NIGP 88574: Nitrogen and Oxygen, Liquid

NIGP Item 88574 Nitrogen and Oxygen, Liquid covers state and local procurement of bulk and bottled liquid oxygen (LOX) and compressed gases for water treatment, fish hatchery oxygenation, and emergency medical services. Recent solicitations show jurisdictions purchasing LOX for municipal water treatment plants under strict NSF 60 and AWWA standards requiring 99.0–99.5% oxygen purity, compressed oxygen cylinders for aquaculture operations, and medical-grade oxygen in "H" size tanks for fire departments. Issuing bodies span state departments of natural resources and procurement offices, county water districts, municipal utilities and public works departments, and fire departments, with water treatment emerging as the dominant end use across multiple states. State procurement offices in Maine and Colorado, county water districts in Florida and California, and cities including Wichita (Kansas), Sanford (Florida), Winter Park (Florida), Detroit (Michigan), and Griffin (Georgia) have all solicited under this code within the past four months.

Geographic activity concentrates in Florida, with three separate municipal water treatment procurements posted in April 2026 (Winter Park IFB26-13 for 1,500 tons annual LOX, Sanford IFB for bulk oxygen on an as-needed basis, and Pasco County RFQFP261004 for copper sulfate), and extends to the Pacific Northwest (Tualatin Valley Water District in Oregon, posting ITB20260506-LOX for 400,000 pounds annual LOX with estimated peak summer usage of 1,400 pounds per day), Colorado (Division of Parks and Wildlife bottled oxygen for fish stocking), Maine (State RFQ09A26061500000000000313 for 45,000 gallons annual bulk oxygen across eight fish hatcheries, due July 7, 2026), California (Alameda County Water District IFB for LOX and CO2), and the Midwest (Detroit Fire Department RFQ for medical-grade oxygen, Wichita Public Works RFB for liquid oxygen). Most recent opportunities follow FOB-destination delivery terms with firm pricing for 12 months, competitive award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, one-year initial terms with three to four optional renewals, and insurance requirements ranging from $1 million to $2 million general liability. Pre-bid windows and Q&A cycles are standard; set-asides for Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses appear in Colorado procurements (5% preference), and one Illinois sole-source procurement (27588IEMADIVNUB52857, due June 12, 2026) provides minimal scope visibility.