After two years of hard work, the CEPS Control Panel and the Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies, Inc. (COPAS) announced that the conversion of the popular Computerized Equipment Pricing System (CEPS) into a completely web-based application was fully tested and ready to launch on January 1, 2007.

The conversion of CEPS to a web-based program is the second major overhaul CEPS has undergone since its inception, and represents an important milestone.  CEPS was created in 1986, using a GE dial-up service.  In 1997, CEPS was converted to a CD, and the original FORTRAN database was converted to an Access database.   While delivered via a different method, the CD-based CEPS still contained the original database, and delivered the same screens and reports as had been designed for the old GE FORTRAN system.  

The CEPS Control Panel approached the board in late 2004 with a request to update CEPS to a PC environment, and redesign it to better meet users’ needs.

One of the first things the CEPS Control Panel did is contact users to set up a users group. The users group filled out a survey and attended meetings to provide input  to the control panel on which features could be eliminated, which features to keep, and suggested improvements.

In addition to the changes recommended by the Users Group, the CEPS Control Panel came up with some innovative ways to build the database, simplifying it while giving it the flexibility to change as equipment changes.  To give you an idea of how significantly the database changed, the old CEPS system contained 5,000 data records, on over 40 pages.  Those 5,000 records were collapsed to 300 records on 4 pages.  Through some creative design work, the new system will also require fewer HPMs (Historical Price Multipliers).  Other major changes, such as freight calculation, were made.  There were a number of challenges along the way, but the CEPS Control Panel solved them with a lot of innovation, determination, and good old-fashioned hard work.

Some advantages for subscribers include:

• Dynamic real-time updating capabilities
• A new batch process using multiple format imports and exports
• A text-based user interface (no numeric codes or decimal values)
• Greater flexibility, which will allow easier and timelier updates
• Tubular updates will include modern grades and connections along with user-defined adds
• Users have more flexibility in designating add-ons such as coating, inspection, pre-perforating, sandblasting
• Improved accuracy from being able to easily update the data base for modern grades and connections, allowances for high-collapse items, and no weight/foot limitations.
• Eliminating problems resulting from installing and running the CD on multiple operating systems
• An enhanced online help center with photos, glossary and links to CEPS Control Panel members for questions

Web-based CEPS contains pricing for an extensive list of equipment, including tubing and line pipe, casing, mill-to-railpoint freight, wellhead equipment, separators and gas production units, heaters, treaters, freewater knockouts, pumping units, tanks, electrical units, gas engines, starters, and downhole completion equipment.