B08_140G0218R0039_Attch_1_PWS_.docx

140G0218R0039 Attachment 1 PWS Performance-Based Work Statement

I – General Information:

A – Introduction: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Eastern Energy Resources Science Center, Alaska Petroleum Systems project requests the establishment of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for petroleum systems modeling and generation of reports summarizing that modeling. Individual task orders will be issued against the IDIQ as required by the project and subject to available funding.

B – Background: The USGS has been directed by Secretarial Order 3352 (signed May 31, 2017) to conduct on an accelerated schedule updated assessments of undiscovered, conventionally recoverable oil and gas resources of the Alaska North Slope and adjacent offshore areas. An essential part of the scientific framework that must be established prior to completing these assessments is to quantitatively model the burial, thermal, and hydrocarbon-generation history of each area to be assessed.

The USGS previously conducted petroleum systems modeling of the onshore North Slope of Alaska and adjacent submerged regions. A comprehensive report on this modeling was published in 2012 (Houseknecht et al., 2012, attached). This previous modeling, conducted using BasinMod® software (2006 version), incorporated 112 exploration wells (from which empirical data were used) and 300 pseudowells (constructed from interpretation of approximately 50,000 line miles of two-dimensional (2D) seismic data). The USGS Alaska Petroleum Systems project has utilized BasinMod® software for more than 25 years and maintains a current software license for the latest version (2017).

The current requirement is to update and refine the previous modeling as an improved basis for assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in compliance with Secretarial Order 3352. This requirement is based on the following: (1) More than 50 exploration wells have been drilled since completion of the previous modeling; these new wells have resulted in several significant new oil discoveries as well as several unexpected failures. Empirical data from many of these new wells will be incorporated into the new modeling. (2) More than 250,000 line miles of 2D seismic data and more than a dozen three-dimensional (3D) seismic surveys have been acquired by the USGS. These new seismic data sets reveal the need for substantial revision of pseudowells to improve the geological framework on which modeling is based. (3) The USGS has collected new geochemical data from petroleum source rocks and from oil recovered from exploration wells (including some of the new oil discoveries). These geochemical data provide better constraints for modeling and reveal the presence of source rocks not anticipated in the previous modeling. (4) The previous BasinMod® digital files can be imported directly into the current version of BasinMod® software (version 2017), which includes significant improvements in project structure, analytical capabilities, and digital output. Initiation of new modeling starting with the old BasinMod® digital files will save time and effort, and the revised/refined new BasinMod® digital files will be delivered to the USGS as primary products, which will provide the USGS an ability to select from a variety of possible map and plot images for insertion into assessment and other reports.

C – Definitions/Applicable Documents: As used in this document, “petroleum” and “hydrocarbon” are general terms that include the full spectrum of organic compounds comprising oil and natural gas. “Petroleum system” is a unifying concept that encompasses all elements and processes of petroleum geology, including source rocks, reservoir rocks, sealing rocks, and traps. The processes include the formation of a trap and generation, migration, and accumulation of oil and natural gas.

“Petroleum systems modeling” involves integration of fundamental geological elements (age and stratigraphy of rock formations, nature and locations of faults and folds, etc.) with quantitative reconstruction of how formations were deposited, deformed, uplifted, and eroded through earth history. This reconstruction is used to construct quantitative models of heat flow from the earth’s interior, transmission of heat through rock formations, and the thermochemical transformation of organic matter (kerogen) into oil and natural gas. The quantitative modeling also includes pore pressure in rock formations and the generation of overpressured conditions, and may include the migration through rocks of oil and gas due to buoyance and/or pore-pressure-induced flow, and the accumulation of oil and gas in traps.

D – Scope: This requirement is intended to be met through an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) Requirements contract. Once the contract is established, the number, timing, scope, and funding level of task orders issued under this contract will be dependent upon specific needs of the USGS and the availability of funding. This document establishes the framework for the overall work requirement, for which firm-fixed-price task orders will be ordered when needed and funded.

This contract may include petroleum systems modeling of onshore regions of Alaska, adjacent Alaska State waters, United States Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) regions adjacent to Alaska, submerged regions of Russia and Canada adjacent to the United States OCS, and submerged international regions adjacent to the United States OCS. Figure 1 is a map of northern Alaska and adjacent regions, including areas beyond the limits of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Petroleum systems modeling will be conducted on the basis of the five areas shown on the map in Figure 1. Table 1 summarizes for each area the geological complexity, number of exploration wells, and number of exploration wells and pseudowells to be included in the modeling. A separate task order will be issued for each of the five areas. A sixth task order will be issued for integration of modeling across the five areas. All task orders will be continent upon USGS needs and funding.

II - Work Requirements:

A – Technical Requirements:

The USGS will do the following as pertinent to the scope of each task order:

1. Provide to the contractor all BasinMod (version 2006) well and pseudowell files used in previous modeling by the USGS, the results of which were published by Houseknecht et al. (2012), and list of wells and pseudowells to incorporate into new modeling.

2. Provide to the contractor empirical data from new wells, which were not available for previous USGS modeling, and which are to be included in new modeling.

3. Provide to the contractor interpretations from newly acquired 2D and 3D seismic data, which were not available for previous USGS modeling, and recommendations for locations of new pseudowells.

4. Provide to the contractor newly acquired geochemical and other geological data that constrain petroleum source rock quality and chemical character, and that indicate the presence of previously unknown source rocks that need to be added to the new modeling.

5. Provide to the contractor a list of exploration wells and suggestions regarding the locations of new pseudowells to include in the new modeling (same as mentioned in #2 and #3 above).

6. USGS will seek consultation from contractor regarding locations of pseudowells to include in the new modeling, modeling parameters (e.g., heat flow) to use in specific locations, and preparation of reports summarizing modeling results (for example, most significant outcomes, most pertinent maps and plots, and recommendations for modified approach to future task orders).

Contractor shall do the following as pertinent to the scope of each task order:

1. Import all BasinMod (version 2006) well and pseudowell files used in previous modeling and requested for inclusion by the USGS into new BasinMod (version 2017) project.

2. Generate new well files for new wells, which were not available for previous USGS modeling, and which USGS has requested to be included in new modeling.

3. Generate new pseudowell files from geological constraints provided by the USGS and for which new pseudowells have been requested by the USGS.

4. Populate well and pseudowell files with any new or revised geological and geochemical constraints provided by the USGS.

5. For areas with no or few exploration wells, and considering maps and seismic images either provided by the USGS or known from published literature, provide USGS technical contact with recommendations regarding locations of potential pseudowells. Final pseudowells shall be located by mutual consent or by instructions from USGS Technical Contact.

6. Consult with USGS Technical Contact regarding modeling parameters and strategy for incorporating sensitivity analysis into modeling task. Selection of final modeling parameters and structure of sensitivity analysis shall be by mutual consent or by instructions from USGS Technical Contact.

7. Complete preliminary modeling as specified in each task order and deliver to USGS Technical Contact digital BasinMod (version 2017) files with which quality standard can be applied and determination of acceptance can be made by USGS Technical Contact.

8. If quality standard determination is found to be unacceptable by USGS Technical Contact, USGS will suggest revision and modeling parameters and contractor shall revise modeling in accordance with those suggested revisions.

9. If quality standard determination is found to be acceptable by USGS Technical Contact, contractor shall finalize the model and prepare and deliver summary report to USGS Technical Contact by completion date specified in task order.

B – Quality Standard:

Acceptance of modeling results will be based on comparison to empirical data from wells using mainly quantitative thermal maturity data (e.g., vitrinite reflectance). Quality Assurance Plan will include the following steps: USGS Technical Contact and contractor will select a subset of exploration wells with depth vs empirical vitrinite reflectance pattern that is mutually agreed to represent indigenous thermal maturity prior to onset of work. Model results for these select wells shall fall within an average of +/- 10 percent of the empirical data across the entire depth interval of sample data.

C – Deliverables:

1 – Upon completion of modeling and acceptance by the USGS Technical Contact of results submitted to the Quality Assurance Plan, the contractor shall deliver to the USGS no later than the delivery date set forth in the task order: (1) An integrated report on the modeling results, either as a PowerPoint or Microsoft Word file. (2) A BasinMod (version 2017) project as a digital file containing specific wells and pseudowells as set forth in section A (above). If no delivery date is specified in an individual task order, contractor shall deliver final products no later than 6 months following acceptance of a task order by the contractor.

Files shall be delivered by email to USGS Technical Contact.

III - Supporting Information:

A - Place Of Performance: Contractor’s non-government facility.

B - Period Of Performance: Five years from date of inception.

C - Government Technical Contact: To Be Determined

D - Government Furnished Property (GFP): None

E - Special Considerations:

1 – Contractor will be informed of public domain vs proprietary data to be used in project. No rights to proprietary data are implied or granted to contractor.

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

The contractor is responsible for Quality Control. The contractor shall include their Quality Control Plan (QCP) for this contract with their proposal for non-price evaluation and shall follow the QCP throughout their performance of this contract.

The Government is responsible for Quality Assurance, assuring that the work statement quality and time standards for this contract are met or exceeded. The USGS Technical Liaison, Technical POC, or Technical Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will inspect all deliverables to assure that the contractor’s performance meets or exceeds the work statement standards. Any sub-standard work will not be accepted and will be redone by the contractor at no additional cost to the Government within 30 days of the USGS notice of substandard performance.

Figure 1. Map of northern Alaska and adjacent offshore areas showing five areas identified for petroleum systems modeling as set forth in this IDIQ document. Petroleum systems modeling in each of the five areas will be addressed by separate work orders, pending continued need and funding availability. These five areas are further described in Table 1 of this document. The sequence of areas to be modeled will depend on USGS needs and funding, and are unlikely to be in numerical order. Yellow dots are locations of exploration wells. Red and black lines are the northern limit of inactive fold-and-thrust belts and solid red line is northern limit of active fold-and-thrust belt.

Table 1. Information for five areas identified for petroleum systems modeling summarizing geological complexity, number of exploration wells in each area, and number of wells and pseudowells to be modeled. Modeling of area #1 will include two wells in area #2 to provide geological constraints. Modeling of area #5 will include several wells in area #4 to provide geological constraints.

*model Crackerjack and Popcorn wells for calibration

**include selected wells to west for calibration image1.jpeg