Western Mining Services - Mineral Exploration Services

Western Mining Services (WMS) is a unique team of five mineral exploration professionals who provide mineral exploration services globally from two bases, one in Denver, Colorado, and one in Perth, Western Australia.

Our skills and experience cover all aspects of the mineral exploration process, both technical and commercial. Collectively, we represent more than 150 years of hands-on mining industry work, including senior management experience in over 35 countries. We provide a broad spectrum of mineral exploration services to mineral exploration and mining companies of all sizes.

Mineral exploration strategies and program design

WMS advises companies that require assistance to develop, evaluate and implement mineral exploration strategies, programs and projects, both in brownfield (near-mine, mature districts) and in greenfield (grass roots, immature regions) contexts.

We are skilled at performing multi-commodity metallogenic framework and mineral targeting studies to help clients identify and develop new exploration opportunities. WMS has completed many such studies on a regional and country scale, tailored to specific client needs.

We are also skilled at targeting and the technical aspects of opportunity generation, and we apply the most recent scientific concepts to such tasks. Our team brings innovative thinking and technology to data analysis and the targeting process.

Commercial risk analysis for mineral exploration

We routinely provide commercial risk analyses of regions or countries where our clients desire to explore. Our reports identify key commercial risks in categories that are important to our clients such as personal security and safety, political and economic trends, and security of title and other property rights. We also are able to provide a comparison or ranking of countries / regions based upon their commercial risk profiles.

WMS designs and proposes ways to manage the identified risks effectively. Our extensive experience with safety, environment, community and social risk management allows us to assess and recommend value-adding approaches.

We provide commercial analysis of growth and investment opportunities, and assist with deal evaluation and transaction terms development and negotiations, and with the development of land access and exit strategies.

Mineral exploration program assessment and review

WMS is frequently asked to work with senior exploration management teams in a mineral exploration company to review, workshop and, when necessary, help design and redesign exploration programs, processes and procedures that are appropriate in the context of the company's business growth and exploration strategies.

Our capabilities in this area cover a broad spectrum including portfolio design, targeting techniques, technical and non-technical risk management, gating and project review processes, team development and people management, and procedures for the development of project operational and risk management plans.

Technical and commercial analysis and risk assessment for mineral projects

We assist with technical and commercial analysis of growth and investment opportunities, participate in technical and commercial risk assessment, and assist with deal evaluation and transaction negotiations.

We provide risk analysis for clients that are pursuing business opportunities in new areas, including assessment of mineral exploration risks in high-risk regions and countries globally.

Mineral exploration training

We offer training that covers the following topics:

• Mineral exploration at the strategic scale – the roles of greenfield and brownfield exploration in the development and implementation of corporate operating and growth strategies
• Designing and managing exploration programs and portfolios
• The importance of group structure, program design, process discipline and effective people management in achieving exploration group objective
• Opportunity generation including the exploration search space concept, targeting science, the application of targeting models and new opportunity due diligence
• Development of commercial terms for mineral exploration transactions and negotiating deals
• Strategic risk evaluation and management in order to develop and maintain the necessary licenses to operate exploration projects in varied risk environments

We also offer in-house training for individual clients, and teach courses that are publicly available.