team is properly trained and understands the drilling process, its members can safely take preventative action to minimize problem events that could potentially impact the project. 

Aligning communication starts with all members onsite utilizing common job site terminology and safety language. That language changes depending on the region, rig manufacturer, and level of the crew’s professionalism.

Consider the four-letter word “STOP!”; it’s not uncommon for a drill crew from Wyoming full of horsemen to use another four-letter word “WOAH!” Both terms meaning, ‘halt all activities’ can be utilized safely when team members are aware of both interpretations and use.

Often 80% of all correspondence on a noisy construction site is non-verbal signals. Hand signals are also a beneficial form of communication if everyone is employing the same signs. Operators, along with spotters, must be able to see and signal each other when it’s challenging to hear verbal commands. An experienced drill team can operate safely and effectively for hours on site while speaking very few words and utilizing industry standard hand signals. Crews that use hoisting and heavy equipment operation signals have much lower near-miss and recordable incident rates than crews that use random hand signals like waving to one another. 

Effective external communication starts with knowing which type of customer is being engaged and what information they require. This dynamic changes due to confidential information. The project information relayed to the senior geologist or the project customer will rarely be the same as the information given to the neighboring landowner or the local public.

A drilling crew should have a defined communication plan that starts with asking who the visitor is, so they can understand why they are onsite, followed by directing the visitor to the right representative. The big fear is that ‘the new guy’ might relay incorrect data to the customer or pass on confidential information to a stranger. This is why it’s essential to have a strategic plan for external communications and remind the onsite drilling team of that communication plan daily.

On a “right-of-way project,” good communication begins with the team knowing all abnormal operating conditions for environmental, health, and safety (EHS) considerations and adherence.

An abnormal operating condition could be anything from an environmentally sensitive area, which would limit the hours of operation for equipment that reaches over 80 decibels of noise. If a rancher arrives onsite at dark with a flashlight saying that the drill is interrupting his livestock’s sleep, it is crucial to know the rules before engaging with him. 

Often on an established drilling site, this information is presented as a site-specific orientation by the customer. However, on smaller single-hole projects, the only EHS information is found in the contract.

Drilling is a disruptive process that changes the location forever. Once a drill starts cutting the ground, the chain of communication quickly expands from the customer, to possibly the neighboring property owner, to corporate officials, to regulatory government agencies. Each party requires different information to properly oversee job completion.

Complex projects in remote locations require a diverse staff of people to complete the job successfully. The men and women involved have a common goal of success, however, they have individual objectives and information to gather before the job is complete. When all parties involved understand their goals, and the goals of others through proper communication, project success increases exponentially.

Effective communication is fully understanding what is being said before answering. It’s easy to assume what information the customer wants and have a response ready, but often crucially relative information is lost while listening to respond.

Effective communication requires all parties on a project work together for best results. At the Advanced Rig Technology Conference hosted by the IADC, presenter David Kaplan, a NASA Engineer, spoke about the importance of NASA continuing to utilize pilots when moving humans in and out of space.

He said “You can’t engineer man out of the technology. It will cost you billions of dollars. However, the goal is to give them the right information through effective communication at the right time to make the best decision.”

NASA understands that men and women with the right information, working in collaboration with their team, can outperform and overcome any situation. Communication requires cooperation to be effective just as a drilling project can only be successful when the drill team, customer, neighbor, and regulator all work together.