NIGP 96218: Cable Construction, Installation and Maintenance (Fiber Optic, Communication, Computer, etc.)

NIGP 96218 Cable Construction, Installation And Maintenance (Fiber Optic, Communication, Computer, Etc.), Item code, covers the installation, repair, and ongoing maintenance of fiber optic, copper data, voice, and coaxial cabling infrastructure across state and local facilities—a category drawing steady activity from school districts, counties, cities, transit authorities, and special-purpose districts pursuing network modernization, emergency restoration, and as-needed telecommunications support.

State and local governments are soliciting structured cabling services at scale, with recent opportunities spanning fiber termination and splicing, Cat6 and Cat6a horizontal cabling, underground and aerial fiber installation, coaxial deployment for CCTV systems, low-voltage design and engineering, testing and certification to industry standards (BICSI, TIA), and 24/7 emergency response contracts. School districts (Novi Community, Bryan Independent, Madison County, Hillsborough County Public Schools) dominate the education vertical, procuring campus-wide IP speaker and data cabling systems and structured infrastructure upgrades; county governments (Hillsborough County, Collier County, Orange County, Columbia County) are issuing five-year indefinite-quantity agreements for ongoing fiber and low-voltage services, often bundled with emergency response (two- to four-hour arrival times) and technician staffing requirements; municipalities (City of Charlotte, City of Arlington, City of Salem, City of Orem, Santa Monica) are establishing annual on-call or requirements contracts for citywide cabling and fiber backbone work; and regional authorities (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Texas system) are procuring infrastructure maintenance and new installations at multiple locations. Representative recent solicitations include Hillsborough County's ITB-26-00261 for five-year low-voltage cabling services with an estimated value of $9,213,350, due May 29, 2026; the City of Charlotte's RFP #269-2026-189 for citywide on-call cabling services with an initial three-year term and aspirational 10 percent M/W/SBE participation, due May 18, 2026; Bryan Independent School District's RFP 264026 for campus-wide IP speaker and cabling across 21 campuses, due July 9, 2026; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's IFB #6000003282 for fiber and copper cabling provision, maintenance, installation, and inventory services across all Port Authority facilities on a three-year base period with two one-year extensions, due May 19, 2026, with an estimated total contract cost of $2,477,881.75. Geographic concentration appears strongest in Florida (multiple county and municipal procurements), Texas (school districts and municipalities), Georgia (county systems and charter schools), California (city and county infrastructure), and the broader Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Evaluation criteria commonly weight qualifications and experience (30–40 points), pricing (25–35 points), technical approach and schedule (15–20 points), and past performance or references (10–20 points); many contracts require BICSI-certified technicians, current low-voltage licenses, proof of insurance ($1–2.5 million general liability minimums), and demonstrated emergency response capacity. Set-asides for MBE, WBE, DBE, and VetHUB participation are present in multiple procurements; cooperative purchasing and master service agreement structures dominate, with most awards structured as nonexclusive to allow agencies to maintain concurrent vendor relationships.