NACE 09.1 – Support Activities for Petroleum and Natural-Gas Extraction | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 09.1 covers services provided on a contract basis for petroleum and natural-gas extraction. These include drilling services, well services (workover), construction and repair of drilling platforms, testing and measuring services and pump maintenance at production sites.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026

What does NACE 09.1 cover?

NACE 09.1 (Support activities for petroleum and natural-gas extraction) classifies service companies operating on a contract basis for oil and gas companies — a specialist market relevant in public procurement through utility contracting entities in the energy sector.

Group 09.1 within Section B (Mining and quarrying) and Division 09 (Mining support service activities) is broken down into the following classes:

Public contracting authorities relating to NACE 09.1 are state-owned and state-controlled oil and gas companies (utility contracting entities), national raw-material agencies and infrastructure authorities operating pumping stations and pipeline installations.

Public Tenders: Scope of NACE 09.1

Drilling services and oil-well services are by far the most important tender categories in NACE 09.1 — state-owned energy companies and network operators regularly tender these services under the utilities procurement procedure.

Typical types of contract

• Drilling services: Provision and operation of drilling rigs, directional drilling, horizontal drilling
• Workover and oil-well service: Repair and rejuvenation of existing wells, pump-down procedures
• Well testing and logging: Production tests, formation evaluation, perforation work
• Cementing services: Casing cementing, squeeze cementing, well plugging
• Drilling-fluid service: Provision and management of drilling fluids
• Pump maintenance: Servicing of ESP systems (Electric Submersible Pumps), downhole pumps, gas-lift installations
• Platform and plant service: Maintenance and repair of offshore and onshore production installations

Thresholds and procedure types

Contracting authorities in the oil and gas sector are utility contracting entities under Directive 2014/25/EU. Drilling and service contracts are subject to utilities procurement law (SektVO / BVergGVS). EU threshold for service contracts: EUR 431,000 (as of 2024/2025). Utility contracting entities may choose the negotiated procedure with prior call for competition as the standard procedure and have greater flexibility than classical contracting authorities.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 09.1

CPV codes enable targeted searches for drilling-service and oil-well service tenders on TED.

Current tenders can be found on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on the procurement portals of state-owned energy companies.

Who is NACE 09.1 relevant for in procurement law?

Public contracting authorities

In Europe, state-owned or state-controlled energy companies are the key contracting authorities for drilling and oil-well services. In Austria, RAG Austria AG is relevant as a utility contracting entity for gas production services. In Romania (Romgaz, Petrom/OMV) and Poland (PGNiG, now Orlen), state-affiliated companies are important utility contracting entities. Gas-network operators tender pump and compressor maintenance at transport stations. Regulatory authorities award technical inspections and safety audits for borehole installations.

Companies and bidders

Drilling-service companies and oilfield-service providers typically require for public contracts:

• Authorisation: Mining-law approvals, drilling permits, where applicable offshore certifications
• Technical capacity: Evidence of comparable drilling assignments (depth, type, technology)
• Safety evidence: IADC HSE certification, ISNetworld or PEC Safety accreditation
• Insurance cover: Drilling-risk liability, control-of-well insurance
• Certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, API Q1/Q2

NACE 09.1 in context: Section B and Division 09

NACE 09.1 is part of Division 09 (Mining support service activities) — a specialist service area active as contractor for utility contracting entities in the oil and gas industry.

• NACE B – Mining and quarrying: Parent section
• NACE 06.1 – Extraction of crude petroleum: Crude-oil production companies as contracting authorities
• NACE 06.2 – Extraction of natural gas: Gas companies as utility contracting entities
• NACE 09.9 – Support activities for other mining and quarrying: Mining services outside oil and gas

Frequently Asked Questions about NACE 09.1 and Public Tenders

What distinguishes NACE 09.1 from NACE 06.1? NACE 06.1 covers the actual crude-oil production companies (operators of the fields), while NACE 09.1 classifies the specialist service companies operating on behalf of producers — comparable to the difference between client (06.1) and contractor (09.1).

Why are drilling services for state oil companies subject to utilities procurement law? Because the contracting authority (the state oil company) is classified as a utility contracting entity. The status of the contracting authority — not the contractor — determines the applicable procurement rules.

What special safety requirements apply to drilling services? In addition to procurement eligibility criteria, specific technical safety requirements apply: Well Control certifications (IWCF, IADC), BOP testing, well-intervention standards and, where applicable, Offshore Safety Directive requirements (Directive 2013/30/EU).

How do I find tenders for oil and gas services? On TED with CPV code 76000000 (oil/gas industry services) and 76200000 (drilling services). State energy companies such as OMV, Orlen or Equinor also publish tenders on their own supplier portals (e.g. Ariba, SAP-SRM).

Last updated: January 2026 All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.