Kickoff: Quick context so we start on the same page

• Tell me briefly, what role do you play in commercial decisions for storage and transportation? Options: Marketing manager, Supply director, Commodity trader, Commercial VP, Operations leader, Procurement
• Which product types do you buy most often? Options: Crude oil, NGLs, Refined products, Blends, Other
• Estimate your typical incremental takeaway need in barrels per month when channels are constrained Options: < 25,000 bbl/month, 25,000–100,000 bbl/month, 100,000–500,000 bbl/month, > 500,000 bbl/month
• Rate your current quarterly volume predictability Options: Very predictable, Somewhat predictable, Somewhat variable, Highly variable
• Who in your organization must approve contract duration and rate exposure? Options: Commercial VP, CFO/Finance, Operations Director, Procurement, Other
• When you think about adding external storage, which outcome matters most: price, flexibility, connectivity, or allocation certainty? Options: Price, Flexibility, Connectivity to hubs, Allocation certainty, Speed of onboarding

When the system breaks: Where operational friction shows up

• When a nomination is apportioning or shortfilled, what breaks downstream most quickly for you?
• In the last 12 months, how many days did you face pipeline apportionment or forced use of external storage? Options: 0 days, 1–7 days, 8–30 days, > 30 days
• Which operational failure has historically created the biggest margin loss for you? Options: Nomination shortfall, Loading delays (truck/rail), Pipeline contamination, SCADA/reporting errors, Allocation disputes
• Tell the story of the last time a scheduling conflict caused demurrage or off-spec deliveries, and how long recovery took
• Who on your operations team owns nomination cadence and troubleshooting during outages? Options: Operations manager, Scheduling coordinator, Trading desk lead, Third-party scheduler, Other
• What single operational constraint would make our ability to meet your timeline impossible?

Hidden risks we must face up to

• Describe the operational or commercial surprise last year that caused the largest financial hit
• Choose the risk types that concern you most, select all that apply Options: Storage capacity shortage, Pipeline apportionment, Product contamination, Scheduling inflexibility, Regulatory or permitting delays, Rate escalation
• Report the recovery time from that event in days Options: < 1 day, 1–3 days, 4–14 days, > 14 days
• Identify the escalation path to commercial leadership when contamination, allocation, or scheduling failures occur
• Point to the single risk that would cause you to pause signing new external storage agreements

Timing and seasonality: months that make or break your P&L

• Think about your worst peak month last year, which month was it and what caused the squeeze?
• Estimate barrels per month you target to hold for seasonal positioning in that peak window Options: < 25,000 bbl, 25k–100k bbl, 100k–300k bbl, > 300k bbl
• Specify the nomination flexibility you require, for example same-day moves, 24–48 hour windows, or monthly allocations Options: Same-day changes, 24–48 hour window, Weekly windows, Monthly allocations, Other
• List the inbound and outbound hubs you require connectivity to, ranked by priority
• If you cannot secure seasonal capacity in your target month, what business decision do you take instead? Options: Curtail production, Sell at lower price locally, Use short-term trucking, Move volumes to another market, Other

Technical readiness: integrations, data, and physical access that gate execution

• Identify any integration, permit, or terminal access gap that would stop the project before kickoff
• Is tag-level SCADA telemetry available for the tanks you would use Options: Yes, tag-level and time-stamped, Yes, but only aggregated, Partial coverage, No SCADA available
• Name the owner of API or EDI connectivity on your side and the earliest date they can provide endpoint access
• Select the protocols your team can support for data transfer Options: REST API, Webhooks, SFTP CSV, EDI/ASN, Proprietary EDI
• Provide the number of dedicated technical FTEs you can commit to onboarding and integration Options: 0, 1, 2–3, 4–6, More than 6
• If permits or third-party access will take longer than six weeks, what backup plan would you accept to keep the timeline? Options: Phased onboarding, Pilot on a subset of tanks, Temporary trucking, Delay go-live, Other

Commercial tradeoffs: what you're protecting and what you're willing to give up

• What single commercial term would make you walk away before signatures?
• Pick the rate structure that best matches your economics Options: Per-barrel-per-month storage, Throughput charge per 1,000 bbl, Blended storage + throughput, Daily storage fee, Other
• Rate the importance of heel policy flexibility on a scale of 1 to 5 Options: 1 - Not important, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Critical
• Choose your preferred contract length Options: Spot / month-to-month, 3–6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5+ years
• Assuming a pilot meets your throughput targets, what internal approval is required and how long does it take

Who else could you work with, and what would it take to stay with them

• List the external providers, incumbents, and internal teams you are currently considering
• Select the conditions that would keep you on your current approach, select all that apply Options: Lower rate, Shorter termination notice, Better connectivity, Named capacity, Improved nomination windows, Operational SLA
• Has anyone on your team proposed building storage or routing capabilities internally instead of contracting Options: Yes, active proposal, Yes, exploratory discussion, No internal proposal, Not sure
• Provide the maximum timeline and capital threshold that would make your team favor an internal build over an external contract

Acceptance criteria and kill-switch questions, spelled in measurable terms

• Define the minimum throughput and reliability numbers you require to accept an operational handover
• State the exact nomination windows and cutoff times your operations require to avoid penalties
• Give the heel volume tolerance in barrels that your operations must maintain Options: 0 barrels (no heel allowed), < 1,000 bbl, 1,000–5,000 bbl, > 5,000 bbl
• Indicate the maximum rate escalator over the contract term your finance team will accept Options: No escalator, CPI-linked, Fixed % per year, Negotiated at renewal
• Confirm the single approval, metric, or deadline that would allow you to sign within five business days after a successful pilot

Practical next steps: owners, timelines, and what we need from you

• Name the one commitment from us that would immediately accelerate your internal approval
• Enter the primary contact for commercial negotiations from your side
• Pick your target go-live window Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, 3–6 months, Flexible/undecided
• Mark availability for the following documents: connectivity maps, tank schedules, permits, SCADA samples Options: All available now, Some available, need time, Not available, Can provide summaries only
• By what date do you need a signed agreement to avoid production curtailment or trading opportunity loss

• Storage & Routing Solution Experience

• Confirm the current state and quantify the cost to your team
• You confirm the simulated routing and storage workflows deliver the operational outcomes you need for seasonal positioning, overflow takeaway, and trading optionality.
• Provide a modeled P&L for the buyer's three scenarios using proposed routing, storage heel levels, and rate assumptions.
• Map each buyer scenario to available asset options
• You agree on the remaining evidence (P&L model, nomination templates, heel policy) required to decide.
• Share proposed nomination templates, heel policy draft, and a sample operational SLA for review.
• Run proof examples showing outcomes and costs
• Supply representative monthly volume profile, target seasonal windows, and maximum acceptable heel for modeling purposes.
• You commit to the next step and timeline for the pilot or commercial proposal.
• Identify the internal decision committee and confirm the target decision date.
• Confirm operational constraints and acceptance criteria
• Validate the match to your needs
• Agree next evidence and decision steps

• Storage & Routing Solution Experience
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief — Storage & Routing Experience

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Provide Committed Storage Capacity
• Provide Interruptible (Spot) Storage Capacity
• Salt-Cavern Injection and Withdrawal Operations
• Tank Heel Management and Segregation
• Common-Carrier Pipeline Throughput Service
• Pipeline Interconnection and Manifold Access
• Truck Loading and Unloading Terminal Service
• Railcar Loading and Unloading Terminal Service
• On-site Blending and Quality Management
• Metering and Custody Transfer Services
• SCADA Integration and Real-Time Volume Telemetry
• Operational Nomination Execution and Confirmation
• Tank Cleaning and Product Changeover
• Emergency Response and Spill Containment Services

Provide Committed Storage Capacity

• Do you require minimum monthly committed capacity and if so specify barrels per month and committed months?
• How many distinct tank numbers or cavern IDs do you expect to reserve under this commitment? Options: 1-2, 3-5, 6-10, More than 10
• Which inbound or outbound pipeline interconnects or market hubs must be routable for committed barrels (list pipeline name or hub code)?
• Provide the target start and end dates for the committed capacity and any seasonal ramp windows (for example 2026-10-01 to 2027-03-31).
• Specify your acceptable product grades or API gravity ranges to be held under the commitment and any required segregation per grade.

Provide Interruptible (Spot) Storage Capacity

• At which notice period (hours or days) will you request interruptible capacity? Options: Same-day (under 24 hours), 48 hours, 72 hours, 7 days
• When are the seasonal months or market events when you anticipate calling spot capacity (list months or event types)?
• Who on your team will submit spot requests and who is authorized to approve ad-hoc bookings?
• What pricing triggers or per-use thresholds make spot capacity acceptable for your trading or production strategy (per-barrel or per-day triggers)?
• Confirm the maximum retention time per spot booking before turn-in, uplift, or reallocation is required (days). Options: Same day, 1-7 days, 8-30 days, Custom

Salt-Cavern Injection and Withdrawal Operations

• List the required injection and withdrawal rates per cavern in barrels per day and expected cycle frequency.
• Are there vapor pressure, RVP, or blending constraints for product placed into caverns (provide limits or test thresholds)?
• Do you require pre-conditioning runs, cushion gas management, or gas-handling support during injection/withdrawal operations? Options: Yes, No
• Identify the monitoring points and alarm thresholds for cavern pressure and temperature that we must instrument (psi, degrees F).
• Describe the sample and custody-transfer protocol at the cavern interface including sample size, chain-of-custody, and bill of lading requirements.

Tank Heel Management and Segregation

• Which documents define your heel policy (minimum heel in barrels or percent) and required cleaning intervals?
• Indicate the maximum allowable inter-grade contamination percentage and the segregation procedures required between batches.
• How will heel level updates be communicated to operations (SCADA tag, daily gauge report, or email) and at what cadence? Options: SCADA tag, Daily gauge report, Email notification, Platform notification
• Who will perform tank heel measurements and which measurement method will you accept (manual gauge, probe, or tank strapping)? Options: We perform, You perform, Joint measurement
• Do you have a preferred tank cleaning or product changeover procedure and what is the acceptable turnaround time (hours)?

Common-Carrier Pipeline Throughput Service

• Which pipeline receipt and delivery point codes must be available to satisfy your throughput needs?
• How many barrels per day or month do you require pipeline throughput including expected peak-day requirements?
• Provide the acceptable apportionment or allocation tolerance (percent of nomination) that you can operate under during constrained conditions. Options: 0-5%, 5-10%, 10-20%, Greater than 20%
• Specify required operating pressure range or pump capacity at the interconnect points (psi or horsepower) to meet your delivery profile.
• Are there detrainment, batching, or dilution restrictions when moving different grades on the pipeline that we must observe? Options: Yes, No

Pipeline Interconnection and Manifold Access

• What physical manifold or interconnect point IDs (for example bay numbers or meter-run IDs) will you connect to?
• Which flange size and connection type or adapter is required at the interconnect?
• Do you require hot-tap access, piggable connections, or specific pigging schedules at this interconnect? Options: Piggable required, Hot-tap required, No special requirement
• Indicate the expected flow profile at the manifold (steady, pulsed, or batch) and the maximum instantaneous rate required (bbl/hr). Options: Steady, Pulsed, Batch
• Who on your operations team will coordinate line-up, isolation, and final acceptance for new interconnects?

Truck Loading and Unloading Terminal Service

• Which truck bay IDs and measurement-in-route (MIR) rules must be supported for your customer deliveries?
• Estimate the truck throughput required per day and the maximum truck size in barrels you expect to load/unload. Options: Under 50 bbl/truck, 50-200 bbl/truck, 200-500 bbl/truck, Over 500 bbl/truck
• Do you need appointed appointment windows, driver pre-registration, and gate-security processes integrated with your transportation management system? Options: Yes, No
• Specify the required loading rates (bbl/min) and expected truck rotation time at each bay.
• Are there tare weight, scale ticket, or bill of lading formatting requirements your carriers must follow?

Railcar Loading and Unloading Terminal Service

• Which railcar types and loading/unloading configurations (for example rotary, bottom-dump, load-out rack) must be supported?
• Estimate the number of railcars per week and peak-day loading rates you plan to move through the terminal.
• Specify any DOT or FRA compliance documentation and carrier certifications required at receipt. Options: Certificate of compliance, Carrier insurance limits, Hazmat endorsement, Other
• Which siding or track ID will cars be spotted to and what tare/weight ticket process should be followed?
• Describe your preferred washout, purge, or product changeover procedures between rail batches and the required lead time for scheduling.

On-site Blending and Quality Management

• Do you need on-site blending and if so list blend recipes including target API gravity and allowable tolerances. Options: Yes, No
• Which test methods and lab certificates do you require for blend verification (for example API gravity, sulfur, BS&W)?
• Which sampling points and frequency (per batch, hourly, custody transfer) are required for quality assurance? Options: Per batch, Hourly, Per custody transfer, Custom
• Who will approve off-spec material and what rework or rejection procedure should operations follow?
• Are there special additives, corrosion inhibitors, or stabilizers that must be handled or inventoried on-site? Options: Yes, No

Metering and Custody Transfer Services

• Which custody transfer meter runs (meter ID) will be used and what manufacturer/model is installed?
• What is the required meter accuracy and calibration interval (for example +/-0.25% and annually)? Options: +/-0.10%, +/-0.25%, +/-0.5%, Other
• Which standards must meter calibration and proving follow (for example API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards and chapter references)?
• What acceptance criteria will confirm custody-transfer meter accuracy and required calibration evidence (for example proving tickets and recent calibration certificate)?
• Who will own corrective action for meter discrepancies and what escalation path should be followed for variances beyond tolerance?

SCADA Integration and Real-Time Volume Telemetry

• Which SCADA endpoints and point tags do you need us to publish or subscribe to (list tag names and descriptions)?
• Which telemetry protocols and transport do you require for integration (for example OPC-UA, Modbus, REST API, or MQTT) and any firewall/VPN constraints? Options: OPC-UA, Modbus/RTU, REST API, MQTT, Other
• How frequently do you need live volume, level, and meter telemetry updates and what is acceptable latency for operations and billing? Options: Real-time <1 min, 1-5 minutes, 5-15 minutes, Hourly
• What acceptance criteria will confirm SCADA point accuracy and telemetry readiness including timestamp latency, data mapping validation, and sample payloads to test against?
• Specify the contact and credential process for granting test access to the integration endpoint and any required IP allowlists.

Operational Nomination Execution and Confirmation

• Which nomination windows and cut-off times (include time zone) must be honored for your inbound and outbound movements?
• Do you use a standard nomination template or EDI/REST format and can you provide a sample nomination file? Options: Standard template (attach), Custom EDI/CSV, REST API
• What acceptance criteria will confirm nomination execution including required confirmation SLA (for example within 60 minutes) and evidence such as ACK/BAK or email confirmations?
• Who will own daily nomination reconciliation and exception handling for mismatches between nominated and confirmed volumes?
• How should nomination failures or shortfalls be escalated and which contact methods (phone, email, platform notification) should be used? Options: Phone, Email, Platform notification, All of the above

• Storage & Transportation Agreement
• Rate Schedule & Fee Exhibit
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Operational Governance & Escalation Addendum
• Invoicing & Payment Terms
• Interconnect, Delivery Points & Acceptance Exhibit
• Onboarding Statement of Work (SOW) (assumption)
• Environmental, Safety & Regulatory Compliance Addendum (conditional)

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate, Outcomes Validation
• Quarterly Operational Review

• Add agreed enhancement requests to the backlog with prioritized delivery windows and dependencies noted.
• Implement agreed nomination process adjustments and schedule a verification nomination run.
• Publish the metric calculation and source-of-truth document for shared reporting.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Produce a documented acceptance decision for all acceptance criteria recorded in 'Commercial & Operational Scope', with buyer signatory for managed engagements.
• List remediation actions for any unmet criteria with clear resolution dates and verification steps.
• Confirm the schedule and owners for post-acceptance verification and ongoing reporting.
• Publish the acceptance decision document with recorded outcomes for each criterion and signatory names as applicable.
• Execute the remediation plan for any failed criteria and schedule verification runs within the agreed remediation window.
• Enable the ongoing performance dashboard and circulate access instructions to named operational owners.
• Trend review for core metrics
• Confirm whether nomination fulfillment rate and on-time loading rate continue to meet the commitments recorded in 'Commercial & Operational Scope'.
• Agree closure dates for high-priority open issues and update the remediation burn-down plan.
• Prioritize enhancement requests and publish the next-quarter delivery window for approved items.
• Update the open-issue register with target closure dates and required verification steps.
• Reconcile the quarter's invoices and publish any billing discrepancy report with proposed corrections.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Confirm the deployment completed against the operational scope checklist and identify any items preventing normal operations.
• Document critical blockers and agree remediation tasks with target dates for verification.
• Validate that SCADA and nomination templates are transmitting usable data for the first measurement cycle.
• Publish the deployment verification checklist with remediation owners and dates.
• Resolve any SCADA endpoint mismatches and confirm successful test reportback within 48 hours.
• Update and reissue nomination template, then run a nomination test for the next cadence window.
• Present first-period data against targets
• Determine whether storage utilization rate and nomination fulfillment rate are on track against 'Commercial & Operational Scope' targets and document gaps.
• Agree specific corrective actions with dates to remediate root causes before the acceptance gate.
• Confirm the authoritative data sources and definitions for measurement moving forward.
• Deliver a root-cause analysis report for each metric gap and recommended remediation steps.
• Present measured outcomes per criterion
• Reliability and incident recap
• Deployment and connectivity validation
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Document pass, conditional-pass, or fail per criterion and acceptance decision
• Early operational signals and usage patterns
• Open issues burn-down
• Review reliability incidents and operational deviations
• Enhancement and change requests
• Agree remediation plan for failed or conditional items
• Blockers and incident triage
• Agree corrective actions and timelines
• Confirm data and reporting definitions
• Post-acceptance handover and verification schedule
• Administrative reconciliation
• Agree immediate remediation actions