NIGP 17553: Laboratory Equipment, General

NIGP 17553 Laboratory Equipment, General is an Item code under which state and local governments procure specialized analytical and diagnostic instruments for forensic, environmental, medical, and research laboratory applications. Recent solicitations show agencies buying benchtop sequencers, gas chromatographs, mass spectrometers, microscopy systems, extraction equipment, and sample processing instruments—typically as single-unit or small-lot procurements paired with installation, training, calibration, and warranty services. The buying community spans state health and human services departments, state public safety crime labs, county sheriff's offices, municipal water and wastewater utilities, counties and cities, regional universities, and independent school districts. Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on behalf of the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is the dominant repeat buyer, issuing multiple IFBs for sequencing systems, chromatography equipment, microscopes, and extraction systems since early 2026. Other significant buyers include Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for crime lab automation, Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, and utilities in Florida and California for water quality and environmental analysis.

Activity concentrates heavily in Texas, with recent solicitations from HHSC/DSHS for MiSeq i100 Plus sequencers (HHS0017209v2, HHS0016895, HHS0016895V2, bid due through July 2026 and earlier), Agilent 8890 gas chromatographs (HHS0017253, May 2026), BD BACTEC MGIT 960 instruments (HHS0017237, May 2026), BX43 LED fluorescent microscopes (HHS0017252, May 2026), and Presto SPE extraction systems (HHS0017321, May 2026); DPS for Microlab STAR DNA extraction automation (405-26R0007153A, March 2026) and TopMatch 3D forensic scanners (26R0007103, April 2026); and Brazoria County for a Liquid Chromatograph-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (RFP #26-48, May 2026, $300,000 budget). Secondary activity appears in Kentucky (Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet for SPE extractors, May–June 2026), Nevada (Department of Agriculture for BacSomatic somatic cell counters and flash point instruments, March–April 2026), Georgia (Gwinnett County for jar testers, April 2026), and California (San Mateo County for biosafety cabinet and fume hood maintenance, November 2025; Santa Clara County RFI for LIMS replacement, April 2026; City of Tucson for Waters Technologies PFAS/Dioxane consumables, October 2023). Texas procurement vehicles favor firm fixed-price IFBs with best-value award criteria; contract terms typically run through August 31, 2026, with HHSC exercising optional one-year extensions at its discretion. Most solicitations require HUB subcontracting plans (encouraged but not mandatory), E-Verify and debarment certifications, and comprehensive insurance ($1–2 million general liability). Response cycles are compressed—questions often due within 5–10 days of posting, bids due within 2–4 weeks.