NIGP 95931: Cargo Transport Services, Marine (incl. Air-Ocean, Ocean-Rail, Ocean-Truck Intermodal Cargo Services)

NIGP 95931 Cargo Transport Services, Marine (Item) encompasses vessel charter, barge transportation, and specialized marine hauling services for state and local governments operating coastal and waterway infrastructure. Recent state and local solicitations show the code active primarily in derelict vessel removal and remediation work—floating, removal, transport, and disposal of abandoned or wrecked watercraft to designated landfills—as well as specialized cargo deployment for environmental restoration. Issuing bodies include county marine resources divisions, state fish and wildlife conservation commissions, and county coastal management authorities. Escambia County Marine Resources Division appears as a repeat buyer, executing multiple solicitations over the past four months for derelict vessel removal ranging from 16-foot to 32-foot vessels funded through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Derelict Vessel Removal Grant Opportunity. Work under this code requires contractors to maintain Protection & Indemnity marine liability coverage (typically $1 million per occurrence / $2 million aggregate), Maritime Workers Compensation, and Marine Pollution Liability insurance, with carriers holding minimum AM Best Rating VIII. Contractors must comply with strict environmental best management practices including turbidity control, contaminant removal by licensed operators, hazardous material disposal, and photo-documentation throughout work phases.

Recent activity concentrates in Florida coastal jurisdictions. Volusia County issued an ITB on October 5, 2026 (due November 5, 2026) for artificial reef deployment services—loading reef materials onto barges and deploying them at GPS-designated offshore locations 1 to 33 miles from Ponce Inlet, with a three-year initial term and optional one-year renewals. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission solicited competitive bids on October 1, 2026 (due November 3, 2026) for Apalachicola Bay Oyster Restoration requiring deployment of 26,666 cubic yards of restoration material across 12.4 acres in Franklin County with an estimated contract value of $3.5 million. Escambia County Marine Resources Division issued nine derelict vessel removal price quote requests between June and September 2026, with individual vessel removal spanning 16-foot to 32-foot craft. A Broward County RFI issued June 23, 2026 addressed Bubenzer brakes and rail clamps for Port Everglades container gantry cranes—a sole-source designation challenge rather than marine cargo transport but indicating port-related marine infrastructure procurement activity. Local preference programs and cooperative purchasing frameworks do not appear prominently in the recent solicitations; awards go to lowest responsive and responsible bidders on cost and performance criteria.