NIGP 96105: Arbitration, Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

NIGP 96105 Arbitration, Mediation, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Services is an Item code under which state and local governments procure independent neutral decision-making and conflict resolution services—including arbitration of payment and benefit disputes, mediation of workplace conflicts and organizational disputes, special education due process hearings, and facilitated training in dispute resolution techniques. Recent activity spans education agencies, health systems, workforce and aging services, courts, and special districts, with solicitations requiring specialized expertise in healthcare pricing, special education law, employee relations, and mediation practice standards. The Texas Education Agency has posted multiple RFPs for special education hearing officers who must hold Texas law licenses and possess at least five years of active practice with three years in special education or related law, conducting IDEA due process hearings at rates capped at $280.00 per hour; the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance is seeking a single arbitration entity to manage healthcare payment disputes at an estimated 5,500 cases annually per service type; and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has solicited mediation services for approximately 350 employee mediations annually statewide. Issuing bodies include state education and health agencies, county medical centers and health systems, state courts and judicial offices, state workforce agencies, and special districts serving water and aging services. Insurance requirements, where specified, range from $1 million to $3 million in professional liability and vary by jurisdiction and service type.

Recent opportunities cluster in California (Alameda County Water District for coaching and mediation; California Department of Aging for two Area Agency designations in Ventura and San Luis Obispo–Santa Barbara counties), Texas (Texas Education Agency for special education hearing officers, Texas Department of Criminal Justice for employee mediation), and other states including New Jersey, Maryland, and San Mateo County. The Texas Education Agency's RFP 701-26-017 for special education hearing officers closes May 15, 2026, with contract negotiations anticipated in June and a September 2026 start; the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Bid Solicitation 26DPP01257 for Chapter 32 healthcare arbitration closes May 28, 2026, with questions due April 2, 2026, and an optional pre-quote conference on March 26, 2026; San Mateo Medical Center's RFP 66000-2526-225 for overpayment resolution services closed December 19, 2025; the Alameda County Water District RFP 25/26-13 for coaching and mediation closes March 11, 2026, with interviews tentatively scheduled April 1–3, 2026; and the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts' small procurement for bilingual mediation training closes March 2, 2026. Most recent solicitations do not carry set-asides, though the California Department of Aging's Ventura County Area Agency on Aging RFP includes small business, nonprofit veteran service, and target area contract preferences.