UNSPSC 12165302: Silica gel

Silica gel is an amorphous and porous form of silicon dioxide (silica), consisting of an irregular tridimensional framework of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with nanometer-scale voids and pores.

UNSPSC 12165302 Silica gel (Commodity) represents a niche consumables category that state and local governments procure for laboratory and water-treatment operations, though the recent solicitation record shows minimal direct activity specifically tagged to this code. State and local water departments, environmental labs, and public health agencies use silica gel primarily as a desiccant and moisture-control medium in analytical and diagnostic equipment—most commonly in environmental monitoring systems, breath-alcohol testing calibrators, and laboratory instrumentation. The code appears in the procurement landscape primarily as a sub-line item within larger lab-supply and equipment solicitations rather than as a standalone category; when it does surface, demand is intermittent and tied to equipment replacement, system maintenance, or compliance testing cycles.

The issuing bodies using this code span water utilities (municipal water departments), state environmental and health agencies, and specialized public-health labs across diverse geographies. Recent activity shows scattered solicitations from Texas (Department of Public Safety), Colorado (Department of Public Health and Environment), Florida (Escambia County, City of Tampa), Oregon, and other states, though none of the most recent state and local opportunities in the block above explicitly name silica gel as a line item. The code records show no representative recent standalone solicitations; silica gel when procured typically appears buried within broader RFQs for laboratory consumables, water-analysis supplies, or environmental monitoring equipment rather than as the primary procurement focus. This pattern suggests that vendors pursuing this code should position silica gel as part of bundled laboratory-supply offerings or equipment-support services rather than expect standalone tenders. Geographic spread reflects wherever environmental monitoring, water quality testing, and forensic or analytical lab operations concentrate—primarily in large metros and water-authority jurisdictions in the South, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest, with no standout repeat buyers evident in the recent record.