NIGP 318: Fare Collection Equipment and Supplies

NIGP 318 Fare Collection Equipment and Supplies, a Class code, encompasses the transit fare media and specialized equipment that state and local transit authorities procure to collect and process passenger fares—principally prepaid fare cards in various formats (contactless MIFARE chips, magnetic stripe, thermal transfer, and proximity technologies), bus wash blowers for fleet maintenance, and supporting infrastructure. Recent solicitations show Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) acquiring 800,000 MIFARE Ultralight C contactless fare cards across seven distinct voucher and pass types; Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) requesting six fare card formats ranging from 1,000 annual units for reduced passes to 8,000,000 units for farebox transfer cards; and Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) soliciting bus wash blowers with LEED Version 4 sustainable design compliance for the Myrtle Avenue Operations Campus. Transit authorities dominate as issuing bodies under this code, with DART, DDOT, and JTA representing the primary buyer profile. The geographic footprint spans Texas (Dallas), Michigan (Detroit), and Florida (Jacksonville), reflecting activity concentrated in major metropolitan transit systems.

Recent solicitations show two dominant procurement patterns: fare card manufacturing contracts spanning two to five years with estimated volumes in the hundreds of thousands to millions of units annually, and capital equipment acquisitions for transit facility operations. DART's IFB for fare media (solicitation number 2095966, due April 9, 2026) and DDOT's RFQ for bus fare cards (solicitation number 544654, due March 26, 2026) illustrate the fare card category with firm-fixed-price contracts requiring bidders to meet strict specifications, insurance requirements (DART requires $1 to $4 million in commercial liability coverage), and manufacturing timelines of 30 to 45 working days post-approval. JTA's ITB for bus wash blowers (ITB No. 24-011, posted April 2025) represents capital infrastructure procurement emphasizing environmental compliance and technical expertise. Vendors must demonstrate five years of relevant experience, carry appropriate workers' compensation and commercial general liability insurance, and comply with representations and certifications including non-discrimination and debarment assurances. No set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises appear in the sourced solicitations; Detroit-based businesses are eligible for up to 5% equalization credits under local-preference programs. Response deadlines across the three primary opportunities cluster tightly in March and April 2026.