Federal multi-well plugging contract - wirt & ritchie

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Office of Oil and Gas, is seeking a contractor for a federal multi-well plugging contract covering 33 orphaned and abandoned oil and natural gas wells located in Wirt and Ritchie Counties. The procurement is an Agency Request for Quote (ARFQ) with solicitation number ARFQ 0313 DEP2600000056, focusing on comprehensive well management services including permitting, well plugging, and wellsite reclamation. Bidders must submit electronic proposals through the wvOASIS Vendor Self-Service Portal by January 5, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. eastern time, with a mandatory pre-bid meeting scheduled for December 17, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Technical questions are due by December 23, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The project requires compliance with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Section 40601 funding requirements, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates, and Buy America requirements. Contractors must provide pricing for permitting, individual well plugging, and wellsite reclamation, with detailed line-item submissions across 67 specific tasks. Evaluation will likely focus on technical compliance, pricing, and ability to meet stringent federal funding and environmental restoration standards.

The solicitation does not explicitly indicate specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. Bidders must submit a 5% bid bond and will be required to provide 100% performance and labor/material payment bonds if selected. Commercial general liability and automobile liability insurance with minimum $2,000,000 per occurrence limits are mandatory. The contract term is one calendar year with potential for three successive one-year renewals upon mutual written consent. While no specific budget range is provided, the project is federally funded through IIJA Section 40601, suggesting substantial financial backing. A Supplemental Quality Assurance Officer will maintain on-site presence to verify compliance, and post-plugging methane emissions testing will be conducted by an independent third-party specialist. Wells exceeding 1 g/hr methane emissions will require contractor-funded remediation, indicating rigorous performance expectations. The primary contract contact is Herminio David Robles, reachable at (304) 414-1155 or david.h.robles@wv.gov.