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Midstream Operations
Gas Processing
Capital-intensive extraction and processing programs where safety, regulation, and supply chain complexity define execution.
Enterprise Products
DCP Midstream
ONEOK
Targa Resources
Inside this journey
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Pre-Discovery
Align the room on outcomes, decision process, and constraints before deeper discovery.
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Stakeholder Alignment
Confirm decision roles (VP midstream, production engineer, gas marketing), timeline, and what ‘good’ looks like for each stakeholder.
Alignment Questions
Quick introductions — who’s in the room and what do they own?
- Which people will be actively involved from your side (select all that apply)?
- Who is the ultimate decision authority for selecting a processor and signing commercial terms?
- What target timeline do you have for final commercial agreement through first gas (tie‑in → ramp)?
- In one sentence, what would success look like for your organization at project handover?
- Which internal sign‑offs are essential before you can proceed (select all that apply)?
If we keep doing what you’re doing, what breaks — and why it matters
- What is the single worst outcome you’ve seen or fear if current routing/processing continues (e.g., sustained flaring, chronic curtailment, major revenue leak)?
- Which of these negative outcomes have you experienced in the last 24 months (select all that apply)?
- How frequently do those events occur or recur for your assets?
- When these problems happen, which consequence hurts most (operational disruption, commercial loss, regulatory exposure, or stakeholder confidence)?
- Describe a recent incident and the hardest part to recover from (what kept you awake afterward)?
Where does value actually live — and who will judge it?
- If you had to point to one number that proves this project is a win, what number would end the debate and why?
- From the list below, pick the top three metrics your team cares about most.
- For each primary stakeholder — VP Midstream, Production Engineer, Gas Marketing — briefly state what 'good' looks like for them (one short sentence each).
- Which trade‑offs would your organization accept to protect the top metric (select all that apply)?
- How transparent do you need reporting to be to feel comfortable (choose one)?
What’s quietly constraining decisions — the items nobody frames as deal‑breakers until they are?
- Which of these technical or infrastructure constraints are present now or likely during ramp?
- Are there contractual, acreage, or third‑party approvals that limit tie‑in timing or capacity?
- Who on your side owns physical tie‑ins, permits, and third‑party coordination (list roles or organizations)?
- Do you maintain hard inlet guardrails (CO2/H2S/moisture/BTU) we must design to? If so, please list thresholds.
- How confident are you in your forecasting of inlet compositions and volumes during the first 12 months?
When did operations or contracts surprise you — and what changed afterward?
- Tell us about the last time production composition, volumes, or a processor’s performance surprised you — what happened and who bore the cost?
- Which root causes best describe that event (select all that apply)?
- How long did it take to return to normal operations or commercial stability after the surprise?
- What changes—process, contractual, technical—did you implement as a direct result?
- On a scale of 1–10, how much did that event erode trust between your commercial and operations teams?
Designing success — the signals and thresholds we should commit to
- If a single weekly KPI would get you to sign, which one should it be?
- Which KPIs should appear in an operational weekly package (select all that apply)?
- What hard thresholds or alert triggers would you require for those KPIs (e.g., uptime <98%, ethane recovery <90%)? Please list any non‑negotiable limits.
- How often do you need operational measurement reconciled with commercial settlement (real‑time, daily, weekly, monthly)?
- Would you consider a pilot with guaranteed minimum performance and a financial mechanism for underperformance?
Next steps & the decision playbook — how we move from conversation to commitment
- What would accelerate your decision timeline — a commercial incentive, operational guarantee, regulatory pressure, or something else?
- Which contract structures are you willing to evaluate first?
- What commercial terms are absolute deal breakers or non‑negotiables for your team (e.g., curtailment rules, SLA uptime, billing mechanics)?
- What specific deliverables or data from us would you need to make a final decision (select all that apply)?
- If we propose a pilot, what acceptance criteria would you require to transition to full commissioning?
- Realistically, when should we reconvene with a joint team to review a proposal and next steps?
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Current State Mapping
Document current gas compositions, projected volumes, gathering connectivity, existing processing or flaring, and operational failure modes.
Current State
Talk Me Through Today's Setup
- Briefly describe the pads/fields and leases this processing need will cover (locations, number of wells, operator names).
- Who on your team will be our primary day‑to‑day contact for operations, commercial decisions, and technical data? (Name + role + best contact method)
- Which of these best describes the current status of the wells feeding this project?
- How are you currently handling produced gas today?
- When do you expect first gas (tie‑in live)?
Does Your Gas Ever Surprise You?
- How often does your measured gas composition depart meaningfully from the 'reported' or modeled composition?
- Provide the most recent lab analysis ranges (or typical ranges) for key constituents — ethane, propane, butane+ (C4+), CO2, N2, H2S, and water/vapour. If you have numbers, paste ranges or percent by mole here.
- Which of the following composition issues have you observed in the last 18 months?
- When was the last full gas analysis performed for this stream?
- Tell us about any atypical composition events (date, what changed, operational impact, how long it lasted).
If Volumes Jumped Tomorrow, What Would Break First?
- If production rises or falls quickly, which part of your system is most likely to hit a constraint?
- What are your projected average and peak gas volumes (MSCFD) for the next 0–3, 3–12, and 12–24 month windows? (Give ranges if exact numbers are confidential.)
- How predictable are those forecasts?
- Do you expect any of these production events in the next 12 months? Select all that apply.
- Describe any known single‑point risks to capacity (e.g., a single compressor station, one custody meter) and how you currently mitigate them.
Who Owns the Pipes—and Why That Matters
- How would you describe your gathering and interconnect topology for these wells?
- Where are the nearest processing interconnects (distance and pipeline name)?
- Which of these statements best captures your access to compression and pressure support on the gathering system?
- What metering and custody transfer equipment exists at the proposed tie‑in(s)?
- Are there contractual or operational limitations on which processing facilities you can connect to? (e.g., exclusivity, truck‑in constraints, marketing limitations)
Are You Treating Excess Gas as Opportunity or Waste?
- How often do you flare or vent gas from these wells under current operations?
- When flaring/venting occurs, what are the typical root causes? Select all that apply.
- Estimate the typical volumes flared/vented when it happens (MSCFD or barrels/day condensate equivalent).
- Have you used temporary processing or tolling arrangements before (e.g., mobile unit, third‑party spare capacity)? If yes, what worked and what didn’t?
- What regulatory or buyer constraints drive your tolerance for flaring (permit limits, buyer thresholds, ESG targets)?
Where Does Your Operation Quietly Lose Time or Money?
- Which unplanned operational events cause the largest revenue or production hits for you?
- What is the historical uptime or availability you’ve seen from your current processors (last 12 months)?
- List the most common mechanical or composition‑driven failure modes you’ve experienced (e.g., freeze/hydrate, amine foaming, freeze valve failures, compressor seal issues).
- How do you detect and respond to quality excursions today (automated alarms, lab testing cadence, manual spot checks)?
- When failures happen, what are typical resolution timeframes and escalation paths? (hours/days, internal vs vendor support)
What Would a Reliable, Measurable Baseline Look Like?
- If you had to name three non‑negotiable inlet and residue specifications for acceptance, what would they be (e.g., max CO2, max H2S, residue methane / heating value)?
- What recovery targets matter most to you (select all that apply) and which is highest priority?
- What is an acceptable maximum curtailment rate during ramp or peak (as % of forecasted volume)?
- Which measurement and reporting cadence do you require for operational acceptance and billing reconciliation?
- Who on your side must sign off on inlet acceptance, ramp milestones, and final handover? (roles and decision authority)
Let’s Make This Map Actionable — Next Steps & Data Pull
- What specific documents and data will you commit to share next (e.g., latest gas analyses, flow forecasts, gathering maps, existing process contracts)? Select all you can provide.
- Who else should be involved from your team in technical scoping calls (names/roles) and who approves commercial assumptions?
- What is your ideal timeline for receiving a proposed processing scope and preliminary economics?
- What would make you feel confident moving from discovery to a scoped proposal? (evidence, metrics, demos, references)
- Are there any non‑technical constraints we should surface now (commercial limitations, ESG targets, buyer preferences, internal approval windows)? Please describe.
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Outcome Discovery
Define measurable success signals (recovery rates, uptime, netback economics) and must-have constraints for the commercial model.
Discovery Questions
Starting Easy: Tell Us About This Project
- What is the one-sentence summary of why you're exploring new gas processing capacity or a contract change right now?
- Which of these best describes the immediate driver for this work?
- Who on your team will be the day-to-day contact for technical details, and who will make the final commercial decision?
- Roughly when do you expect steady production to begin (or ramp to plateau)?
- What's one past experience with a processor that you'd like to avoid repeating?
If This Project Couldn't Fail — What Would That Look Like?
- If you had to pick a single outcome that would make this engagement an unequivocal success, what would it be?
- Describe how that success would translate into measurable benefits for each stakeholder (VP midstream, production engineer, gas marketing).
- What emotional or reputational wins matter beyond the numbers (e.g., fewer emergency calls, confidence with operators, cleaner audits)?
- What timeline for realizing those benefits would feel realistic but ambitious to your team?
- Which single compromise would you accept to achieve that success faster?
Which Numbers Will Make or Break This Deal?
- If we could only report three KPIs to your board, which three would you insist on and why?
- For each KPI you selected, what numeric threshold would be unacceptable, acceptable, and exceptional?
- What historical baselines do you have for these KPIs (last 12 months or similar assets)? Please share numbers or ranges.
- How important is transparency and frequency of reporting for you (real-time dashboard, daily, weekly, monthly)?
- Who needs direct access to KPI dashboards (names or roles)?
Economic Line in the Sand — Where Do You Draw It?
- If commodity prices drop 30% tomorrow, which commercial model would you expect to protect your economics rather than exposing you to downside?
- What minimum netback (after all fees and marketing) do you require per MMcf or per barrel of NGL to keep production uneconomic to curtail?
- Which contract terms are non‑negotiable for you (pick all that apply)?
- How much pricing transparency do you need on the processor's NGL marketing (monthly reporting, pass‑through invoices, audit rights)?
- What worst‑case fee or economic outcome would trigger a commercial review or change request from your side?
What Operational Limits Are Non‑Negotiable?
- What inlet composition limits (CO2 %, H2S ppm, water dewpoint, hydrocarbons C2+) would force you to stop sending gas or renegotiate?
- How much spare capacity do you expect as headroom during initial ramp (options in % of expected peak)?
- What maximum planned or unplanned outage duration is acceptable before you declare material breach or seek remedies?
- Which operational responsibilities should the processor assume vs. the producer (tie‑ins, sampling, emergency response, odorization, waste disposal)?
- What containment or mitigation measures do you expect for occasional off‑spec residue (e.g., rejected batches, hold tanks, compensatory payments)?
Who Really Needs to Be Happy — And What Will They Call Success?
- Which stakeholder’s approval is the hardest to secure and why (VP midstream, production engineer, gas marketing, operations, legal)?
- For each key stakeholder, what single metric or outcome would make them publicly endorse this deal?
- How do these stakeholders rank the following priorities (rank or select top 3): recovery %, uptime, netback, contract flexibility, environmental/compliance, speed to first gas?
- What political or external timing pressures (board meetings, lease expirations, regulator deadlines) are shaping your decision window?
- What internal signals would indicate to you that this project is losing support and needs a course correction?
How Will We Prove We Met the Promise?
- What measurement architecture do you require for acceptance (independent meters, third‑party sampler, CEMS, SCADA logs)?
- What sampling cadence and data retention are needed for accurate KPI reconciliation (minutely, hourly, daily, 30/60/90‑day retention)?
- Which acceptance tests are essential before you consider the plant 'ready' (recovery tests, residue gas spec verification, API custody transfer checks)?
- If KPI shortfalls occur, what remediation hierarchy do you expect (operational fixes, financial credits, contract revision, termination)?
- How important is independent auditability of measurements for your team?
If Things Go Sideways: Triggers, Exits and Contingencies
- What's the single event that would make you walk away from a processor relationship immediately?
- What curtailment rules are acceptable under high inlet or low capacity scenarios (first‑in-first‑out, pro rata, priority wells, negotiated curtailments)?
- In a prolonged outage that materially harms cashflow, what remedies would you require (daily credits, revenue guarantees, replacement processing options)?
- How flexible are you on short‑term curtailments if they preserve long‑term contract economics?
- What contingency support would you expect the processor to provide (trucking, alternate processing, flaring mitigation funds)?
Readiness Check: What We Need From You to Move Forward
- What specific technical data can you provide within the next 7 days (compositional analyses, forecasted volumes by month, pressure/temperature, gathering connectivity diagram)?
- Who will sign commercial documents and what internal approvals are still required (names, roles, required committees)?
- Which of these would make you feel ready to commit to next steps?
- On a scale from 1–10, how confident are you that this project will reach an agreed commercial structure within your timeline?
- What are the top three open questions we should resolve in the next meeting to keep momentum?
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Solution Experience
Translate the customer’s gas profiles and scenarios into expected NGL recovery, residue quality, and economic outcomes across contract options.
Experience Meetings
- Current State & Success Criteria Alignment
- Gas Profile Modeling Workshop
- Commercial Modeling: Contract Option Economics
- Sensitivity, Risks & Guardrails Workshop
- Validation & Mutual Readout — Confirmed Outcomes & Next Steps
- Assign owners for operational monitoring and define the reporting cadence post-execution.
- Seller to deliver the model output pack (CSV + slides) with component recovery, residue specs, and assumption log within 48 hours.
- Customer to confirm any corrections to input data or identify additional scenarios for the economics session.
- If laboratory re-analysis is needed, customer to provide fresh GC samples and target dates for receipt.
- Recap Technical Outputs to be Priced
- Produce a clear economic comparison (tables) of netbacks and risk allocation across keep‑whole, POP, and fee models for each scenario.
- Identify which contract structures align to each stakeholder's success signals and the trade-offs involved.
- Surface the price/composition thresholds that materially change preferred contract choice.
- Seller to deliver a comparative economics workbook and one-page decision memo summarizing preferred structure per scenario within 3 business days.
- Customer gas marketing to provide target minimum netback and acceptable price exposure limits for final recommendation tuning.
- Commercial leads to flag any contract clauses required to mitigate identified risks (curtailment rules, make-up provisions) for legal review.
- Summary of Chosen Option(s) & Known Exposures
- Quantify financial and operational resilience of the recommended contract under defined stress scenarios.
- Agree explicit contractual guardrails, monitoring metrics, and escalation triggers to be included in term negotiations.
- Introductions & Meeting Objective
- Seller legal/commercial to draft example guardrail clauses and monitoring language for review by customer legal/commercial.
- Ops teams to define dashboard metrics and sample reporting template showing recovery, residue, uptime, and deviations.
- All parties to confirm escalation contacts and timelines for trigger-based mitigation steps.
- Executive Recap: Current State, Consequence, Future State
- Secure explicit, documented stakeholder validation that the solution experience outcomes meet the agreed success signals.
- Agree a clear next-step plan (term sheet draft, scope definition, timeline) and assign owners to move into Solution Scope / Mutual Commit stages.
- Close any remaining open items or surface them as required negotiation topics with owners and due dates.
- Seller to produce the Solution Experience Final Report (one-page executive summary, detailed appendix with models and economics) and circulate within 48 hours.
- Commercial leads from both sides to confirm term-sheet drafting owners and a target date for the Mutual Commit meeting.
- Ops and engineering to prepare preliminary Solution Scope inputs (capacity commitments, inlet specs, tie-in responsibilities) for the next stage.
- Produce a single agreed sentence that states the current state with who is affected.
- Quantify the primary consequence(s) in business terms to create urgency for change.
- Agree a one-sentence future state and 2–4 measurable success signals to validate the solution experience.
- Confirm the complete data/assumptions package and owners for the modeling workshop.
- Customer to upload validated gas composition files (GC), monthly flow forecast, and historical uptime metrics within 3 business days.
- Seller to provide required pricing decks (ethane/propane/butane, residue gas index) and modeling template to be used.
- All stakeholders to approve and sign the single-sentence current state, consequence statement, and future state before modeling begins.
- Recap Preconditions & Modeling Scope
- Produce model outputs (tables/graphs) showing NGL recovery by component and residue quality for baseline and requested scenarios.
- Validate that model assumptions accurately reflect the customer's current state and constraints.
- Identify any operational thresholds or composition ranges that materially change recovery or require plant derates.
- Confirm Current State Baseline
- Outline Contract Mechanics
- Validate Model Inputs Live
- Model Outputs & Economic Summary
- Define Risk Scenarios to Test
- Run Sensitivity Analysis
- Apply Price Decks & Compute Netbacks
- Baseline Scenario Run & Diagnosis
- Agreed Guardrails & Monitoring Plan
- Surface Consequences
- Stakeholder Validation Round
- Stakeholder Impact Review
- Define Future State & Success Signals
- Variant Scenarios (Volume & Composition Sensitivity)
- Define Contract Guardrails & Operational Controls
- Monitoring & Trigger Mechanisms
- Decision & Next Steps into Solution Scope / Mutual Commit
- Operational Constraints & Failure Mode Mapping
- Preliminary Recommendation & Sensitivity Flags
- Data & Assumptions Checklist
- Customer Validation & Clarifying Questions
- Decision/Feedback Loop
- Validation & Sign-off
- Next Steps & Validation Gate
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Solution Scope
Define plant capacity commitments, inlet specification limits, responsibilities for tie-ins, and measurable acceptance criteria.
Scope Configuration
- Operate Cryogenic Turboexpander NGL Recovery
- Run Amine Sweetening for CO2 and H2S Removal
- Provide Glycol Dehydration to Pipeline Specs
- Fractionate and Purify NGL Product Streams
- Provide NGL Storage and Truck/Rail Loading
- Deliver Custody-Transfer Metering and Sampling
- Compress Residue Gas to Pipeline Pressure
- Connect and Commission Gathering System Tie-In
- Provide 24/7 Remote Monitoring and Control Room Ops
- Perform Routine Plant Operations and Preventive Maintenance
- Implement Flare Gas Recovery and Minimization
- Operate Acid Gas Disposal and Sulfur Recovery
- Provide NGL Marketing and Offtake Execution
Scope Questions
Operate Cryogenic Turboexpander NGL Recovery
- What steady-state inlet volumetric flow do you expect (MMscfd)?
- Describe the expected feed hydrocarbon composition and variability (C2+, CO2, H2S, water) and attach historical lab data if available.
- What target NGL recovery rates (ethane, C3+) are required for the commercial model?
- What inlet pressure and temperature range will the plant receive?
- What residue gas quality (water dewpoint, HC dewpoint, CO2/H2S limits, heating value) must be guaranteed to the pipeline?
- Who will own responsibility for meeting inlet feed conditioning (e.g., separators, slug catchers) and tie-in readiness?
Run Amine Sweetening for CO2 and H2S Removal
- What are expected CO2 and H2S concentrations (mole% or ppmv) inbound to the sweetening unit?
- What treated gas specifications are required for downstream processing and pipeline delivery (CO2 ppmv, H2S ppmv, amine carryover limits)?
- Is continuous amine reclaiming/regeneration expected on site, and do you require us to manage solvent makeup and disposal?
- Are there corrosion or materials concerns (e.g., high CO2/H2S, solids, mercaptans) that require corrosion-resistant metallurgy or inhibitors?
- What uptime or availability SLA do you require for the sweetening unit?
- Who will be responsible for sour water / amine effluent treatment and regulatory permitting?
Provide Glycol Dehydration to Pipeline Specs
- What water dewpoint or maximum water content (lb/MMscf or °F dewpoint) is required by the buyer/pipeline?
- What are expected inlet water loads and glycol lean/rich circulation rates (if known)?
- Are there freeze risk periods or low ambient temperature constraints that impact dehydration design?
- Do you require molecular sieve downstream for deep dehydration or is glycol sufficient?
- Who is responsible for glycol makeup, reclaiming, and waste glycol disposal?
- Are pipeline spec cyclic pressure/flow variations expected that require turndown capability for the dehydration system?
Fractionate and Purify NGL Product Streams
- Which NGL product streams need full fractionation and what purity targets are required for each (ethane, propane, iso-/n-butane, natural gasoline)?
- Do you require on-site product specification certificates (e.g., BTEX, sulfur limits) or will products be conditionally accepted by buyer?
- What split of product handling do you prefer: on-site fractionation vs ship to third-party fractionator?
- What are expected average and peak NGL production rates (bbls/d) to size fractionators and recovery heaters?
- Are there special purity or spec tests required by offtakers (e.g., RVP for natural gasoline)?
- Who will own and operate fractionation column controls and routine fractionation maintenance?
Provide NGL Storage and Truck/Rail Loading
- What storage capacity is required (barrels) and expected inventory turnover cadence?
- Which loading modes are required at commissioning and peak (truck, rail, pipeline/API connectivity)?
- Are vapor recovery, leak detection, and HSE controls required to specific standards (EPA, local authority)?
- Who will manage product custody and transfer paperwork at loading (driver, processor, third party)?
- Do you require dedicated storage tanks by customer/contract or shared tankage with inventory segregation?
- Are rail spur or truck apron civil works and permitting included in scope or will customer provide?
Deliver Custody-Transfer Metering and Sampling
- Which custody transfer metering technologies are preferred or required (ultrasonic, turbine, Coriolis, orifice)?
- What accuracy and uncertainty targets are required for custody measurement (e.g., ±0.5%, ±1%)?
- Which sampling protocol is required for product quality and QL testing (composite sampling, spot sample, online analyzer)?
- Who will own meters, prover schedules, and calibration responsibilities?
- Are custody transfer agreements and allocation rules already defined or do you require us to draft them?
- Provide any regulatory or pipeline sampling/QA requirements that must be met (standards, frequency).
Compress Residue Gas to Pipeline Pressure
- What pipeline pressure and minimum flow requirements must residue gas meet at delivery?
- Estimate compression duty or expected power source preference (electric motor, gas engine, turbine).
- Are emissions controls (venting, blowdown mitigation, PRV routing) or NOx limits applicable to compressor design?
- What redundancy and uptime SLA are required for residue gas compression (N+1, N+2)?
- Who will be responsible for fuel gas supply, lube oil systems, and major overhauls?
- Are there inlet / outlet filtration, odorization, or meter station needs associated with compression scope?
Connect and Commission Gathering System Tie-In
- Who is responsible for making the physical tie-in: pipeline owner, processor, or third-party contractor?
- Provide the expected tie-in size, length of new spool, and any pressure class or special materials required.
- What permitting, right-of-way, or ROW/land access approvals are required and who will secure them?
- Is hot-tap/live-tap required or can the tie-in be performed during a planned outage?
- Define commissioning milestones and acceptance tests for the tie-in (pressure test, pigging, leak test, functional run).
- What is the required tie-in completion date or target interconnect window?
Provide 24/7 Remote Monitoring and Control Room Ops
- What scope of monitoring is required (process alarms, KPIs, product balances, environmental emissions)?
- Do you require real-time data access and dashboards for customer users and which metrics are mandatory?
- What alarm escalation pathway and contact list are required (24/7 on-call, business hours only)?
- Are there cybersecurity or VPN requirements for data access and SCADA integration?
- Should control room ops include automated production curtailment triggers tied to contract curtailment rules?
- Who will be authorized users for remote control actions versus view-only access?
Perform Routine Plant Operations and Preventive Maintenance
- What operator model do you expect (dedicated onsite operators, shared regional team, remote operations with periodic site visits)?
- What maintenance windows and permitted outage durations align with your production ramp schedules?
- Do you require a stocked spare parts list and guaranteed lead times for critical rotating equipment?
- What KPIs and reporting cadence are required for operations and maintenance (availability, MTTR, preventive maintenance completion)?
- Are vendor-specific maintenance contracts or OEM compliance required for major equipment?
- Who will approve and fund major capital maintenance or turnarounds?
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Mutual Commit
Finalize commercial structure (keep‑whole, percent‑of‑proceeds, or fee), curtailment rules, SLA uptime commitments, and billing mechanics.
Agreement Modules
- Final Commercial Term Sheet
- Master Services Agreement (MSA)
- Statement of Work (SOW)
- SLA & Performance Guarantees
- Curtailment & Priority Rules
- Billing & Invoicing Mechanics
- Measurement & Custody Transfer Agreement
- NGL Marketing & Offtake Agreement
- Interconnect & Tie‑in Responsibilities
- Commissioning, Acceptance & Handover
- Environmental, Health & Safety Addendum
- Payment Security & Credit Support
- Change Order & Amendment Process
- Force Majeure, Termination & Exit Rights
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Deployment
Operationalize rollout with readiness checks, enablement, and outcome validation.
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Pre-Deployment Readiness
Confirm interconnect schedules, testing plans, custody transfer arrangements, NGL marketing handoffs, and contingency controls.
Readiness Questions
Starting Point: What Brought You Here?
- Which role are you answering for today and how involved are you in the processing decision?
- Briefly describe the field or pads that prompted this conversation (location, basin, approximate number of wells).
- What is the primary driver for pursuing a new processing arrangement right now?
- What timeline feels realistic for initial commercial agreement and first production tie-in?
- Who else on your side should be in future conversations (names or functions)?
Are You Comfortable Leaving NGL Dollars on the Table?
- When you look at your recent gas streams, how often do you suspect the current processing or marketing approach is missing recoverable value?
- Which NGL components in your stream are most material to economics and why (rank or explain)?
- Share a recent month or well where you believe recovery underperformed—what happened and what was the revenue impact?
- How do you currently reconcile NGL production vs. measured volumes for economics and billing?
- If capturing 2–5% more ethane consistently were feasible, what would that mean for your team’s priorities or compensation?
What’s the Operational Reality Hiding in Your Data?
- How often does gas composition variability force you to throttle wells, divert, or flare instead of sending to your preferred processor?
- Describe the top three operational failure modes you’ve seen when connecting new pads to a cryogenic plant (e.g., freezeups, amine overload, measurement disputes).
- What are your inlet composition ranges today (list typical and extremes for key parameters)?
- Which of these measurement or custody-transfer issues has caused disputes or uncertainty in the past?
- How do past unplanned outages from processors affect your production planning or internal KPIs (quantify if possible)?
Who Really Decides When Things Get Hard?
- When timelines slip or economics shift, which stakeholder usually drives the final call—and how do they frame ‘acceptable risk’?
- For each of these roles—what does ‘good’ look like? (ask them to name one measurable expectation: e.g., uptime %, recovery %, netback).
- How aligned are those stakeholders today on ramp timing, acceptable curtailment, and commercial structure?
- Has a past contract ever failed because of mismatched incentives between producer and processor? Tell the story and the consequence.
- Who on your side will own day‑to‑day escalation vs. strategic negotiation once production begins?
If Everything Went Right, What Would That Feel Like?
- Imagine 12 months after tie‑in and ramp—you’re reporting to your execs. What three headlines would show this was a success?
- Which measurable signals are non‑negotiable for you to call the project a win?
- How important is upside sharing (e.g., percent‑of‑proceeds) versus fixed fee certainty in aligning with your financial objectives?
- If you had to pick one thing to protect above all else—cashflow, reliability, or maximum recovery—which would it be and why?
- What would give you real confidence that the producer and processor are operating as one team rather than adversaries?
Where Contract Terms Tend to Cause Tension
- When contracts break down, which clause do you most often find at the root—curtailment rules, measurement, force majeure, or pricing?
- Which commercial structure have you used most recently and what unexpected outcomes did it create?
- How would you prioritize these contract elements from most to least important: predictable cashflow, upside capture, simple admin, operational alignment?
- What curtailment principles are deal‑breakers for you (minimum notice, pro rata, priority wells, force majeure carveouts)?
- How much flexibility do you need around re‑negotiation if inlet composition or volumes materially change?
What Keeps You Up at Night During Ramp‑Up?
- If a first‑production tie‑in goes poorly, what single operational failure would cause the most damage to your business?
- How do you currently validate plant readiness—what testing, custody transfer checks, or witness points do you insist on?
- What contingency controls do you want in place for the first 90 days of production (e.g., spare capacity, agreed curtailment cascade, guaranteed offload)?
- How should NGL marketing handoffs be handled at startup to avoid price leakage—give the preferred mechanism or party you trust?
- What testing cadence and acceptance criteria would make you sign off on final commissioning (list critical tests and pass/fail thresholds)?
What Would Make You Confident to Commit?
- What specific evidence do you need before you’ll sign a mutual commitment—performance guarantees, reference visits, financial modeling, or pilot testing?
- How should uptime credits, SLA remedies, or incentive payments be structured so they feel fair to both sides?
- What minimum measurement data and reporting frequency do you require after start‑up to feel in control?
- If we proposed a staged commercial ramp (graduated fees or shared margins during stabilization), what concerns would you want addressed up front?
- What would a successful next step look like right now—another technical call, site walk, draft commercial term sheet, or something else?
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Deployment Enablement
Schedule tie-ins, commissioning, production ramp sequencing, and assign plant, field, and commercial owners with escalation paths.
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Validation Checklist
Verify performance versus agreed recovery targets, residue specifications, capacity limits, and billing/measurement accuracy.
Validation Questions
Quick Intro: Who's in the Room?
- Who will be our primary point of contact for this project and their role?
- Which stakeholders will need to sign off or influence the decision (select all that apply)?
- For each of the stakeholders you selected, briefly describe the top one or two outcomes that would make this engagement a success for them.
- What is your target decision timeline and are there any immovable deadlines or regulatory milestones we must fit?
- How would you describe your organization’s appetite for changing processing partners or contract structures within that timeline?
What Does Your Gas Really Look Like?
- What if the gas you plan to deliver tomorrow doesn’t behave like your forecasts—how would that change your plans?
- Share the most recent representative gas analysis or summary: key C1–C6 mole% and measured water/acid gas (CO2, H2S).
- Please indicate the typical composition band you operate in (select the closest).
- What are the average and peak inlet volumes you expect to move to processing (MMscfd or Mcf/d)?
- How variable is production—seasonal ramps, slugging, well start‑ups—and how long do typical swings last?
- Do you currently have any routine flaring, dehydration, amine treating, or third‑party processing in the path today? If so, describe.
What’s Getting in the Way When Production Starts?
- When plants underperform, who in your organization feels the impact most—and what does that look like for them?
- Tell us about the last time recovery or uptime fell short—what happened, how long did it last, and what were the financial or operational consequences?
- Have you experienced curtailment, quality penalties, or measurement disputes with a processor before? If yes, describe frequency and resolution paths.
- How long have you been managing these recurring issues (if any)?
- When failures happen, do you have preferred escalation paths or external vendors you rely on? Who are they and what role do they play?
How Are You Measuring Value — And Is That the Right Lens?
- Are you optimizing for maximum NGL recovery, predictable cash flow, lowest net processing cost, or something else—and why might that choice be limiting?
- Which of these success signals matter most to you (pick up to three)?
- What are your minimum acceptable targets for ethane, propane, and total NGL recovery (please list percentages)?
- How much volatility in monthly NGL cash flows can your P&L tolerate before you consider a different contract structure?
- Are there internal KPIs or board expectations we should know about that will govern acceptance of performance?
If Everything Worked Perfectly, What Would You See?
- Imagine six months after startup everything is going well—what three things on your dashboard make you say “that was the right choice”?
- Describe the ideal residue gas specification, and the NGL grades and volumes you would expect to market.
- What uptime would make you confident in long‑term operations and contract renewal?
- If we could guarantee one thing to remove your biggest worry, what should it be—recovery, uptime, cashflow stability, or speed to ramp?
- How would a true win be reflected in your commercial team’s conversations with traders or marketers?
Contracts and Incentives: Where Might the Promises Break?
- Which contract structure has historically created tension in your deals—keep‑whole, percent‑of‑proceeds, or fee—and why does it keep coming up?
- What commercial constraints are absolute (billing timing, payment priority, credit support, termination rights)? Please list and explain.
- How do you prefer curtailment to be handled operationally and commercially (automatic pro‑rata, first‑in, negotiated curtailments, force majeure carve‑outs)?
- What SLA or uptime commitments would you expect to see in a contract, and what remedies or credits feel proportionate if they’re missed?
- Which billing cadence and settlement mechanics best fit your cashflow model?
Operational Reality Check: Who Does What?
- If a tie‑in delay or gathering outage occurs, who is accountable for mitigation and what authority do they have?
- What are the physical connection and custody transfer expectations—metering, calibration cadence, and ownership?
- Which party will own SCADA/instrumentation alarms, remote shutdown authority, and emergency response?
- Who is expected to supply spares, chemicals (amine, glycol), and consumables during commissioning and steady state?
- What internal teams will we need to coordinate with for site access, safety orientation, and commissioning windows?
Measurement, Validation, and Billing Accuracy
- What if measurement or allocation disagreements become the biggest source of friction—how would you prefer them resolved?
- What metering systems are currently in place at the wellhead and plant inlet (gas chromatographs, flow meters, custody meters); include make/model if known.
- How often are meters/calibrations performed today and what tolerance or uncertainty is acceptable for settlement?
- Would you accept periodic third‑party sampling for validation, or do you require continuous in‑line custody instruments?
- Have you had prior billing disputes with processors? If yes, how were they typically resolved and how long did resolution take?
Risk Appetite and Contingency Thinking
- What is the one risk you most fear (price collapse, unexpected composition, plant outage, regulatory), and why would that one hurt the most?
- What contingency plans, insurances, or hedges do you currently have to protect against that risk?
- How much curtailment can your production plan tolerate before it causes irreversible downstream damage or lost contracts?
- If recovery drops below target, what operational levers or commercial remedies would you expect to see deployed first?
- How quickly do you need contingency actions to be implemented to avoid material harm (hours, days, weeks)?
Data, Proof Points, and What You Need to See
- What plant performance data or proof points will convince you to move forward (historical recovery curves, uptime logs, third‑party audits)?
- Which documents are easiest for your commercial/finance team to work with—pro forma cash flows, sensitivity models, or sample commercial terms?
- Are you willing to share representative gas analyses and 12‑month volume forecasts to allow us to run side‑by‑side economic models?
- If we run scenario models for you, which price assumptions should we include (select all that matter)?
- Do you expect a formal NDA before sharing commercial information?
Next Steps: Who Does What and When?
- If we don’t agree on an immediate next step this week, what are the odds the opportunity stalls or the window closes?
- What would you consider the ideal next step from us—site visit, detailed run model, sample commercial term sheet, or pilot processing run?
- What logistic or decision blockers should we be aware of before scheduling a site visit or technical kickoff?
- Which documents or access do we need to prepare before our next meeting (e.g., GNAs, flow diagrams, metering data)?
- Who will own the internal decision to proceed and what date should we target for a commercial decision or pilot authorization?
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Success
Review outcomes against success signals, document lessons learned, and maintain a shared channel for issues and enhancements.
Success Reviews
- Executive Outcomes Review
- Technical Performance Validation
- Commercial Reconciliation & Billing Audit
- Lessons Learned & Continuous Improvement Workshop
- Shared Channel Governance & Ongoing Support Handoff
Issues & Enhancements
- Set up recurring improvement review meetings (monthly/quarterly as agreed) to track progress against success signals.
- Achieve alignment on the source of any commercial variances and a clear plan to settle outstanding amounts.
- Agree on timelines and evidence for any billing adjustments or dispute escalations.
- Document required accounting changes and notify finance teams for execution.
- Produce a Billing Reconciliation Worksheet showing meter/volume deltas, pricing logic, and proposed adjustments.
- Issue provisional credit memo or payment instructions if agreed, and confirm posting dates with finance teams.
- If dispute persists, open formal dispute docket with required evidence checklist and escalation owner.
- Brief: One-sentence Outcome Recap
- Create a living improvement backlog with prioritized actions, owners, and measurable success criteria.
- Ensure both parties share accountability for follow-through and continuous improvement.
- Agree a cadence for progress reviews and how incremental improvements will be validated against KPIs.
- Publish the Lessons Learned report and prioritized improvement backlog in the shared channel with due dates and owners.
- One-sentence Current State Summary
- For high-impact fixes, prepare implementation plans with resource estimates and risk mitigation steps.
- Purpose & One-sentence Future State
- Stand up a governed shared channel that both parties use for issues, data exchange, and enhancements.
- Agree SLAs, triage rules, and escalation paths to ensure operational issues are handled promptly.
- Ensure clear process for submitting, prioritizing, and approving enhancement requests tied to success signal improvements.
- Create the shared channel, invite named participants, and publish channel rules, SLAs, and escalation contacts.
- Document and publish the enhancement intake form/template and the monthly prioritization meeting schedule.
- Assign the operational triage owner and confirm on-call rotations and backup contacts.
- Establish executive alignment on whether success signals were met and the commercial consequences of the results.
- Decide and authorize the next high-level action (accept, remediate, amend agreement, escalate).
- Confirm owners and timelines for any follow-up actions requiring executive support.
- Produce and distribute an Executive Outcomes Summary (one-page) with KPI table and recommended decisions.
- If remediation chosen, assign executive sponsor and set target decision date for contract amendments.
- Schedule the technical validation handoff meeting and identify required subject matter experts.
- Current State: Data & Test Evidence
- Produce an agreed technical validation record that definitively states which acceptance criteria passed or failed.
- Identify root causes for performance gaps and agree on remediation test plans or corrective actions with owners.
- Determine whether additional third-party verification or extended sampling is required before commercial close-out.
- Create a Technical Validation Report with pass/fail table, data annexes, and remediation tests required.
- Schedule and assign technical owners for any corrective actions and remediation testing windows.
- If measurement issues found, commission third-party meter calibration or audit and share expected completion date.
- One-sentence Commercial Current State
- Timeline Walkthrough & Incident Digest
- Data Reconciliation: Volumes & Allocations
- Acceptance Criteria Checklist
- Consequence Summary (Financial & Operational)
- Channel Structure & Access
- Root Cause Analysis (Fishbone/5 Whys)
- Success Signal Results vs Targets
- Price & Settlement Review
- Root Cause Review for Deviations
- Issue Classification, Priority & SLA
- Improvement Backlog Prioritization
- Enhancement Intake & Prioritization Process
- Measurement & Billing Impact Assessment
- Dispute Resolution Path & Timing
- Commercial Implications & Options
- Billing Corrections & Credit Instructions
- Validation Outcomes & Test Closure Criteria
- Assign Owners, Timelines & Success Criteria
- Governance & Escalation Paths
- Decision & Next Steps