DCR course feedback

Feedback from the first full course delegate

My motivation for taking the course was firstly to refresh my knowledge and secondly to gauge whether it would be suitable for my cost controllers as part of their training and development plans. I learned a lot and have taken away a number of tips that can be put into practice immediately. I am still considering the course’s suitability for my team.

The course content is thorough, highly applied and covers all the bases. The real-life examples are highly appropriate and illustrate the key points well. The contracts traps section is excellent: many of these are obvious but are often overlooked. Would you consider adding a section about discounts (campaign/volume/early payment etc.)? In my experience, these are often included in contracts but are also often ‘forgotten’ about; my current employer recovers several US$ 000K/year wireline volume discounts, which takes a lot of chasing down, but is justified for the return. I liked the references to bringing wireline specialists in-house to challenge cost estimates and tickets; I too have experience of these guys saving their day rates many times over. Would you consider elaborating on this in one of the modules, perhaps by mentioning some of the most common wireline-related traps?

I agree that DEs/WEs need more commercial awareness training and need to be involved early in contracting; a few years ago, we moved two DEs from Operations to Contracts and have had positive outcomes since then.

I would say the course best suits technical professionals who are tasked with managing costs and contracts; it may be ’too technical’ in parts (e.g. Cementing modules 7 and 8 and possibly Fluids module 11) for many contracts/finance professionals working on drilling/well engineering activities. I fall into the latter category but as I have a keen interest in developing my technical knowledge, I learned the most from modules 7 and 8; this will enable me to work with the DEs and challenge the cementing service providers more thoroughly. Fluids module 11 changed the way I think about fluids costs - thank you - and has given me a lot of good ideas that can be implemented immediately: I wish I would have had these tips a few years ago when I was trying to understand the true cost of several exotic mud systems in Kurdistan.

Lastly, would you consider including the need to check that the well has been credited for the cost of all unused tangibles? It’s a large cost ‘saving’ on the well that can be either overlooked or else takes several months to be booked as part of the well reconciliation. I appreciate this is an ‘internal’ cost, which may/may not be relevant depending on how the company accounts for inventory issues/returns.

Best regards