NIGP 57876: Robots (for Educational, Scientific Applications, etc.)

NIGP 57876 Robots (For Educational, Scientific Applications, Etc.), an Item code, encompasses educational robotics kits, coding platforms, and modular mechanical engineering systems that state and local governments procure for classroom instruction, STEM enrichment, and career-readiness programming. State and local buyers use this code to source platforms such as Sphero robots and coding curriculum, robotics supply bundles, and engineering class packs—typically as components within broader instructional materials solicitations rather than as standalone procurements. School districts and educational cooperatives dominate the issuing-body mix, supplemented by state education agencies and community colleges; Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD) in Texas and the Texas Education Agency appear as active recent buyers. The geographic footprint spans Texas (the largest activity cluster), Arizona, Oregon, Florida, and Utah, with cooperative purchasing consortia such as the Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures (SAVE) and Region 7 Purchasing Cooperative extending reach across multiple states and jurisdictions.

Representative recent opportunities show robotics bundled within larger educational-materials RFPs. Katy ISD issued RFP #2428KD-A in May 2026 for teaching and instructional materials, supplies, equipment and services with a response deadline of May 29, 2026, explicitly listing robotics supplies among line items spanning multiple disciplines; the contract runs through October 2027 with options to renew annually for three additional years. The Strategic Alliance for Volume Expenditures (SAVE), on behalf of Cartwright Elementary School District No. 83 and consortium members across Arizona, issued RFP 260331 for STEM and College & Career Readiness Kits, Programs & Materials with proposals due June 8, 2026, targeting discount-percentage pricing off catalog rates; survey data from fifteen participating districts indicated estimated annual usage of $1,346,000 across all STEM offerings. Oregon's sole-source procurement for Sphero educational robotics and coding curriculum (PR2180, due September 18, 2026, total value $35,486.95) demonstrates direct-award patterns when exclusivity agreements are in place. Most solicitations use catalog-discount or percentage-off-list-price models with F.O.B. Destination terms and F.O.B. Destination delivery, contract terms of one to five years with renewal options, and no explicit set-aside or disadvantaged-enterprise designations in the available documentation.