NIGP 91242: Drilling and Boring Services, Horizontal Directional (Hdd and Hdb)

NIGP 91242 Drilling and Boring Services, Horizontal Directional (HDD and HDB), Item code, encompasses horizontal directional drilling and boring for underground utility installation across water, sewer, natural gas, telecommunications, and infrastructure systems. State and local governments procure HDD labor and equipment on both fixed-price and unit-price bases to install and replace water mains, force mains, sanitary sewer lines, and fiber optic conduit beneath roadways, waterways, railroads, and wetlands without open-cut excavation. Recent solicitation activity shows a mix of issuing bodies: cities (Milton, Green Cove Springs, Calhoun), counties (Escambia, Santa Clara, Broward, Santa Clara, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority), and school districts (Pinellas County) all posting opportunities under this code. The City of Milton, Florida and the City of Green Cove Springs, Florida appear as repeat buyers with separate solicitations, signaling sustained procurement demand among smaller to mid-sized jurisdictions. Work scope ranges from short-run infrastructure repairs (675 linear feet of 12-inch DIP across wetlands in Calhoun, Georgia under ITB format) to large capital projects (10,500 linear feet of 16-inch PVC force main via directional drilling in Green Cove Springs under an IFB with federal Davis-Bacon and Buy America compliance). Contractors must hold state underground utility contractor licenses and demonstrate multi-year experience; many solicitations require current Florida FDEP water-well or Georgia utility contractor licensure.

Geographic activity concentrates in Florida and Georgia, with secondary pockets in California, South Carolina, Colorado, and Texas. Florida dominates recent postings—Milton ITB 2026.05 (bids due July 22, 2026, now closed), Green Cove Springs RFP for SRF Pine Ave Force Main Extension (bids due September 3, 2026, now closed), and Escambia County's Klondike Landfill monitoring well installation (ITQ, September 16, 2026 deadline, closed). The Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority in South Carolina posted a water main replacement IFB with bids due May 27, 2026 (closed), while Santa Clara County, California and Broward County, Florida have issued broader infrastructure projects incorporating HDD components within larger pavement and roadway rehabilitation efforts. The City of Casselberry, Florida's $9.36 million Eastbrook Water Main Replacement Phase I (bids due August 6, 2026, closed) included 338 linear feet of 8-inch HDPE directional drilling beneath Eastbrook Boulevard and a drainage canal. Unit pricing structures predominate; mobilization, demobilization, traffic control, utility location, equipment, fluids, and site restoration are typically bundled into linear-foot rates by pipe diameter and material (PVC, HDPE, DIP). Bonding requirements (bid bonds at 5–10 percent, performance and payment bonds at 100 percent) and insurance minimums ($1–2 million general liability, pollution liability up to $5 million) are standard. Federal infrastructure projects carry Davis-Bacon labor standards, Build America Buy America compliance, and Section 3 HUD Act requirements where federally funded.