UNSPSC 71121207: Sponge coring services

Services to expel fluids in the surrounding sponge material for analysis.

UNSPSC 71121207 Sponge coring services (Commodity) encompasses orphan well plugging, abandonment, and site restoration services—a distinct gap between the code's nominal name and the work state and local governments are actually procuring. Recent solicitations reveal state environmental agencies and county authorities, particularly in Michigan and Mississippi, soliciting comprehensive well abandonment and remediation for orphaned oil, gas, and water wells, including plugging, drilling services, site preparation, equipment removal, and environmental remediation. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has dominated recent activity with four direct solicitations in July 2026 for plugging and site restoration across 38 orphan gas storage wells in Gratiot and Montcalm Counties, each requiring Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance, unit-price bidding on 68 line items covering labor, equipment, materials, and specialized services, and minimum technical scoring thresholds of 80 points across equally weighted evaluation criteria. The Mississippi Oil and Gas Board has issued multiple Invitations for Bids for comprehensive plugging and reclamation of orphaned wells across seven counties, funded through federal IIJA Formula grants, requiring turnkey pricing with individual well itemization and compliance with prevailing wage standards. Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Texas General Land Office procurement activity demonstrates continued state-level engagement in well-related abandonment and remediation work, though Florida-based county authorities (Sarasota, Marion, Seminole, and others) frequently solicit well abandonment services through RFQ and ITB formats with lower response windows.

The code sees activity concentrated in the Upper Midwest and South, with Michigan and Mississippi showing the highest recent volume of federally and state-funded orphan well remediation procurement; secondary activity in Texas, Florida, and scattered regional utilities reflects on-demand well maintenance and rehabilitation demand. Representative recent solicitations include the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy direct solicitation DS7612600000000322 for three orphan wells in Gratiot County (New Haven Sec 3), closing July 21, 2026, with a direct-solicitation RFP process limited to prequalified vendors; the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board IFB 3160007881 for plugging and reclamation of seven orphaned wells across five counties, due April 13, 2026; and Sarasota County RFQ 2026QQ759 for single-well abandonment under a $50,000 quote ceiling, due July 10, 2026. The code shows minimal activity outside orphan well remediation despite its nominal name, and recent procurement signals are dominated by federally funded state environmental initiatives rather than municipal utilities procurement.