NIGP 865: Twine and String

NIGP 865 Twine and String, Class, reflects a narrow commodity category that state and local governments procure primarily as a line item within broader maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) supply blanket purchase orders rather than as a standalone solicitation. Recent state and local opportunities show no dedicated procurements for twine or string alone; instead, these materials appear embedded in larger facilities maintenance and operations contracts where they are specified alongside plumbing fixtures, electrical conduit, custodial supplies, fleet parts, landscaping materials, and other consumables. The City of Milpitas issued IFB 26-229 (due August 4, 2026) for a five-year blanket MRO purchase agreement spanning General Maintenance Supplies, Fleet Maintenance, Parks and Landscaping, Utility Operations, and Street Maintenance—categories under which twine and string would typically be ordered as needed. Similarly, Birdville Independent School District (BISD) in Texas requested sealed proposals for Facilities, Maintenance, and Transportation Supplies (RFCSP 015-26, response due March 20, 2026) covering 57 line items in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, and landscaping work, with an estimated annual contract value of $4.1 million. The City of Milpitas also solicited on-call public works services (IFB 25-1056, due July 2, 2025) for water infrastructure, electrical systems, and specialized repairs where consumable supplies such as twine would be reimbursed on a materials-plus-markup basis.

Activity under NIGP 865 is concentrated among municipal governments and independent school districts in Texas, California, and Florida that aggregate twine purchases within MRO frameworks rather than issue separate line-item solicitations. Issuing bodies include the City of Milpitas (California), Birdville Independent School District (Texas), and the City of Tucson (Arizona), all of which use percentage-discount or time-and-materials pricing models for supply categories that bundle low-cost consumables. Geographic concentration appears strongest in California and Texas, where municipalities maintain active five-year blanket purchase agreements with multiple contract holders per category. No recent opportunities solicit twine or string as a primary commodity with standalone specifications, minimum volumes, or dedicated budget lines; instead, purchasing occurs through reactive, as-needed task orders against existing MRO contracts where unit prices and lead times apply. Business development focus should target qualification for blanket purchase MRO agreements rather than pursuit of category-specific tenders, as award under this code typically guarantees no minimum order volume.