JH26-48 Orphan Well Equipment Decommissioning and Surface Restoration

The State of Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, in coordination with the State of Utah Division of Purchasing, is issuing a Request for Statements of Qualifications (RFSQ) under Utah Procurement Code 63G-6a Part 15 to procure design professional services for orphan well equipment decommissioning and surface restoration. The scope of work encompasses decommissioning of surface equipment, disposal of associated wastes, site surface restoration to original grade, and reseeding for approximately 68 oil and gas wells with no viable operator, with expectations that the inventory will increase throughout the five-year contract period extending from 2026 through 2030. Key deliverables include site access preparation, waste disposal, removal and transport of location facilities and piping, grading of well pads to original contour per provided cut and fill diagrams, reseeding according to State Trust Lands guidance, daily progress updates, post-restoration photographs, and invoices submitted within one week of site completion. Work is anticipated to occur 6-8 months per year with geographic scheduling determined annually through planning meetings held in January, though alternative scheduling may be considered based on contractor and state resource availability. Evaluation of qualifications will be based on 19 scoreable technical criteria totaling 1,000 points, including equipment availability for surface restoration and decommissioning (3% each), equipment yard locations in Utah (4%), workforce qualifications and experience (2.5% each for employee retention and crew experience), supervision structure and language proficiency (2.5% each), equipment maintenance and support capabilities (2.5%), specialized operational procedures including grade determination and contamination management (7.5% each), scrap value management and tank spoil handling (7.5% each), safety metrics with five-year trends (12%), confined space entry procedures (8%), and relevant experience with oil well location restoration and prior Utah Department of Natural Resources work (25% combined). The Request for Statements of Qualifications was posted on March 31, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 21, 2026; vendors must submit qualifications through the U3P online system without including pricing information, and the highest-ranked vendor will be selected to negotiate a contract at fair and reasonable compensation with provisions to negotiate sequentially with lower-ranked vendors if agreement cannot be reached.

The solicitation documentation does not identify specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types eligible to respond, nor does it reference disadvantaged enterprise programs or incumbent vendors. Vendors must comply with anti-boycott provisions under Utah Code Annotated 63G-27, confirm they are not providing forced labor products or technology from restricted foreign entities, and maintain compliance with the Status Verification System (E-Verify) for Utah employees. Contractors are required to carry comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation, commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence with $3,000,000 aggregate, and commercial automobile liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit. The project is initially funded through $5 million in federal grant money under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with all awarded funds required to be committed within one year of receipt and expended by September 30, 2030; additional funding is expected to become available through State sources during the project period. Federal grant funds must comply with Davis Bacon Act requirements and will cover equipment decommissioning, site surface restoration, and subsurface abandonment costs, with subsurface abandonment work awarded under a separate contract. Salvage value from equipment removed shall be credited to each well's invoice, with contractors absorbing financial responsibility for work time losses related to safety standdowns, equipment failures, or personnel issues, while unforeseen site conditions remain the financial responsibility of the State.