NIGP 96113: Chartering Services for Aircraft, Boats, Buses, and Other Transportation

NIGP 96113 Chartering Services For Aircraft, Boats, Buses, And Other Transportation, an Item code, encompasses charter transportation procurement across buses, boats, and specialized vehicles that state and local governments solicit for student field trips, athletic team travel, educational immersion programs, emergency services, community outings, and specialized mobility services. Recent solicitations show a mix of K–12 school districts, higher-education institutions, county and municipal governments, state departments, and specialized transit authorities purchasing charter bus services for extracurricular activities and academic travel; boat charter services for coastal resource management and recreational tours; and on-demand accessible transportation for seniors and people with disabilities. School districts dominate the activity, with multiple independent school districts and community college systems establishing pre-qualified vendor pools or awarding multi-year contracts. Issuing bodies also include city colleges, state universities, state departments (natural resources, health and human services), county governments, and regional transit authorities. Representative recent opportunities include City Colleges of Chicago's sole-source procurement for a four-day civil rights educational travel experience in the Southeast for approximately 14 participants at $54,366 (due November 2, 2026, RFP WM2626); Pinellas County Solid Waste's ITQ for charter buses, shuttles, and vans for 90-minute educational landfill tours with Certified Small Business Enterprise preference (due October 6, 2026, ITQ 260749); Sarasota County's IFB for 60 commercial water-based charter boat and tour operator permits across five designated park locations, awarded by highest annual bid price with two permits maximum per company per zone (due August 18, 2026, IFB 262874FB); and Hays Consolidated Independent School District's RFP for charter bus services establishing a pre-approved vendor list district-wide in Hidalgo County, Texas (due November 11, 2026, RFP 25082603MB).

Geographic activity concentrates in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Massachusetts, with secondary activity across Illinois, California, Minnesota, and New Jersey. Florida solicitations span Pinellas County (educational tours), Sarasota County (water-based charters), and Okaloosa County (coastal resource management boats). Texas activity includes higher-education charters at UT San Antonio, UT Tyler, Texas A&M University, and Texas Woman's University, plus K–12 district procurement at Hays CISD and Bibb County Schools. Georgia procurement includes Albany State University, Georgia Institute of Technology (IDIQ contract for aviation R&D flight services valued at $999,950), and International Community School in DeKalb County (student transportation for approximately 200 K–5 students on three routes, due November 2, 2026, RFP PE55519). Massachusetts activity centers on prevailing-wage, multi-phase office relocation moving services with minimal charter transportation activity. School districts and universities typically establish three- to five-year contracts with renewal options; estimated annual volumes range from $57,000 (NBHA tenant relocations) to $2.075 million (Hillsborough County public schools charter buses). Insurance requirements consistently mandate $1–5 million commercial general and auto liability coverage. Accessibility, safety certifications, and driver background checks are standard across K–12 procurement.