UNSPSC 71121009: Oilfield mud removal services

A service performed to remove unwanted drilling-fluids as prerequisite for primary cementing success. Mud left in the wellbore can prevent development of a hydraulic seal.

UNSPSC 71121009 Oilfield mud removal services, a Commodity code, encompasses the plugging, abandonment, and site restoration of orphaned oil and gas wells, with recent state and local activity dominated by plugging operations that include comprehensive mud engineering, drilling fluids management, waste disposal, and environmental remediation. State and local governments soliciting under this code include state environmental and natural resources departments, oil and gas regulatory boards, and county governments, with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board emerging as standout repeat buyers issuing multiple direct solicitations and invitations for bid spanning dozens of orphaned well sites. Recent work solicited includes the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's direct solicitations for plugging and site restoration at 38 orphaned gas storage wells across Gratiot and Montcalm counties (DS 260000000032 through DS 260000000035, responses due July 21, 2026) and the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board's invitation for bids for plugging, remediation, and reclamation of seven orphaned wells in Adams, Clarke, Hinds, Jefferson Davis, and Yazoo counties (IFB 3160007881, responses due April 13, 2026), both structured as lump-sum and unit-price procurements with mandatory prequalification, prevailing wage compliance, and best-value award criteria.

Activity concentrates in Michigan and Mississippi, with secondary volume in Texas, Illinois, and other oil-producing regions. Michigan's orphan well program drives substantial recent volume, with four major direct solicitations posted in late June and early July 2026 targeting gas storage wellhead abandonment across a single field using prequalified contractor lists from five prior RFPs. Mississippi's federally funded orphan well program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act produces steady procurement volume across multiple counties. The Texas General Land Office and Railroad Commission of Texas have posted related well plugging solicitations and requests for qualifications, though recent UNSPSC 71121009-tagged opportunities in those jurisdictions are sparse. Illinois Department of Natural Resources has posted one small-scale well drilling and pump installation procurement (supplemental irrigation well, not plugging) incorrectly tagged to this code. Geographic concentration in Michigan and Mississippi reflects state-level environmental remediation initiatives and federal IIJA funding directed toward orphaned well abandonment; the code shows limited recent activity outside those two states and oil-and-gas-producing regions, signaling that most state and local governments do not procure oilfield mud removal services directly, instead relying on environmental consultants, engineering firms, or state regulatory agencies managing such work.