NIGP 71072: Hearing Aids

NIGP 71072 Hearing Aids, an Item code, encompasses on-site hearing aid dispensing services, device fitting and selection, repair and maintenance, ear molds, and parts procurement for state and local institutions. Recent solicitations show state agencies and school districts sourcing hearing aid devices and services across correctional facilities, special education networks, and schools for the deaf and blind. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation solicited on-site hearing aid dispensing across 32 state correctional institutions under IFB SD25-00044 (due September 23, 2026), requiring bidders to hold California audiology or hearing aid dispenser licenses and deliver selection, fitting, post-fitting services, ear molds, manufacturing, and repairs at rate caps of $280.00 for services and $1,430.00 for goods per patient. The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind pursued a single-source procurement for Cochlear Americas hearing aid parts and repair services (estimated contract value $19,999.99). Beyond direct hearing aid provision, the code appears within broader health services cooperative purchasing—Region 7 Purchasing Cooperative in Texas solicited special education supplies under a catalog discount bid (SPE2628, due October 1, 2026, with estimated expenditures of $2,713,541 over two years), and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission requested durable medical equipment master contracts that included hearing aids as one of eleven DME categories across eleven geographic service regions, with a 21.1 percent HUB utilization goal and total contract value not to exceed $5,000,000.

Activity concentrates in Texas and California, with additional procurement in Florida. California's CDCR solicitation represents the largest single opportunity by scope and duration (36-month initial term with 12-month extension option), while Texas cooperative purchasing vehicles serve multiple school districts and health agencies. Issuing bodies include state correctional health services, state schools for special populations, regional purchasing cooperatives, and state health commissions. The code sees mixed competitive intensity—some procurements are sole-source (Cochlear device-specific parts and repairs) while others invite multi-vendor competition with preference for small businesses, microbusinesses, and disabled veteran business enterprises. Set-asides and subcontracting goals appear in larger state agency procurements but not in cooperative purchasing vehicles.