In brief
From 2019 to 2023 Inderpreet Singh was Deputy Manager – Tendering & Estimation at Essar Constructions India, partnering with Business Development on drilling rig charter tenders and capital projects. He developed tender bid packages for two 90 T drilling rigs (USD 22M for both), a 1400 HP rig (USD 18M), a 1000 HP rig (USD 19M), an NOV Tru-Vertical tool deployment, and a 70 km pipeline (USD 11.9M) with a construction camp for 614 personnel (USD 12M) in Madagascar. The work started with interpreting the SOW, BOQ and layouts and writing pre-bid queries. It ran through technical specifications, layout drawings and deviations. It ended in day-rate estimates built from rig performance data, and inputs to EBITDA, IRR and weekly cash-flow projections. For a 1400 HP land rig tender issued by OIL India in October 2019, the study he prepared supported a successful bid; he was then made responsible for getting the rig third-party certified and mobilised, and the client accepted it.
What bids have I prepared?
Alongside these, I helped Business Development prepare proposals and tender submittals: reviewing the scope of work, writing pre-bid queries and contributing to invitation-to-tender responses. In the same role I also secured commercial alignment and cost validation for multiple high-value asset deployments exceeding USD 50M in total contract value.
- 90 T drilling rigs (2 units), USD 22M
- 1400 HP drilling rig, USD 18M
- 1000 HP drilling rig, USD 19M
- NOV Tru-Vertical tool deployment
- 70 km pipeline, USD 11.9M, and a manpower construction camp for 614 personnel, USD 12M (Madagascar, 3-year duration)
How do I build a drilling day-rate estimate?
From the rig's own history. For a pre-bid on the charter hire of three 1000 HP mobile drilling rigs for three years (11 February 2022), I helped arrive at an operating day rate by predictive analysis of previous projects' daily drilling progress reports, BHA NDT records, rig move times, monthly consumables and diesel consumption. The same data fed a Rig Performance Analysis Report used for budgeting and bid estimation.
Day rates are read against the contract's rate structure: operating day rate, non-operating day rate, equipment breakdown rate and zero rate, as recorded on timesheets.
How do I handle deviations from a tender?
For a 1500 HP land rig tender, I studied the scope of work, the rig's technical specifications, the responsibility matrix and how operating and non-operating day rates applied. With my line manager we offered Land Rig No. 4, a 1500 HP Dreco. Where the tender was incomplete, contradictory or heavily affected operating and capital cost, I proposed clarifications and modifications to match the offered rig. At the bidders' conference we presented the deviations and the rig's features and reached consensus that it met the client's operational goals.
How does an estimate become a bid model?
For OIL India's October 2019 tender to deploy a 1400 HP land rig, I studied the drilling program for two wells (1,950 m and 2,570 m) and prepared a seven-month forecast of operations. I analysed the geo-technical order to set the third-party services needed at each stage, such as coring and directional drilling. To qualify the tender's residual-life clause, the rig was refurbished in-house and witnessed by DNV, which established the maintenance cost. I then combined operational and financial data into an invoice estimate, which senior management turned into a weekly cash-flow execution plan, and the techno-commercial model helped determine the estimated EBITDA and IRR for the contract.
Subcontracts and vendor bids
Integrated tenders often meant subcontracting services. I raised service requisitions for items such as drill bit rental and directional drilling, analysed vendor quotations on performance, pricing, penalties, payment terms and delivery, and helped draft the commercial contracts with a pricing proposal table, a responsibility matrix and a definitions column to avoid misreading between parties. Where disputes arose, I prepared the documents for resolving them with vendors such as NOV (Tru-Vertical tool), Wellex (cementing services) and RBEPL (directional drilling tools).
Growing the service offering
Beyond individual bids, the Operations Manager who oversaw Essar's 14 land rigs recorded that I contributed to building a directional drilling service line within the company, and played a key role in preparing marketing materials for the rig fleet, from 250 HP to 2000 HP.
Presenting at bidders' conferences
On a brownfield EPC bid to replace 70 km of 24-inch slurry pipeline in Madagascar, I worked as mechanical estimator. At the three-day bidders' conference I presented the welding methodology and logistics for mainline construction equipment, wrote daily minutes, and then contributed to the manpower and equipment histograms, project execution plan and schedule that closed the open points.
What reviewers said
“His involvement in a crucial pre-bid meeting for drilling rig charter hire demonstrates his ability to evaluate both commercial and technical aspects essential for project success.”
“Based on his study, we successfully bid for the Project and were Awarded with the Contract.”
“His work in managing the deployment of the 1500 HP Land Drilling Rig Dreco make was outstanding, particularly in preparing detailed analysis reports and engineering proposals for senior-level meetings.”
“Inderpreet displayed very good knowledge of the legal, commercial and regulatory aspects of the contracts.”
Sources
- Inderpreet Singh, CV (2026)
- Engineers Australia CPEng industry review, 20 February 2025 (evidence statements and reviewer comments)