7 Questions to Ask New Emissions Vendors

Summary

When evaluating a new emissions data and analytics provider, the right questions will uncover more than just capabilities. They should reveal how a vendor will actually fit into your operations. 

This blog outlines key questions that help oil and gas operators assess detection accuracy, response timelines, data usability, and long-term value. From understanding scan sensitivity options to asking how quickly large asset bases can be covered, these questions reflect field-proven best practices for choosing a reliable partner.

Key Takeaways

• Asking targeted questions helps reveal a vendor’s real-world reliability
• Providers should be transparent about detection sensitivity, quantification, accuracy, ability to detect intermittent versus fugitive emissions, coverage rate and any existing performance testing
• Fast, reliable data delivery is a must for efficient mitigation
• Think beyond operations today, the right vendor should be ready to scale with you

Why Is Choosing the Right Fit Important? 

If you're considering switching methane detection providers (or adding a new one) it's easy to get distracted by flashy claims or the latest tech. But what matters most is whether a vendor can consistently deliver the insight and support your team needs to operate efficiently, meet compliance demands, and reduce emissions now and continuously over the long-term. 

Asking the right questions early on can save time, reduce risk, and ensure your detection strategy delivers value from day one.

What Should You Ask Before You Sign On?

Here are seven questions to help you uncover what a potential tech provider can really deliver:

1. What is the emission rate detection sensitivity and probability of detection of your technology? What peer-reviewed research demonstrates this?
   Detection sensitivity and probability of detection (PoD) claims should be supported by peer-reviewed research from third-party institutions. Capabilities should be evaluated using controlled releases (intentional test emissions) or fully blind tests where technologies are unaware of release details. Keep in mind that controlled studies often occur under ideal conditions, so results may not fully reflect real-world performance, which varies with environmental factors.
2. Does your technology offer the ability to flag emission events as persistent or intermittent?
   A technology that differentiates between persistent and intermittent emissions can provide important context to a detection event. Persistent emissions often correspond to fugitive emissions that require repair. On the other hand, intermittent emissions often correspond to normal operating process emissions. Both are important for understanding an emissions inventory (the total emissions footprint for a given area or set of assets) and for reducing emissions, but a persistent emission often requires a repair crew, while an intermittent emission may potentially be addressed with planned retrofits or infrastructure upgrades.
3. Does your technology offer quantification of emission rates?
   Quantification of emissions, or determining the emission rate, can be of critical importance for several reasons. First, quantification helps repair crews know which emissions to tackle first. Quantification is also an important element for understanding an emissions intensity (the emissions output relative to the amount of natural gas produced) or to calculate an emissions inventory. To develop a systematic understanding of emission sources and the types of equipment that generate the largest or most common emissions, quantification can be a useful tool.
4. How accurately does your technology pinpoint methane emission sources?
   Simply knowing that emissions are coming from a site or general area of operation is inadequate, instead ask if the provider offers emissions data you can act on. Pinpointing emission sources, or localization, ensures crews know which piece of equipment needs attention, what tools are needed for mitigation, or whether the solution can be handled remotely by operations or using a ground crew. Localization can also help with understanding equipment-attributed emission inventories, identifying systemic equipment issues, and planning upgrades or retrofits.
5. How many sites per day, miles of pipeline, or square miles per day does your technology scan?
   The answer to this question is related to the detection sensitivity capabilities and the ability to pinpoint emissions. Ideally, you’re looking for a technology that can cover large areas or distances quickly and efficiently, yet also provide the detection sensitivity that your operations require with the localization accuracy that you need.
6. When and how will I receive my data, and what compliance frameworks can you align with?
   Timeliness of alerts and emission data is essential for operational efficiency and to address serious emissions quickly. Consider the information you are hoping to receive and what your plan of action will be from the data. Find out if data can be tailored in the proper formats for any regulatory or reporting frameworks that you report under. More specific questions to ask regarding data delivery may include: 
   Will my team be notified of large detection events quickly, or will we have to wait for a full report?
   Will we receive large amounts of raw data to parse through, or will it be organized and actionable?
   Will the data delivered be in a format compatible with our systems?
   By knowing how and when you’ll receive your emissions data, this supports not frictionless methane monitoring but better planning for how to use and disseminate it across your organization.
7. Do you offer short-notice availability for one-off scans?
   Sometimes the unexpected happens. One-off or emergency response scans can offer peace of mind after an earthquake, hurricane, or other major weather event. Sometimes, a one-off scan is needed to investigate a suspected large emitter, or to verify a fix for audit documentation. Ask the provider if these types of scans are available to help support your teams and protect communities.

Ready to Move From Detection to Prediction?

Methane detection data can enhance the operational efficiency of LDAR programs, but the data provider also needs to be able to support operators with insights that future-proof their emissions program. 

If benchmarking is part of your methane strategy, you’ll need scans repeated in a consistent manner. Ask how the vendor ensures scan intervals, sensor parameters, and reporting outputs remain comparable over time. If they have experience with emissions data you can act on, they’ll be able to describe how they set programs up for long-term insights.

As your potential providers if their detection data can be leveraged into advanced analytics—identifying leak sources, patterns, and trends over time. By turning raw data into actionable intelligence, operators can prioritize retrofits, plan targeted equipment upgrades, and make smarter investments that drive long-term emissions reductions and operational efficiency.

Better Questions Lead to Better Partnerships

What to look for in a new emissions provider isn’t just about tech. It’s also about responsiveness and long-term alignment. Your methane detection vendor should be more than your supplier; they should be a capable and responsive partner who helps you reduce emissions and improve your operations over time. Asking the right questions up front can save your team time, money, and regulatory headaches later.

And don’t forget: references matter. Ask to speak with another operator who’s used their solution across a large asset portfolio. That conversation can reveal what onboarding looked like, how well the vendor collaborates, and whether their solution really delivers in the field.

If you're preparing to make a change, start with our guide to switching methane detection providers. It outlines everything you need to consider so you can move forward with confidence.