Oil drilling consultants can be an integral part of a business and its decision to drill for oil in a particular place. Oil and gas consultants have a range of skills; they can provide statistics that show the value of drilling and information on where to drill. If a prospective spot is cost-effective, consultants can also develop a plan to produce product in the least amount of time.

When working with oil drilling consultants, decide what you want to get out of the partnership. Most oil consultants can provide a variety of services, but the most common include:

1. Providing you with information so you know which spots are cost-effective to drill.

2. Estimating the cost of drilling; many oil consultants can figure a future profit projection.

3. Developing statistics on the best places to drill for oil and natural gas.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire an expert in field work to be your drilling consultant

Before your company starts thinking about the bottom line, there are many steps you need to take. First you will need to survey the area where you want to drill to determine if it will return oil or gas, whether drilling will negatively impact surrounding habitats, and how much drilling will cost..

I recommend: Daub & Associates provides skilled consulting on geological and environmental issues in drilling. The Business & Economics Research Advisor from the Library of Congress provides an extensive look at the process of oil drilling, costs, and lists additional resources where you can learn more.

Work with consultants that are associated with oil drilling companies

Many consulting firms will end their relationship with a firm before a crew is ever hired, but there are many other firms that include drilling company recommendations with their consultation. This can provide you with the best workers for the job, plus a better chance of striking gold.

I recommend: Ziff Energy provides environmental and production consulting for the oil and gas industry. Heerema Fabrication Group provides consulting for oil drilling exploration and production, including suggesting and building oil rigs for the offshore industry.

Develop a plan of action with your oil drilling experts

Many consulting firms can help you with determine the costs for drilling and make suggestions on who your should hire. But if you do not have a solid plan of action to follow, your investment is sitting on shaky ground. Choose oil drilling consulting services that can give your strategies and models to build on for the best results.

I recommend: PFC Energy provides many consulting services, including asset evaluations and strategic development. Alliance Drilling Consultants is another firm that can provide you with multiple services and advice. Independent oil consultant Greg Lamberson provides a sample of his independent project review plan, so you can get a better idea of what a consultant might present.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Drilling for oil is a long process when you include searching for a site, gathering the information needed, and beginning production. Consultants can also help you estimate the time needed to complete the project.

With the increased interest in drilling for oil and for getting oil out of the ground in an economical and efficient way, oil drilling consultants can be a great help to your company. Drilling consultants can help with all sorts of drilling tasks, including both onshore and offshore drilling as well as drilling planning.

If you need specific drilling knowledge or assistance, using an oil drilling consultant can give your company almost immediate results. Using an oil drilling consultant means that you don't have to give additional responsibilities or training to your company's staff.

When choosing an oil drilling consulting firm, be sure to consider:

1. The types of drilling services your company needs.

2. The area of expertise of the oil drilling consultants.

3. The consultant's experience with past oil drilling consultant jobs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine the tasks for which you need oil drilling consulting services

Oil drilling consultants can perform many services and assist with the drilling of oil in many locations. Determine if you need consulting services for oil well drilling onshore or offshore oil drilling. Look at various oil drilling companies to see what types of services they have available.

I recommend: Look at some of the oil drilling consulting services available through Parker Petroleum Pros. Check out some of the services available from the companies associated with Subsea online.

Locate oil drilling consulting firms that can fulfill your needs

Once you have determined the type of services you need, you can begin to find oil and gas consultants that can assist your business. Look for consultants that specialize in the area in which you need assistance.

I recommend: Find oil drilling consulting firms on the Petroleum Consulting and Services website. Contact Scientific Drilling International for consulting services related to directional drilling. Contact Hamilton Engineering, Inc. for offshore oil drilling consulting services. Learn about the onshore and offshore drilling consulting services available from Universal Safety Consultants.

Check the references and past job experiences of the oil drilling consultants that interest you

Always be sure that you hire a reputable drilling consultant. Ask oil drilling companies for references from their past clients, or ask to see examples of or get information about past drilling consulting they have done.

I recommend: Consider joining Oil Consultants to locate oil drilling consultants and obtain access to resumes and references of the oil drilling consultants available. Click on "Consultant Resumes" to check the resumes of oil drilling consultants at Robertson Oilfield Consulting.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Try to be specific with what drilling assistance your business needs. If you can't be specific about your needs, a good consultant may be able to help you figure out the specific type of help your company needs.
• •  Consider the cost of oil and gas consultants when selecting a consultant to work with. Figure out if you can pay the drilling consultant by the project or by the hour.

Offshore oil drilling, natural gas drilling and other energy topics are constantly in the news. It is important to understand how much oil and gas the country uses, and how offshore drilling fits into the larger demand for cleaner energy options.

Oil and gas consultants are part of that. They are the ones who look for places to drill, research the best technology for accessing oil and gas, and find out how much a company will need to invest in the project. There are a lot resources where you will find oil drilling consultants news and trends. From print to online sources, you can find reports on:

1. The top oil drilling experts in the country.

2. What a drilling consultant does to help implement a new project.

3. How much oil drilling consulting services will cost.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Follow industry trends that affect oil and gas consultants

There are many trends emerging in the oil and gas industry. Some of these trends include finding safer ways to drill for oil, finding new ways to use natural gas, and the changing world demand for oil. All of these discussions will have an impact on your drilling project.

I recommend: Oil and Energy Trends provides a monthly report that analyzes international oil statistics to find the latest trends. Oil Sands is another important resource where you can get information on trends in the oil industry.

Choose magazines related oil drilling companies for consultant information

Consultants are usually one step ahead of the game, because that's what companies pay them for. In order for you to be as knowledgeable as your consultants, you should take an interest in some of the more popular trade publications for the oil and gas industry.

I recommend: The Oil & Gas Journal provides a newsletter that will keep you up to date on the latest industry news and trends. E & P Magazine also has many drilling-related articles that companies and consultants should to take note of during the decision-making process.

Use oil consultants information and news to help estimate costs

Because oil is a very lucrative business, oil consultants are among the most paid in consultant-related fields. Consultants for oil drilling must also know a lot about geography, oil and drilling techniques to make successful recommendations. News and trends can help you estimate the cost of their services.

I recommend: World Oil provides a number of important industry statistics that can be useful when you want to help estimate the costs of a new drilling site or the potential profits from drilling. EnergyFiles delivers financial news and the costs of specific drilling operations.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most oil drilling consulting firms will be able to tell you quickly whether a specific site can produce a significant amount of oil. However, it can take up to 10 years or more to develop a site that produces to its full capacity.

If you want your oil drilling operations to be a success, it's imperative that you work with top quality oil drilling consultants. Oil drilling consultants provide all manner of drilling consulting services, from exploration to workload management to data mining. In order to get the most out of your consulting relationship, you need to understand oil drilling consultants key terms. Make sure you learn the meaning of terms like well-site supervision, project evaluation, drilling data mining, well planning, environmental consulting and oilfield scouting.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Project evaluation

Project evaluation describes the preliminary evaluation of a planned or proposed oil drilling operation. Project evaluations usually cover the economic and geologic issues that may arise from a specific project.

I recommend: Visit the website for Texas Drilling Consultant to read an in-depth description of a project evaluation.

Well planning

Well planning is the process that occurs after a project evaluation is complete and a company is ready to move ahead with its drilling project. Most well plans outline the design of the project, estimated costs and the securing of any necessary permits.

I recommend: On its website, Stokes & Spiehler provides an expanded explanation of what to expect from a well planning service.

Wellsite supervision

Wellsite supervision describes the management of the overall operations of a wellsite, including onsite drilling, completion and workover.

I recommend: Visit HTK Consultants to learn more about wellsite supervision.

Environmental consulting

Environmental consulting describes the assessment and planning surrounding the environmental effects of an oil drilling operation. Environmental consulting services include plans for oil spill prevention and clean up, soil assessment and remediation, air emissions monitoring and saltwater disposal.

I recommend: Bear Creek Services provides information on the process of environmental consulting.

Drilling data mining

Drilling data mining describes the process in which a consulting company compiles and analyzes a drilling company's operational data. Data mining services often include creating an entirely new database system or reworking a company's current setup.

I recommend: Learn the ins and out of drilling data mining from Halliburton.

Oilfield scouting

Oilfield scouting is a controversial service in the oil industry. Scouting describes when workers hired by one oil drilling company spy on the operations of another in order to find new locations of oil reserves.

I recommend: Oilweek offers an informative article about the arguments for and against oilfield scouting.