UNSPSC 71121615: Well drilling stabilizing or hole opening services

Services to stabilize the drill string while enlarging the borehole.

UNSPSC 71121615 Well drilling stabilizing or hole opening services is a Commodity code for well plugging, abandonment, and restoration work that state and local governments procure to decommission orphaned oil and gas wells, manage groundwater supply infrastructure, and comply with environmental remediation requirements. The code spans two distinct work streams: orphan well plugging and reclamation funded under federal infrastructure programs (chiefly the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), and municipal water well maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement for public water systems. State and local buyers under this code include state environmental and oil-and-gas boards, city and county water utilities, county environmental management offices, park and recreation departments, state departments of natural resources, and regional water districts. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy appears frequently in recent solicitations, having posted multiple direct solicitations for prequalified contractors on orphan well projects across Gratiot, Montcalm, and Kent Counties. Water infrastructure work shows demand across Florida counties (Sarasota, Escambia, Hillsborough, Seminole), Georgia municipalities (Albany, Reynolds, Wrens), and Texas (Austin, Lubbock). Scope varies sharply by issuing body: orphan well work encompasses site mobilization, drilling or re-drilling, cement plugging to specified depths with verification by tagging, casing removal, waste disposal, site restoration, and compliance with Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements when federally funded. Water well maintenance and repair covers pump and motor replacement, tank refurbishment, casing repair, video survey and inspection, emergency response services, and disinfection. Municipal water supply projects involve drilling, casing installation, pump installation, chemical feed systems, and electrical integration with existing distribution infrastructure.

Recent representative opportunities include the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board's solicitation for plugging nine orphaned wells in Jasper and Jones Counties (IFB 3160008162, due December 18, 2026) with mandatory pre-bid site inspection October 22, 2026, covering removal of production liquids, well plugging to state cement specifications, and turnkey site reclamation; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's direct solicitation for Gilbert Orphan Well Plugging in Kent County (DS7612600000000421, due October 12, 2026, restricted to prequalified vendors with mandatory pre-bid meeting September 29, 2026) addressing a leaking well in a lake requiring barge access; the City of Albany, Georgia sealed bid for Well No. 21 rehabilitation (PE64750NONST2027000000232, due November 16, 2026) encompassing comprehensive well restoration to operational capacity; and Hillsborough County's two-year water well maintenance and repair services ITB (ITB-26-00234, closed June 2026) covering 67 irrigation and potable wells across eight county locations with estimated value $688,073.00 and requirements for current Water Well Contractor License from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Orphan well work concentrates in Michigan, Mississippi, and oil-and-gas regions; water supply and maintenance work appears across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, and Upper Midwest. Federal funding under IIJA triggers Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance and Build America, Buy America material sourcing mandates on most orphan well contracts. Private-sector experience in well drilling, completion, and plugging is the primary qualification filter; municipal work requires state water well contractor licensure and performance bonding.