PARSC 016 – Peace River Abandoned Pipeline Segment Field Study [Segment abandoned between 1972 and 1979]

Date: July 11, 2018

Deadline Extension: August 7, 2018 at 4:00 PM MDT

PDF Version of RFP: PARSC 016

Purpose

On behalf of the Pipeline Abandonment Research Steering Committee (PARSC), PTAC wishes to retain the services of a research organization or consulting firm (the Contractor) with demonstrated experience to provide the services described in this document (the Project). Interested parties are invited to submit full proposals according to the specification provided herein.

Background

Pipeline abandonment[1] refers to the permanent removal from service of a pipeline. Pipelines have previously been abandoned in Canada and other jurisdictions. A review of the approved abandonment plans would result in a general understanding of the approaches taken. In addition, the analysis of available information, supplemented by site visits, would provide an assessment of abandonment outcomes and valuable information would be obtained on post-abandonment conditions and performance of the abandonment procedures that were used.

This issue was reviewed in the prior DNV Scoping Study found on the website of the National Energy Board (http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/prtcptn/pplnbndnmnt/pplnbndnmntscpngstd.pdf). Applicants are expected to read relevant sections of the Study, as this project was informed by it and information is not repeated herein.

Project Objective

The objective of this Project is to implement the recommendations from project PARSC 010, which was an initial surficial observation of the present-day state of areas where pipeline segments were abandoned in the Alberta Peace River region between 1972 and 1979. The segments were part of the Peace River mainline gas transmission system operated by NOVA Gas Transmission, an organization part of TransCanada Corporation (TC). The PARSC final report can be accessed at: https://caneric.ptac.org/previous-pipe-aband-programs-pr-mainline/

Project Scope

The Project will access the abandoned pipe located in the Peace River region, make onsite technical observations and measurements, and take samples for laboratory testing after the site visit. The Project and the Contractor will only focus on the pipe segments that were abandoned between 1972 and 1979. However, the Project will take place at the same time and in the same area as a separate 2018 project by TC to abandon the Peace River mainline. Synergies, efficiencies and the avoidance of duplication will be sought as appropriate between the separate PTAC Project and the TC project.

As described herein, at some locations, TC will perform activities such as bell holes and excavation as part of the separate TC project. These activities may expose some of the pipe segments that were abandoned between 1972 and 1979, and may provide the opportunity for the Contractor to make observations and measurements and take samples. In area where the Contractor and TC will be operating at the same time, the Contractor will collaborate with TC to maximize efficiency.

The Contractor will perform site work as needed, acquire data and samples, and perform all the data analysis and reporting. The Project is composed of the tasks described below.

Task 1. Field Work at Location A

  • Location A (yet to be determined) is the start or end points of either pipeline segments 1, 2 or 3 that were abandoned in 1972-1979.
  • At Location A, the Contractor will:
    • Excavate a bell hole to expose the abandoned pipeline.
    • Perform and document a visual inspection of the pipe, the pipe coating and any evidence of soil contamination, including photos.
    • Take samples of the pipe coating and of the surrounding soil.
    • Cover and restore the excavated area.

Task 2. Field Work at Locations B and C

  • Locations B and C are near the start or end points of either pipeline segments 1, 2 or 3 that were abandoned in 1972-1979.
  • TC will be operating nearby and some synergies may be possible. For example, TC may have bell holes in the area, but they may need to be extended.
  • At Location B and C, the Contractor will:
    • Perform and document a visual inspection of the pipe, the pipe coating and any evidence of soil contamination, including photos. It is suggested that the Contractor be on site once the pipe is exposed, likely Day 3 of site work.
    • Take custody of samples, including some that may be taken by TC of the pipe coating and of the surrounding soil, at of the pipe ring.
    • Cover and restore the excavated area.

Task 3. Surficial Observations at Location D (4 Mile Creek)

  • Location D: There was a previously abandoned section of pipeline through the 4 Mile Creek and this area must receive a surficial examination to evaluate whether there is exposure or imminent exposure. Note that a fly over of this area was previously performed in response to stakeholder feedback, which had reported that the pipeline was exposed. The active crossing of 4 Mile Creek is planned for removal as part of the abandonment project (850m).
  • TC will not provide any support at Location D.
  • At Location D, the Contractor will:
    • Perform surface visual observations and measurements, particularly to determine if the pipe is exposed or if exposure is imminent at the river crossing.
    • Document the observation with relevant measurements and photos.

Task 4. Laboratory Analysis

  • The Contractor will arrange for relevant analyses of the collected samples (pipe coating, soil and pipe ring).
  • The proposal should indicate the recommended analyses:
    • Test methods and purpose
    • Number of samples to be tested.

Task 5. Information Analysis and Reporting

  • The Contractor will summarize Project activities and outcomes in a final report that will include methodologies and results, analysis and observations, and conclusions.
  • The Contractor will also report to PARSC about progress at periodic intervals.

Reporting and Payment Milestones

The Contractor will provide short monthly status reports and will be available to teleconference with PARSC during its meetings, which are generally held every 6 weeks. The applicant will also propose major project milestones when the Contractor will provide a progress report about deliverables and PTAC will make progress payments.

Deliverables

  1. Field work and laboratory analyses as described above.
  2. Brief status reports and progress reviews with PARSC after each Task
  3. Draft final report, update of the final report per PARSC feedback, final version of the final report, and final presentation to PARSC

Budget

The applicant will indicate the cash budget and any other resources required to complete the Project.

Confidentiality and Indemnity

The Contractor will be required to sign an agreement related to the project that will contain a confidentiality clause. Disclosure of any project information will be at the discretion of PARSC. It is intended that key results and outcomes will eventually be made public. As PTAC will only facilitate PARSC decisions, the agreement will also contain an indemnity in favour of PTAC.

Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights and publication rights for the deliverables and reports produced by the Contractor in this project (but not including Contractor models and tools) will be the property of the funding organizations in PARSC.

RFP Schedule

July 11, 2018                           RFP issued

August 7, 2018                        Deadline for receipt of Full Proposals by PTAC (4:00 PM MDT)

August 22, 2018                      Invitation to a short list of applicants to present and discuss their full proposal with PARSC

By September 12, 2018          Meeting of shortlisted applicants with PARSC

By September 26, 2018          Selection of the best value proposal by PARSC

Selection Process

The PTAC facilitated Pipeline Abandonment Research Steering Committee, composed of industry stakeholders with relevant expertise pertaining to pipeline abandonment, makes all decisions pertaining to RFP selection. PTAC facilitates Steering Committee proceedings but is not a decision-maker.

All submitted proposals will be provided to the Steering Committee for review. The Steering Committee will determine if proposals meet the requirements herein and provide an overall ranking based on Contractor qualifications and on proposal quality. The Steering Committee will make the final decision regarding the awarded contract.

Once a selection of the best proposal according to the Steering Committee has been made, all submission contacts will be notified by email of the regarding the outcome of their individual proposal. The project final report will be shared on the PTAC website upon completion of the project.

Contents of Full Proposals

The requested full proposal should contain a detailed Project description, budget and schedule which would be used as the basis of a contract. A 5 to 10-page document addressing the following elements must be delivered electronically or by mail to PTAC by the deadline stated above:

  • Scope of work
  • Methodology
  • Deliverables
  • Schedule
  • Personnel assigned to the project
  • Qualifications
  • Budget and costs, including information on breakdown by major scope element and allocation of personnel and applicable rates
  • Milestone payment information

The page count does not include any attachment such as CVs, company description or literature references that the applicant may wish to include.

Contact Information
Katie Cheyne
PTAC
Suite 400, 500 Fifth Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3L5
Tel.: 403-218-7714
Email: [email protected]

For Technical Inquiries
Marc Godin
PTAC
Suite 400, 500 Fifth Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3L5
Tel.: 403-218-7720
Email: [email protected]

Additional Information
Additional information about project details may become available in response to inquiries. PTAC will make this information available upon request to firms that are actively preparing proposals. Applicants are encouraged to contact Marc Godin at [email protected] in this respect.

Attachment 1 – PARSC Program Background

Pipeline abandonment refers to the permanent removal from service of a pipeline. Depending on a number of factors, sections of pipeline may be abandoned in place or removed.

CEPA, the National Energy Board (NEB), the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) have collaborated on technical and environmental issues associated with pipeline abandonment, which issues were discussed in the documents referenced below. In 1996, the NEB published a review document titled “Pipeline Abandonment – A Discussion Paper on Technical and Environmental Issues”. In 2007, CEPA published a report titled “Pipeline Abandonment Assumptions” which discussed technical and environmental considerations for development of pipeline abandonment strategies. A comprehensive review was undertaken by the NEB as part of the Land Matters Consultation Initiative (LMCI) which involved four discussion papers on the different topic areas, 45 meetings and workshops in 25 communities across Canada, and written submissions from 13 parties. The final LMCI report[1], published in 2009 recommended that knowledge gaps on the physical issues of pipeline abandonment be addressed. Thus, Det Norske Veritas (DNV) was commissioned to conduct a literature review regarding the current understanding worldwide with respect to the physical and technical issues associated with onshore pipeline abandonment and use the results of the literature review to critically analyze and identify gaps in current knowledge, and make recommendations as to potential future research projects that could help to fill those gaps. DNV published this Scoping Study in November 2010.

CEPA and PTAC have established the Pipeline Abandonment Research Steering Committee (PARSC) as a framework for collaboration to guide and direct innovation and applied research, technology development, demonstration, and deployment in order to address knowledge gaps summarized in the DNV Scoping Study.

Research findings from the PARSC projects will be shared on a broad scale throughout the pipeline industry, the oil and gas industry, as well as with regulators, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

[1] Online at http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2010/one-neb/NE23-152-2009-eng.pdf