NIGP 89046: Meter Reading Devices

NIGP 89046 Meter Reading Devices, an Item code, encompasses the supply, installation, repair, and software integration of water meter infrastructure — from individual meter devices and transmission units to automated metering infrastructure (AMI) systems that collect, transmit, and manage meter data for billing and operational purposes. State and local governments procuring under this code are acquiring hardware ranging from discrete water meters and reader devices to complete AMI rollouts with cellular gateways, encoders, and associated software platforms; repair and rebuilding services for existing meter inventory; and flow-meter maintenance and calibration. The issuing-body mix includes municipal water utilities (cities of Lubbock, Fort Worth, Bend, Dallas, and Reynolds, Georgia), county utility departments (Gwinnett County and Hillsborough County, Florida; Marion County, Florida; Dorchester County, South Carolina; Hockley County, Texas; Collier County, Florida), and independent school districts (Anchor Bay School District, Michigan). Recent activity also involves sole-source procurements from incumbent manufacturers such as Badger Meter, Neptune Technology Group, and Itron when system compatibility or proprietary software dependencies are cited.

Recent opportunities span the Southeast, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. The City of Reynolds, Georgia posted an ITB on July 16, 2026 for installation of approximately 437 automated meters as part of a five-division Water System Improvements project, with bids due August 14, 2026. Gwinnett County, Georgia issued an IFB on July 15, 2026 for meter reading services on a multi-year contract, due July 31, 2026. Hillsborough County, Florida announced a sole-source procurement on June 22, 2026 for Neptune AMI Water Meters and related components — approximately 180,000 potable water meters in multiple sizes plus antennas, transmitters, and endpoint interfaces — at an estimated cost of $58,367,998 over three years (contract period November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2029), with challenges due June 29, 2026. The City of Dallas Water Utilities posted an RFQ on June 4, 2026 for an Advanced Metering Infrastructure Proof of Concept program to evaluate vendor technologies, due July 10, 2026. The City of Fort Worth issued an RFP on March 31, 2026 for Water Meters & Appurtenances supporting over 306,000 meter connections with approximately 8,000 new installations and 2,000 replacements annually, due April 23, 2026, with a 30 percent small business utilization goal. The City of Bend, Oregon posted an ITB on April 28, 2026 for Aclara RF 3450 Water Meter Transmission Units compatible with its existing AclaraOne system, due May 27, 2026 at 2:30 p.m., with a maximum payment cap of $500,000 over up to five years. Activity reflects sustained capital investment in meter modernization and system replacement cycles across water utilities nationwide.