GSS International was set up in 1993 by Mike Bidgood after leaving Halliburton Energy Services (formerly Gearhart GeoConsultants Ltd.). It was originally named Grampian Stratigraphic Services but changed to GSS International to reflect the ever growing global areas where project work is undertaken. October 1st 2003 marked GSS International's first 10 years of successful operations.

During the last two years alone, GSS International associates have undertaken projects in or from  Northwest Europe, Brunei/Borneo, North Africa and West Africa.

Some of our earliest clients included major multinational oil companies such as BP, Shell, BG & Talisman (and we are proud to list them as continuing clients today) as well as other consulting service companies and indeed other independents.

Why Use Us?

GSS International is run by the proprietor Dr. Mike Bidgood. There are a close network of around half a dozen independent highly qualified and experienced (10 years minimum) associates who together form a flexible and dedicated team of geoscientists. Our services are based in and around the application of various groups of microfossils to the geological sub discipline of biostratigraphy, and its application to the oil and gas industry.

We, as a network of associates, strongly believe in the principles of co-operation and openness. Strictly speaking, every associate of GSS International is a competitor as we are all independent entities. However, we all recognise that the practice of applied palaeontolgy cannot be undertaken in isolation and that, more importantly, our customers expect such an approach from their contractors. Our individual livelihoods are directly related to the amount of business we receive which is, of course, directly related to our customers' satisfaction with the job. Consequently, our dedication to your project is second to none.

The marketplace for applied palaeontology has changed drastically during the last 5 years and there is no reason to expect it not to continue changing in the future. By using the latest software applications and communication techniques our network can run as seamlessly as any large consulting institution with, of course, much less overhead - and corresponding price savings to the customer. A recent example of this took place where a total of almost 2000 individual samples were analysed for a major client on a multidiscipline basis by 5 different consultants, one of which was not even based in the UK. The data were generated, results were collated, integrated together and presented and the reporting completed ALL WITHIN A DEADLINE OF 12 WEEKS FROM RECEIPT OF SAMPLES.

GSS International is based in Europe's oil capital, Aberdeen. The office is situated in the nearby village of Oldmeldrum and in purpose-built laboratories near the airport and heliports - ideal for North Sea "hot shot" sample analysis and proximity to major oil company offices.