NIGP 91726: Contracted Services, Research Foundation

NIGP 91726 Contracted Services, Research Foundation is an Item code under which state and local governments procure specialized consulting and research services tied to workforce development, educational program design, facility planning, and community engagement initiatives. Valencia College sought subject matter expertise for curriculum development in semiconductor cleanroom operations and engineering technology through a Quote Request (QR 2026-06) due August 7, 2025, requiring vendors with a minimum of three years' experience in semiconductor and microelectronics education to review and assess three educational programs. The primary issuing bodies under this code are school districts and higher-education institutions; Griffin-Spalding County School System and DeKalb County School District both issued RFPs in 2026 for contracted research and facilitation services, reflecting school district focus on facilities planning and student assignment optimization. Work solicited ranges from curriculum validation and industry workforce alignment to comprehensive facility efficiency studies and multi-stakeholder community engagement facilitation, with deliverables typically including data analysis, stakeholder feedback synthesis, and Board-level recommendations.

Recent opportunities show concentrated activity in Georgia and Florida. Valencia College's semiconductor curriculum project and Griffin-Spalding County School System's School Facilities Efficiency Study (RFP #27-103, due September 30, 2026) represent two distinct service categories within the code: industry-aligned technical education consulting and data-driven strategic facility analysis. DeKalb County School District's K-12 Community Engagement Facilitation and Data Analysis RFP (RFP 27-810, due August 27, 2026) demonstrates school districts' use of contracted research and facilitation to address enrollment, overcrowding, and program placement challenges, with the vendor required to facilitate Community Advisory Team meetings across six school clusters and deliver synthesized feedback analyses and Board presentations. Contract periods typically span three to twelve months with optional extension mechanisms; cost structures vary from hourly rates for consulting deliverables to fixed project pricing for facilities studies and facilitation services. Insurance requirements (liability, professional liability, workers' compensation) and federal compliance provisions (debarment, equal employment opportunity) apply to awards exceeding or projected to exceed $100,000.