This guide is for procurement teams specifying accommodation for an oil and gas camp - upstream, midstream, or a camp serving a live processing facility - who are turning a headcount list into a purchase order. It sets out what to confirm before you commit: how siting decides the layout, how rotation turns a headcount into a room schedule, where factory supply ends and site work begins, what transport and lifting require, and which documents the supplier provides versus which the project must obtain. A factory unit price is not the camp cost; freight, site work and documentation sit outside it. Each section ends with what to write down, so two quotations can be compared on equal terms.
Why an Oil and Gas Camp Is Not a Mining Camp With a Different Name
Much of the hardware overlaps with a mining camp. Three conditions change the specification before a single unit is chosen.
Siting is decided by the facility, not by the camp
An oil and gas site carries hazardous area classification around wells, process equipment and tankage. The camp normally sits outside those zones, but the boundary is set by the project's own zoning drawings, not by the accommodation supplier. That constraint can decide the usable footprint, the camp orientation, and the length of the utility runs. Egress routes and muster points belong to the same decision: a layout that fits the accommodation neatly but crosses an egress route will be rejected at review, and re-siting a delivered camp costs far more than moving it on paper.
Write down: classified zone boundary, required setback, egress routes and muster area - with the drawing reference for each.
Rotation changes the peak, not the headcount
On a 28-on, 28-off rotation the camp does not house the project headcount. It houses the crew on site at the same time, plus the overlap during handover. On shorter rotations with overlapping travel days the peak can be meaningfully higher than a simple division suggests.
Write down: total headcount, rotation pattern, number of crews, handover overlap days, and the resulting peak occupancy. Size to the peak, not the average.
Which specification document governs
Oil and gas projects often run against an operator's own building specification, issued by the international oil company or the national oil company, which sits above generic container building practice. If such a document exists it governs materials, fire performance, finishes and documentation, and it should travel with the inquiry rather than surface at inspection.
Write down: the governing specification and its revision number, and whether the contractor or the operator approves the final building schedule.
Start With the Site, Not the Unit
Buyers often pick a unit type for their temporary site accommodation and then look for somewhere to put it. Reverse that order. The site answers questions no brochure can:
- How much ground remains after setbacks, and is it level or does it need cut and fill?
- What is the ground bearing condition, and does it suit a slab, screw piles or a prepared gravel pad?
- Where do water, power and sewage connect, and how far is that from the camp footprint?
- What does the access route allow - can a low-loader and a crane reach the final position, or is there a transfer point?
- How many months will the camp stand? Two years and ten years justify different foundations and finishes.
Foundations show why order matters. Site preparation and foundations sit outside standard building supply and are procured separately, so if the foundation design is settled after the units are ordered, the schedule slips even though the factory delivered on time.
Working sequence: site survey and zoning drawing → foundation type and bearing requirement → camp layout → unit selection → quotation. This order usually removes one round of redesign.
Turn Headcount Into a Room Schedule
A headcount is not a building schedule. Four decisions sit between them.
1. Persons per room. Single and multi-person dormitories are both available, but the figure itself is a project decision. It follows the client's accommodation standard, local labour practice, and sometimes a client requirement on privacy. It is not a fixed factory default - state it rather than letting the supplier assume a number.
2. Supervisor and female accommodation. These usually run at lower occupancy than general crew, which lifts the unit count above a straight division. Where a female workforce is present, separate sanitary provision is normally expected and changes the block count.
3. Support blocks. Dormitories alone do not make a camp. Ablution units, a dining hall, site offices, a clinic, laundry and stores are usually supplied in the same order. Leaving them to a later purchase turns a working camp into a phased construction site.
4. The model actually quoted. Published specifications differ between models, so two suppliers can quote different products at the same headline area. In the current range a 20 ft dual-wing expandable unit is published at 38 m² expanded and 3,500 kg, and a 40 ft expandable unit at 74.8 m² and 5,500 kg - both as residential layouts, not dormitory configurations. The dormitory plan, bunk arrangement and occupancy for your camp must be confirmed on the specific model's own specification sheet.
Write down: peak occupancy, persons per room, supervisor and female allocation, the full list of support blocks with quantities, and the exact model code for each building type. A schedule built this way can be priced line by line.
Draw the Scope Boundary Before You Compare Prices
This is where most price comparisons break down. Two quotations for the same units can differ widely because one includes work the other excludes. A building supplier supplies buildings and their project documentation; the site side is normally procured separately.
| Item | Usually factory supply | Usually project side |
|---|---|---|
| Building unit and finishes | Yes | - |
| Pre-installed electrical and lighting | Yes, at factory | Site connection |
| Site preparation and foundations | No | Yes |
| Water, power and sewage connection | No | Yes |
| On-site installation labour and crane | No - installation manuals provided | Yes |
| Freight and marine insurance | Per agreed Incoterm | Per agreed Incoterm |
| Local permits and building approval | No | Yes |
| Layout drawings, material lists, inspection reports | On request, per confirmed model | Submit to approval |
Once this table is agreed, prices become comparable. Until then you are comparing a building price with a camp price. For the full list of building categories normally supplied together, see the modular camp building supplier page.
Check Transport and Lifting Against the Real Route
Camp units travel as containers and expand on site, so there are two sets of dimensions to check. In the current range a 20 ft dual-wing unit is listed at a folded size of 5,900 × 2,200 × 2,480 mm and 3,500 kg, with two units per 40HC; a 40 ft unit at an expanded 11,800 × 6,220 × 2,480 mm and 5,500 kg, one unit per 40HC. Those numbers drive three checks:
- Container count. Units per 40HC set how many containers you pay for, and therefore much of the freight cost.
- Lifting. Unit weight and lifting point arrangement must match the crane available at the final position, not the crane at the port.
- Route. Access roads, bridges, site gates and any transfer point between discharge port and camp footprint. This is verified by the buyer's logistics team; the factory can provide loading drawings but cannot verify a road it has not seen.
Write down: discharge port, inland route and its constraints, site crane capacity, storage area for undelivered units, and the loading plan per model. If the site cannot receive all units at once, say so before the order - it changes the shipping sequence.
Fix Who Owns Documents and Approvals
This section causes the most damage when answers stay vague, because missing documentation is usually found at inspection, with the camp standing and the crew waiting.
A supplier should be precise about what its certificates cover. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 are company management system certifications, and EU CE marking applies to relevant products; a management system certificate is not a product fire rating. Likewise a rock wool panel listed as A1 grade non-combustible is a material-level specification - it describes the panel, not the fire performance of the finished building. Building-level fire rating, structural design for a specific wind or seismic load, and electrical equipment for a classified area must be confirmed against the destination requirements and the governing project specification.
On the supply side, layout drawings, material lists, inspection reports and installation manuals are provided per confirmed model. Local building approval, site-specific structural verification, utility design and operator compliance documents sit on the project side. Nothing in a factory quotation replaces those.
Write down: the document list required for approval, who produces each item, and which are conditional on the destination country. Ask for this list at inquiry stage, not after the order.
One Page to Sign Off Before You Order
Everything above collapses into one sheet. If any line is blank, the quotation is not yet comparable.
| Confirm | What goes on the sheet |
|---|---|
| Site and zoning | Classified zone boundary, setback, egress and muster reference |
| Peak occupancy | Headcount, rotation, crew count, handover overlap |
| Room standard | Persons per room, supervisor and female allocation |
| Building schedule | Model code and quantity for every building type, support blocks included |
| Scope boundary | Supply scope, site scope, Incoterm, who arranges installation |
| Logistics | Discharge port, route constraints, site crane capacity, storage |
| Documents | Required approval list, who produces each, destination conditions |
| Delivery | Target window and the conditions attached to it |
For a mining project the procurement logic is close; the expandable container housing guide for mining camps covers the specification side in more detail. For the shipment and customs sequence after the order, see how to import container houses from China.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a supplier deliver a complete oil and gas camp?
A building supplier delivers the buildings and their documentation. Site preparation, foundations, utilities and on-site installation sit outside standard supply and are arranged by the project's own contractors. Confirm the exact scope in writing.
Do you provide on-site installation?
Installation manuals and project documentation are provided per confirmed model, and site work is usually carried out by the buyer's local team. If installation support is required, raise it at inquiry stage so it can be scoped separately.
How long does delivery take?
There is no single figure. Production time depends on the confirmed model, quantity, customization level and order timing, and it is separate from sea freight and inland transport. Treat any delivery date as conditional until it is tied to a specific model, quantity and order confirmation.
Are the buildings certified for use in classified areas?
A camp is normally sited outside classified zones, so answer this against the project's zoning drawings first. Where equipment must sit inside a classified area, the protection concept and certification are set by destination regulations and the operator's specification. A material-level grade such as an A1 panel is not a building-level certification.
What information is needed to get a quotation?
Project country and site location, camp purpose, the number of people to accommodate, building types and estimated quantities, and the target delivery window. Layout drawings or an operator specification, if available, shorten the process considerably.
Ready to price an oil and gas camp?
Send the site location, project purpose, peak occupancy, rotation pattern, building types and target delivery window. If you hold zoning drawings, a governing specification or a layout plan, include them.