NIGP 47020: Commode Chairs and Shower Chairs

NIGP 47020 Commode Chairs and Shower Chairs, an Item code, covers durable medical equipment and mobility aids that state and local governments procure to support individuals with disabilities and acute care needs across institutional and community settings. State and local buyers are acquiring shower chairs, commode chairs, and related wheelchair components and accessories through competitive solicitations that emphasize delivery capability, regulatory compliance, and service readiness for state-operated facilities and supported-living programs. Issuing bodies include state health and human services departments (Texas HHSC, notably appearing in multiple recent solicitations), independent school districts procuring assistive technology and mobility equipment for special education programs (Garland ISD), and regional healthcare systems serving traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury populations. These purchases often bundle commode and shower chairs with broader durable medical equipment categories—including walkers, wheelchair parts, positioning devices, and orthotics—rather than as standalone line items.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, where the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has posted multiple competitive solicitations for wheelchair parts, walkers, and shower chairs serving State Supported Living Centers and State Hospitals. In February and April 2026, HHSC issued Invitations for Bids (IFB HHS0016869 and HHS0016869v2) for approximately 123 to 125 line items of wheelchair components and shower chairs, with historical annual spending around $300,000 and firm fixed unit pricing required; both bids carried mandatory Historically Underutilized Business Subcontracting Plans with a 21.1 percent HUB utilization goal and disqualification for non-compliance. In June 2026, HHSC issued Request for Proposals No. HHS0017173 for Master Contracts in Durable Medical Equipment and Services across eleven service regions, encompassing positioning devices and shower chairs as part of a broader DME category, with contract value capped at $5 million over the five-year term and a HUB set-aside requiring good-faith subcontracting efforts. Garland Independent School District in Texas solicited special education large and small equipment in March 2026 with an estimated annual contract value of $50,000, including assistive mobility aids; the district anticipated multiple awards with fixed pricing for one year and automatic renewal through June 2030. All Texas solicitations enforce HUB set-asides, require proof of insurance with limits between $250,000 and $2 million depending on coverage type, and demand same-day or next-business-day delivery capability with specified time windows and unloading responsibility on the vendor.