NIGP 88508: Activated Carbon and Filter Elements

NIGP 88508 Activated Carbon And Filter Elements, an Item code, covers the procurement and installation of activated carbon media and related filtration components for municipal water and wastewater treatment plants. State and local governments buy granular activated carbon (GAC) for removal of volatile organic compounds, PFAS, chlorinated solvents, and other contaminants from drinking water and groundwater remediation systems, as well as replacement filter media (anthracite, sand, and gravel support layers) for water treatment facility filters. The work encompasses media supply, installation, spent carbon collection and disposal, reactivation services, and vessel or tank replacement. Issuing bodies include municipal water authorities, city water treatment departments, county water systems, and public utility agencies—typically operating treatment plants serving 50,000 to several hundred thousand residents. The City of Lewisville, City of Griffin, Macon Water Authority, Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, and DeKalb County Government appear as repeat solicitors. Contracts are structured as annual requirements agreements, firm-price supply contracts, or capital-improvement invitations to bid (ITBs), often with optional renewal periods and pricing tied to NSF/ANSI standards 60 and 61 compliance.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas, with additional opportunities in Arizona, New Mexico, and other states. Representative solicitations include the City of Tucson Environmental Services' RFP for remediation-system activated carbon (due September 23, 2026) covering virgin coconut shell carbon, bituminous coal carbon, reactivated carbon, and vapor-phase reactivated carbon for groundwater pump-and-treat and soil vapor extraction systems, with contractor responsibility for spent carbon manifesting, transport, analysis, and fresh installation; the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority's ITB for custom reactivated GAC services (due October 1, 2026) requiring NSF 61 certified reactivation, blending, testing, and transport back to the Acworth facility; the West Travis County Public Utility Agency's RFQ for water treatment plant filter media replacement in Bee Cave, Texas (due August 27, 2026) encompassing removal, disposal, and installation of anthracite, sand, and gravel across three filters; and the City of Lewisville's annual supply contract for water-grade activated carbon in 30-pound bags with an estimated 40-ton annual volume (due June 15, 2026). Federal compliance, including ARPA funding, HUD Section 3 labor requirements, and EPA PFAS reporting deadlines, shapes several procurements. Insurance requirements typically include commercial general liability, environmental hazardous waste coverage, and workers' compensation; bonds and performance guarantees are standard for capital projects.