NIGP 73560: Wiping Rags, All Types: Cotton Towels, Lightweight Blankets, Muslins, Synthetics, etc.

NIGP 73560 Wiping Rags, All Types: Cotton Towels, Lightweight Blankets, Muslins, Synthetics, Etc. is an Item code under which state and local governments procure fabric wiping materials—primarily low-lint cotton rags in bulk packaging, linen rental services, and custodial wiping supplies for facilities maintenance. Recent solicitations show purchase of 100% bleached or unbleached cotton flannel weave rags packaged in 25-pound boxes, gym wipes, and cotton pad cartridges alongside broader custodial-supply bundles that include wiping materials as one component line item. Counties, municipalities, community colleges, and school districts are the primary issuing bodies, with state governments also establishing master contracts for distribution to multiple agencies through cooperative purchasing vehicles. Hillsborough County, Florida; Montgomery County, Maryland; Hudson Valley Community College in New York; and multiple school districts (Northside Independent in San Antonio, Anaheim City and Anaheim Union High in Orange County, California) have posted solicitations under this code in recent months. The market mixes turnkey linen rental services (where the vendor supplies, launders, and delivers clean textiles on a recurring schedule) with one-time or recurring purchases of packaged wiping rags for institutional inventory.

Geographic activity spans Florida, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maryland, New York, Texas, and California, with no single state dominating recent postings. The State of Minnesota's RFP 37645 for wiping rags and sorbent materials, posted September 15, 2026, with proposals due October 6, 2026, exemplifies the larger-volume state-level buys: a two-year base contract running January 2027 through December 2028, extendable up to 36 additional months, open to cooperative purchasing vehicle members and covering various types, sizes, and grades of wiping rags with award to the lowest responsible vendor meeting specifications. Hillsborough County's ITB 26-00351 for cotton rags, with bids due August 7, 2026, illustrates the county procurement approach—an estimated $160,000 five-year contract for low-lint white cotton rags with annual CPI-U price adjustments, delivery to four Tampa-area locations within 15 days of purchase-order issuance, and no guaranteed minimum purchases. Linen rental service solicitations from the City of Worcester, Massachusetts (CR-8837-M7, due October 28, 2026) and Yuma County, Arizona (RFB 27049, due September 1, 2026) indicate recurring demand for outsourced laundry and distribution. Hudson Valley Community College's bid for custodial supplies (BID 4045, July 21, 2026) embedded wiping materials and paper products within a ten-category bundle, reflecting how institutional buyers often consolidate related textile and sanitation purchases in single procurements.