NIGP 97535: Equipment with Operator, Rental or Lease

NIGP 97535 Equipment With Operator, Rental Or Lease, an Item code, covers the rental or lease of heavy construction, transportation, and specialized equipment bundled with qualified operators to execute discrete projects or perform ongoing operations. State and local governments procure under this code when they lack in-house capacity or require temporary mobilization—offset drilling rigs with operators for railroad installation work, landfill compactors and dozers under full-service operating leases, paving equipment with operators, hydro-vacuum trucks with operators, and bucket boat rentals with certified operators for bridge inspection. Transportation departments (particularly state highway and transit authorities) dominate recent activity, alongside counties managing landfill and road operations, cities and counties securing equipment for emergency response or specialized civil work, and transit authorities renting small equipment fleets on demand.

Recent solicitations span Kentucky, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, and California. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has issued multiple rebid requests for offset drill services with operators for District 12 (RFB60526000004782, RFB60526000004811, RFB60526000004812—the most recent posted July 9, 2026, due July 28, 2026), establishing a pattern of master agreements with four optional one-year renewals, best-value scoring favoring price at 95 points and response time guarantees at 5 points, and Kentucky resident and nonprofit preferences. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) regularly procures pavers with operators through the Bonfire Hub platform (solicitation 601310000101916 in June 2026). Sacramento County Department of Waste Management & Recycling issued a full-service operating-lease RFP for two tractor dozers and one landfill compactor at the Kiefer Landfill (RFP 2026RFP0059, due July 22, 2026), specifying bumper-to-bumper warranty and maintenance, equipment-availability guarantees of 95 percent with hourly penalties for shortfalls, and 24-hour parts delivery within 50 miles. The Orange County Transportation Authority relet a cancelled small-equipment-rental IFB (250254, due April 13, 2026, estimated value $100,000 annually) covering temporary fencing, generators, light towers, scissor lifts, and compactors across eight facilities with 24-hour delivery and replacement requirements. Illinois Department of Transportation rebid boat operator and bucket boat rental services for District 1 (solicitation B-50137, due February 18, 2026, with a 3% BEP goal). The City of Charlotte, North Carolina solicited equipment rentals and related products for Charlotte and participating Mecklenburg County agencies (RFP 2692026217, due September 9, 2026), scope unspecified in available documentation. Federal funding and Davis-Bacon compliance appear in FHWA-funded offset-drill work; state and local set-asides (Kentucky resident preference, Illinois BEP goals, SBE designations) and insurance requirements ($1–2 million general liability minimums) are standard. Response-time guarantees tied to invoice penalties and daily deductions for missed completion dates are common in contracts spanning months or years.