NIGP 88574: Nitrogen and Oxygen, Liquid

NIGP 88574 Nitrogen And Oxygen, Liquid is an Item code under which state and local governments procure bulk liquid oxygen and compressed gases for municipal water treatment, wastewater facilities, fish hatcheries, and medical gas systems. Recent solicitations show municipal water and wastewater treatment plants representing the dominant use case, with cities routinely contracting for liquid oxygen delivery meeting NSF/ANSI Standard 60 and AWWA specifications to support dissolved air flotation and disinfection operations. Counties and state environmental agencies also solicit compressed gases—bottled oxygen, argon, and acetylene—for fish stocking and hatchery operations. The issuing bodies span city water utilities, county procurement offices, and state natural resources departments. Cities of Winter Park and Sanford, Florida; Waco and Wichita in Texas; and Tucson, Arizona represent municipal water system buyers. The State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife, and the State of Illinois appear as state-level procurers. Contract structures typically run one to three years with optional renewal periods extending two to four additional years. Vendors must hold current hazardous materials certifications, NSF 60 or equivalent approvals, and maintain liability insurance ranging from $1 million to $10 million depending on scope. Delivery requirements emphasize speed—often 48 hours or less from order—with performance guarantees tied to contract continuation.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Georgia, Kansas, and Maine. The City of Winter Park issued IFB 26-13 for liquid oxygen delivery to three water treatment plants at approximately 1,500 tons annually, response due April 2, 2026. The City of Sanford, Florida released IFB 25-26-11 for liquid oxygen to a single water treatment plant with 9,000 gallons storage capacity, bids due April 9, 2026. The State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services solicited bulk liquid oxygen for eight fish hatcheries statewide under RFQ 09A 260615-313, quotations due July 7, 2026. The State of Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife issued two concurrent solicitations—DQ1PMAA20260004021 and DQ1PMAA20260004022—for bottled compressed gases (oxygen, argon, argon/CO2 mix, acetylene) for fish stocking at Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit, bids due May 18–19, 2026. The City of Wichita, Kansas sought liquid oxygen under RFB 260058 for water production operations, sealed bids due May 22, 2026. Tualatin Valley Water District in Oregon issued ITB 20260506-LOX for approximately 400,000 pounds of liquid oxygen annually to a water treatment plant under construction, bids due May 20, 2026. The County of Santa Clara, California issued ITB-PRC-FY26-0636 for medical gas inspection, certification, and maintenance services requiring ASSE 6000 Medical Gas Systems certification under NFPA 99 standards, bids due October 7, 2026. These opportunities indicate steady demand among water utilities and environmental agencies for reliable, certified bulk gas supply with rapid delivery capability.