NIGP 16520: Deep Fat Fryers

NIGP 16520 Deep Fat Fryers, an Item code, covers commercial fryer equipment and related installation and maintenance services purchased by state and local governments for school nutrition operations, county facilities, and institutional food service. State and local buyers under this code solicit competitive bids for both single-unit purchases and multi-site equipment delivery programs, often bundling fryers with installation, training, warranty support, and compliance certifications. The issuing bodies are primarily school districts and county governments; Hillsborough County Public Schools and Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners appear as recent repeat buyers. Scope of work includes specification-driven procurement of ventless and traditional commercial fryers with integrated fire suppression and filtration systems, delivery and installation to multiple school sites or individual facilities, startup assistance and operator training, and manufacturer warranty coverage ranging from one to five years depending on component. Contracts under the code routinely embed federal compliance requirements—USDA Buy American provisions, prevailing wage standards for contracts exceeding $100,000, debarment certifications, and drug-free workplace attestations—and state-level requirements such as background checks for contractor employees working in schools and E-Verify workforce verification.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida, where Hillsborough County Public Schools posted an ITB on September 21, 2026 (ITB 26147-ITB-DST) for large food service equipment delivery across multiple school nutrition facilities, with an updated Notice of Intent to Award posted June 30, 2026, and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners issued a competitive quote (ITQ2600314) due July 9, 2026 for a single MTI AutoFry 5 ventless fryer with an estimated value of $12,725.00, including inside delivery, installation, one-year filter pack, training, and one-year parts-and-labor warranty. A secondary opportunity—Sourcewell RFP #061626 for Law Enforcement Equipment posted May 12, 2026 with a June 16, 2026 deadline—does not involve fryers and does not inform this code's market characterization. Contract values for single-unit fryer purchases range from approximately $12,000 to $25,000; multi-site school district programs typically command higher total values under firm fixed-price or cost-reimbursable structures with no escalation.