NIGP 96895: Wastewater Treatment Plant, Operations, and Testing

NIGP 96895 Wastewater Treatment Plant, Operations, And Testing, an Item code, encompasses the full lifecycle of municipal and industrial wastewater system management—from chemical treatment and laboratory analysis through mechanical rehabilitation and operational staffing. State and local governments procure under this code comprehensive services including wastewater facility operations and maintenance (often 24/7/365 with emergency response), laboratory testing for regulatory compliance (influent/effluent, biosolids, residuals, process control), treatment plant equipment rehabilitation (gravity thickeners, clarifiers, aeration basins, RO systems, lift stations), SCADA and control system upgrades, lift station installation and retrofit, force main and gravity sewer construction, and specialized services such as mechanical integrity testing of deep injection wells and atmospheric hazard monitoring. State departments of corrections, military installations, and water authorities regularly issue operations-and-maintenance contracts spanning three to five years; counties and municipalities solicit construction rehabilitation, engineering design services, and task-order-based repair work on shorter cycles. Recent activity shows issuing bodies spanning municipal utilities (City of Phoenix, City of Tampa, City of Houston), county utilities (Collier County, Orange County, Fulton County), school districts (Hillsborough County Public Schools, Pinellas County School District), water authorities (Macon Water Authority, Great Lakes Water Authority), state departments (Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Michigan Department of Natural Resources), and special authorities (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey).

Recent opportunities cluster in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Ohio. Representative work includes Collier County's countywide chemical supply procurement (ITB 268705, bids due November 13, 2026) covering 29 line items—ammonia, sodium hydroxide, chlorine, sulfuric acid, polymers—for three water treatment facilities and two regional wastewater plants with estimated annual spend of $4 million; the City of Houston's force main rehabilitation at Songwood and Gessner lift stations (CB 20260056, bids due August 20, 2026, estimated $5 million) and Old Katy/Cook Road stations (CB 20260057, bids due September 3, 2026, $20 million estimated, 9% MBE/3% WBE/11% SBE goals); Orange County's East Water Reclamation Facility SCADA and PLC replacement (Y26-748, bids due August 31, 2026, $14.3 million estimated); Clackamas County's Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility aeration basin refurbishment (BID 2026-78, bids due November 10, 2026, $3.7 million estimated engineer's estimate, prevailing wage required); and Hillsborough County Public Schools' water and wastewater laboratory services (ITB 26311-ITB-MST, bids due August 18, 2026, replacing incumbent Advanced Environmental Laboratories). New Jersey Department of Corrections procurement for wastewater and water treatment operations at three correctional facilities (RFB 27DPP01351, bids due January 15, 2027) is set aside for New Jersey Small Business Enterprises. Activity spans operations contracts with firm fixed-rate structures, unit-priced laboratory and chemical supply agreements, lump-sum construction rehabilitation projects subject to Davis-Bacon or prevailing wage requirements, and on-call task-authorization work. Set-asides and preferences include MBE/WBE/SBE participation goals in municipal and county procurement (Houston, Collier, Clackamas), Small Business Encouragement Programs (Hillsborough County Schools), local-vendor preferences (Collier County), and federal small-business mandates (VetHUB in Texas TDCJ and TDEM work). Liquidated damages, performance and payment bonds, and mandatory pre-bid meetings are standard. E-Verify enrollment, insurance minimums of $1 million per occurrence commercial general liability, and compliance with Florida Building Code, AWWA standards, NSF certifications, and EPA methods are consistent across solicitations.