NIGP 32540: Hay and Straw

NIGP 32540 Hay and Straw, an Item code, covers the procurement of hay and straw products for equine facilities, correctional institutions, wildlife management areas, and other state and local operations. State and local governments buy square and round hay bales in specified grass and legume mixtures (alfalfa, timothy, orchard grass blends, and straight alfalfa), straw bales for bedding and animal husbandry, and ancillary services including delivery, unloading, stacking, and hay harvesting. Recent solicitations show issuing bodies including state departments (Texas Parks and Wildlife, Nevada Department of Corrections, Texas Comptroller's office), county governments (DeKalb County Georgia, Dallas County Texas), cities (Conyers Georgia, Lubbock Texas), and special-purpose authorities (Kentucky Horse Park). The work ranges from commodity supply agreements with annual tonnage commitments and multi-year renewal options to one-time bulk purchases and service-based procurement with payment structured as crop-share arrangements. Procurement activity reflects seasonal demand and standardized quality metrics across jurisdictions, with vendors expected to meet USDA Hay Quality Designation Guidelines, deliver within tight windows (24 hours to seven calendar days), provide unloading and stacking labor, and maintain specified insurance coverage.

Recent opportunities span Texas, Georgia, Nevada, and Kentucky. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department sought alfalfa grass square hay bales (3,000 initial bales) for Big Bend Ranch State Park under IFB closing July 16, 2026, with Texas-bidder preference and service-disabled veteran and Texas-grown agricultural product preferences available. The Texas Comptroller's office procurement for TDCJ and DPS covered 26 line items including 18,200 coastal bermuda hay bales and 9,100 alfalfa hay bales to multiple prison facilities under IFB with sealed bids due May 27, 2026. The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet issued multiple RFBs for the Kentucky Horse Park throughout spring 2026, aggregating 129 tons annually (5 tons straw, 124 tons hay in four mixtures), with bid closures between May 8 and May 13, 2026 and evaluation weighted 90 percent price, 10 percent delivery time; Kentucky resident and qualified nonprofit bidders received reciprocal and statutory preferences. DeKalb County issued an ITB for feed, hay, and shavings to Little Creek Horse Farm with one-calendar-day delivery requirement, bids due July 23, 2026. The City of Conyers (Georgia) issued an RFP for integrated equine waste removal and hay and feed sales with exclusive concession rights at the Georgia International Horse Park, mandatory pre-proposal meeting August 3, 2026, and proposals due August 27, 2026. The City of Lubbock (Texas) solicited hay harvesting services on city plots under ITB with compensation structured as bidder-proposed percentage crop share, bids closing February 19, 2026, with local bidder preference available under Texas law.