Supply of two day Plug and Abandonment Awareness training event

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) wishes to procure a two day plug and abandonment awareness training event.

Description: This is a learning requirement for up to 32 members of the Offshore Environmental Unit (OEU) and the Offshore Decommissioning Unit (ODU).

The OEU and ODU are core units of the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) Directorate based in Aberdeen.

OPRED is part of the Energy Development Unit which is part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Course participants will be technical specialist middle management staff.

As regulators, BEIS specialist staff are required to possess, maintain and develop specialist technical knowledge in the fields of oil and gas production and regulation.

This requirement seeks to deliver an understanding of the principles, methodologies, practicalities and risks associated with well abandonment.

Plug & Abandonment of wells is a critical aspect of the decommissioning of offshore installations accounting for almost 50% of the overall decommissioning costs.

Ensuring that wells are P&A correctly to ensure well control to prevent a release during well P&A operations and the long term integrity of the well against possible future releases to sea is an essential part of P&A operations.

As the amount of P&A work being undertaken increases due to early decommissioning of installations, with increasing pressures to reduce costs and inefficiencies, having a thorough understanding of the existing and new techniques involved, the hazards, risks and barriers in place during P&A operations would be greatly beneficial to staff involved in permitting and inspecting such operations.

P&A operations, particularly on 30-40 year old wells with little knowledge of the state of the well, is a specialist area with different challenges to normal well operations and as such a course focussing on the particular aspects of P&A operations will ensure technical staff have a greater understanding of the subject and be better placed to regulate this aspect of offshore oil & gas operations.

It is envisaged that the chosen supplier will: - Deliver a two day course; Deliver the course twice over for an audience of between 12-16 delegates; Be capable of delivering the courses in November/December 2017; Provide suitable training facilities, for ease of access these must be located in Aberdeen and preferably in the city centre (these should possess the capability for delivering classroom and simulation instruction); Supply course materials