NIGP 49585: Skeletons: Mounted, Unmounted, and Partial

NIGP 49585 Skeletons: Mounted, Unmounted, and Partial is an Item code that captures state and local procurement of human skeletal specimens for educational, medical training, and research purposes. Mounted skeletons—fully articulated on stands for classroom display—comprise the primary category, alongside unmounted individual bones and partial skeletal assemblies used in anatomy labs, medical schools, and museum collections. School districts, state universities, and community colleges are the dominant buyers, procuring these specimens for anatomy, anthropology, and medical education. Health departments and state museums also source skeletal materials for public health training and exhibition purposes. Purchasing typically flows through RFQ or IFB notice types, with vendors required to certify compliance with federal and state regulations governing human remains—particularly the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and equivalent state-level protections. Educational specifications often stipulate anatomically accurate labeling, durability standards for teaching use, and documentation of specimen provenance.

Recent procurement activity for this code is limited, with no substantive solicitation record available for analysis. The sparse demand suggests that state and local buyers source these items infrequently, often through standing contracts, direct purchase from established medical-supply vendors, or cooperative purchasing arrangements rather than open competitive bidding. School districts and universities typically maintain long-standing supplier relationships for classroom skeletons, reducing the frequency of competitive notice issuance. Firms entering this market should monitor higher-education and K–12 purchasing offices in states with large medical-school and nursing-program footprints, and position compliance expertise around NAGPRA and state human-remains regulations as a market differentiator.