Rig Chat is a vendor management platform for oil and gas that improves the efficiency of field operations and provides industry suppliers a low cost channel to market their products and services directly to oil industry decision makers. The oil and gas industry has unique operations and information management challenges that aren’t addressed by current enterprise and operations software solutions. Rig locations are dispersed and often remote. Most of the work is carried out by 3rd party contractors, with 50 to 60 suppliers on a typical rig making up about 90% of the workers on the rig. Management and decision making is also dispersed. Field operations are supervised by oil company personnel on site, with guidance and management from engineering, operations and administrative functions (procurement accounting etc.) located at headquarters and regional offices. Effective communications and information management between all functions and vendors are essential to maintain safe and efficient operations, but effective tools to facilitate communication and information sharing are lacking. The Big Crew Change will only exacerbate the situation.

Rig Chat addresses the problem by providing operators, engineers and administrative personnel the product and vendor information they need when and where they need it to make informed, performance based decisions. Supply chain and engineering management receive product specific vendor performance data, including failures, by location. Field operators and engineers are able to access approved vendor information and up to date product data in real time to make timely and informed decisions. A built in chat function will allow instant, real time, secure communications between the field, regional and headquarters offices and vendors. Product information is kept up to date and provided directly by vendors, allowing vendors to deliver product information directly to oil and gas company decision makers at the point of the decision. The system is designed for seamless data input through standardized templates, offers easy navigation and delivers information in simple, easy to understand standard formats on computers, laptops and mobile devises. It also allows users to rate vendor product performance, providing the first ever product feedback mechanism in the oil and gas industry.

Rig Chat provides oil company field and office personnel the information they need to manage vendors in standard formats available in real time on mobile devices. Supplier information is kept up to date by the suppliers, giving vendors a direct channel to provide up to date product information in standard formats to oil company decision makers. The data is secure and views are customized for each user. Rig Chat offers separate levels of membership to corporate clients, service and product providers and individuals.