NIGP 97981: Testing and Training Apparatus, Instruments, and Machines Rental or Lease

NIGP 97981 Testing and Training Apparatus, Instruments, and Machines Rental or Lease, Item, covers material testing and geotechnical engineering services on a continuing or project-specific basis for construction and subsurface investigation work. State and local governments solicit under this code for field investigations, laboratory material testing, construction quality assurance, and related technical oversight — typically through professional services agreements rather than equipment purchases. Work includes cone penetrometer testing, auger borings, aggregate and base material inspections, bituminous testing, concrete product evaluation, subsurface characterization, and compliance documentation to verify adherence to engineering specifications. Issuing bodies span municipalities, counties, and regional purchasing cooperatives; the City of Fort Myers appears as a repeat buyer, posting material-testing and geotechnical-engineering solicitations within months of each other on a continuing and project-specific basis.

Recent activity centers in Florida, with the City of Fort Myers posting two separate testing-services RFQs in 2026 — a continuing-contract RSQ for as-needed material testing services (response due May 23, 2025) and a project-specific geotechnical and construction materials testing engagement for the Fort Myers Police Department Headquarters project (response due July 2, 2026). Both solicitations target Professional Engineers registered in Florida, require minimum insurance coverage ($1 million professional liability and general liability limits), and emphasize local preference and minority business enterprise participation goals. The Fort Myers RSQ establishes a 15% MBE target and awards preference points for vendors with offices in the city or Lee County. A third opportunity under this code — Region 7 Purchasing Cooperative's Catalog Discount Bid for Classroom Furniture & Supplies (CLSF2628) with estimated expenditures of $21,568,516.00 over two years (award period June 18, 2026 through June 18, 2028) — suggests the code also captures cooperative purchasing vehicles for testing and training equipment, though the catalog-bid model and classroom focus diverge from the geotechnical and construction materials testing represented in the Fort Myers opportunities.