NIGP 03128: Cooling Towers: Forced Air, Gravity, etc.

NIGP 03128 Cooling Towers: Forced Air, Gravity, Etc., an Item code, encompasses the repair, replacement, installation, and maintenance of cooling tower equipment and associated water treatment systems that state and local governments operate across facilities including office buildings, courthouses, schools, utilities, and convention centers. Recent solicitations show state and local agencies buying complete cooling tower replacement services (removal, rigging, installation, and commissioning), component repairs and retrofits (basin replacement, pump and motor replacement, fan assemblies), water treatment and chemical management for chilled water and condenser loops, and individual cooling tower parts such as gear reducers. The issuing bodies span state departments of technology and transportation, county facilities and utilities departments, city public works and utilities divisions, school districts, and special-purpose authorities including public housing authorities and convention authorities. Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget has appeared multiple times over the past four months procuring repairs to the Cadillac Place cooling towers, indicating both repeat maintenance cycles and re-bidding activity following prior solicitation cancellations.

Geographic activity clusters in Michigan (Detroit area), Florida (multiple districts and counties), California (San Diego, Los Angeles), Arizona (Phoenix), Texas (Houston), and the District of Columbia, with additional recent opportunities in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Nevada. Representative recent opportunities include the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget's Notice of Intent to Award for Cadillac Place Cooling Tower 1 and 2 repairs (RFP 260000002250, due July 15, 2026, with Systemp Corporation recommended at $542,516.85 following a re-bid); the City of Phoenix's IFB for cooling tower water treatment services (IFB 27-FMD-013, due July 29, 2026, covering full-service chemical treatment, testing, and maintenance across multiple facilities with a three-year base term plus two one-year renewals); Houston Independent School District's RFP 270003 for HVAC chiller replacement at three school locations (due July 29, 2026, with site visit July 9 and December 31, 2026 completion deadline); and Long Beach Public Utilities Department's RFQ for rooftop cooling tower replacement (due July 16, 2026, with mandatory site walk June 25 and 10 percent local preference for Long Beach-based businesses). Prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon compliance, and HUD Section 3 requirements appear in several public housing and HUD-funded projects, while small business set-asides and certifications (SB, MB, DVBE) are present in multiple California and District of Columbia solicitations. Contract values range from under $100,000 for single-component replacements to over $2 million for comprehensive chiller plant upgrades, with response windows typically two to six weeks.