NIGP 49072: Optical Laboratory Equipment: Beam Splitters, Choppers, Diffraction Gratings, Interferometers, Monochromators, Optical Benches and Tables, etc.

NIGP 49072 Optical Laboratory Equipment: Beam Splitters, Choppers, Diffraction Gratings, Interferometers, Monochromators, Optical Benches And Tables, Etc. is an Item code under which state and local governments and public universities procure specialized optical instrumentation for research, clinical, and educational applications. Recent solicitations show active procurement of interferometers, lock-in amplifiers, and ophthalmic diagnostic instruments across research institutions and county health systems. The County of Santa Clara issued an Invitation to Bid (ITB-PRC-FY26-0664) on June 21, 2026, for ophthalmic instruments, services, supplies, and accessories for the Valley Specialty Center Ophthalmology Department, with bids due July 10, 2026; the contract carries a three-year term and requires bidders to be qualified distributors or manufacturers with authorized service and maintenance capability. University research procurement dominates the code's activity—Texas Tech University issued RFP 2026-1190 in May 2026 for research and development goods and services including laboratory equipment and microscope equipment, evaluated on demonstrated ability to fulfill needs (50 percent), compliance with federal and state requirements (15 percent), proposer qualifications (15 percent), financial value (10 percent), and value-added options (10 percent), with firm pricing for twenty-four months and potential increases capped at three percent annually thereafter.

Activity clusters heavily in Texas and Wisconsin higher-education procurement, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison issuing RFB 2026-UWMSN-01298-RFB on March 17, 2026, for a Field Widened Michelson Interferometer with bids due March 27, 2026, and Texas A&M University System soliciting a lock-in amplifier through ITB TAMUS-ITB-26-0533 with a February 26, 2026, deadline. County health systems and independent school districts represent secondary buyers; Klein ISD in Harris County, Texas, issued RFP 26-101 in April 2026 for Career Technical Education and Advanced Academics resources with a June 5, 2026, deadline, including STEM and technology equipment across 17 CTE program areas. Geographic concentration appears strongest in Texas and Wisconsin, with additional activity in California. Bidders must typically demonstrate manufacturing or distribution credentials, authorized service capability, compliance with HUB or disadvantaged business enterprise programs where applicable, and insurance coverage meeting university or county standards, with multi-year firm pricing and no guaranteed minimum order commitments.