NIGP 95236: Emergency Food

NIGP 95236 Emergency Food, an Item code, encompasses rapid-response meal delivery and food services activated during disaster declarations, public health emergencies, and other critical incidents affecting state and local operations. State and local procurement offices solicit emergency food services through RFPs and ITBs when hurricanes, pandemics, utility failures, mass casualty events, or other disasters disrupt normal food service or create sudden demand for mass feeding. Selected vendors typically operate under contingency or standby contracts, activated only when emergencies occur, and must mobilize within hours to deliver boxed meals, on-site catering, or full cafeteria operations to emergency workers, sheltering operations, and affected populations.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida and the Southeast, driven by frequent hurricane activation and state emergency management contracting. Collier County, Florida, through its Procurement Services Division, issued an RFP (Solicitation 258520) due January 16, 2026, for Emergency Catering Services supporting disaster response; the contract has been activated four times since 2023 for Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Helene, and Milton, with expenditures totaling approximately $800,000 and meal volumes ranging from 1,200 to 2,615 meals per day. The Town of Palm Beach, Florida, solicited emergency food services via RFP 2026-014 due March 18, 2026, seeking vendors capable of delivering 250 meals per day for one to two weeks post-disaster. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety issued RFP 26-790-1000-00003 due March 7, 2026, for comprehensive food management services at DPS and Law Enforcement Academy facilities, including regular meal service plus emergency meal capacity. Milwaukee County solicited food delivery services via RFQ due March 5, 2026, encompassing weekly supply across 18 parks. Florida's Division of Emergency Management issued RFP 16267 due July 8, 2026, for case work services supporting Non-Congregate Sheltering and State-Managed Direct Housing programs, with 24/7 contact center operations and intake processing. These solicitations reveal that emergency food procurement spans both standby contract models (activated only during declared emergencies) and baseline food service operations with embedded emergency capacity, with FEMA reimbursement structures common in disaster-activated contracts and requiring detailed cost documentation and federal compliance certifications.