UNSPSC 71121648: Underbalanced drilling services

Underbalanced drilling tubing is generally considered to involve two phase fluid circulation (nitrified fluid) during drilling to lower the bottom hole pressure to below the reservoir pressure, Underbalanced Drilling With Coiled Tubing is a Safe, Economical Method For Drilling And Completing Gas Wells.

UNSPSC 71121648 Underbalanced drilling services is a Commodity code. State and local governments use this code to procure specialized well drilling and abandonment operations, particularly the plugging, abandonment, site restoration, and environmental remediation of orphaned or decommissioned oil, gas, and water supply wells. The work encompasses mechanical drilling, well casing and tubing operations, cementing services, wireline operations, mud engineering, waste disposal, heavy equipment mobilization, and full site restoration to meet regulatory compliance. Issuing bodies soliciting under this code include state environmental and natural resources departments, county industrial development authorities, and regional water districts. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is a standout repeat buyer, having issued four separate direct solicitations in July 2026 alone for orphaned gas storage well plugging and site restoration across Gratiot and Montcalm counties, with combined scope spanning 38 gas storage wellheads operated by New Haven Energy LLC. Beyond Michigan, the code sees activity from the Texas General Land Office (high hydrogen sulfide well services), the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board (orphaned well plugging under federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (irrigation well installation and pump systems), and specialty water districts in California, Florida, and Oregon pursuing well rehabilitation, repair, and construction services.

Recent opportunities cluster heavily in the Midwest and South, with Michigan dominating current activity through prequalified contractor solicitations with mandatory pre-bid meetings and firm July 21, 2026 deadlines—the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's four direct solicitations (DS 260000000032, 260000000033, 260000000034, 260000000035) each require attendance at mandatory pre-proposal meetings on July 9, 2026 at the New Haven Compressor Station and restrict bidding to vendors prequalified through prior RFPs (210000000834, 220000000547, 220000001850, 220000002631, 240000000951), with submissions due July 21, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. These are direct solicitations (IFB format), not RFPs, and all work is subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements with unit pricing required for 68 line-item schedules and firm pricing throughout the project duration. Mississippi Oil and Gas Board orphaned well plugging solicitations (IFB 3160007967, 3160007966, 3160007881) active in March–April 2026 target multiple wells across state counties with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding and require five years' documented orphaned well experience, valid state business licensing, and trade reference verification. Geographic spread extends to Florida (Seminole County, Sarasota County, Marion County, Hillsborough County, and Collier County water well construction and maintenance), Texas (RRC statewide well plugging with HUB set-asides), California (Eastern Municipal Water District well services), and select northwest jurisdictions (Oregon, Washington), with the heaviest current concentration in Michigan's orphaned gas storage well program and federal IIJA-funded state orphaned oil and gas well initiatives across Mississippi, Texas, and regional programs.