Purpose

To describe the process by which the IADC committees may propose a project for approval from IADC Leadership – IADC Division Vice President(s) and/or IADC Executive Committee.

Background

Committees are IADC’s principal forums for pursuing its mission of improving industry health, safety and environmental practices; advancing drilling and completion technology; and championing responsible standards, practices, legislation and regulations that provide for safe, efficient and environmentally sound drilling operations worldwide. IADC committees cover a wide range of issues and topics critical to the global drilling industry.

IADC boasts two types of committees – Standing and Divisional. Standing Committees are the legacy or founding committees of IADC, such as HSE and Tax. Divisional Committees have been created as the needs of our industry dictate, for a specific purpose or project. Some examples of Divisional Committees are Underbalanced Operations/Managed Pressure Drilling (UBO/MPD) and Advanced Rig Technology.

As IADC’s Divisional and Standing committees tackle industry issues, there may be an occasion where a formal project is desired to address specific industry needs. The proposed project may require additional volunteers/expertise and in some cases funding. For these types of project proposals, review and approval by the appropriate IADC Leadership may be required – IADC’s Division Vice President(s) and in some cases, the IADC Executive Committee. Project proposals will be vetted for relevance, possible commercial impact and cost.

Project Approval Process for both Divisional and Standing Committees

For all proposed projects, majority committee support is paramount. Preferably, a formal vote should be taken at the committee level and noted in the appropriate committee meeting minutes.  Voting rights for committee members are subject to the discretion of the Committee Chair and IADC Staff Liaison. Once a majority for the proposal has been established, the Committee Project Proposal template will be completed by a committee officer. Committee support for the proposal should be broad and all relevant stakeholders, including other IADC Committees as appropriate, will be advised. The completed Project Proposal template will be submitted to the appropriate IADC Division Vice President(s). The template will provide essential information describing the proposal in detail. Submission of the completed template will be managed by the IADC Committee Lead Staff Liaison, with copy to the IADC Committee Chair requesting the proposal.

The template will provide detailed information to include objectives/scope – highlighting the importance of the project to industry. An overall approach should be included, outlining methods/processes, project timing/completion time requirements, specific expertise requirements, and any funding requests. Any impact to member companies’ commercial advantage should be clearly noted.

The Division Vice President(s) will review the project proposal submission. Depending on the nature of the proposal, multiple Divisions may be impacted. Those Division VP(s) will review and consult on the proposal. The Division VP(s) may or may not confer with that Division’s Advisory Panel. Comments may be sent to the committee for inclusion and/or consideration. The Division Vice President may also consult with the IADC Legal Oversight Committee, as needed.

Should the Division VP(s) deem the proposal potentially debatable or find the proposal requires clarification or further detail, the Division VP(s) will ask for clarification from the Committee Chair at that time. The Division VP(s) may also choose to invite the Committee Chair to make a presentation on the submission before the next scheduled Advisory Panel meeting. Advisory Panel meetings are held three times per year – March, May/June and November. Making a presentation before the Advisory Panel, will allow the Committee Chair to expand on the proposal and answer any additional questions raised by the Panel members. The Division VP(s) will conduct a formal vote of the Advisory Panel members present – for or against the proposal. The result of the vote will be presented to the Executive Committee, along with a recommendation. The final decision for the proposal rests with the Executive Committee. In some rare cases, the Executive Committee may elect to require a vote from IADC’s Board of Directors. The IADC Board of Directors meets annually in November. The final decision will be communicated to the Committee Chair by the Division VP(s). Feedback and guidance for the Committee should be included with the communication, whether the Executive Committee approves or rejects the proposal.