UNSPSC 41103037: Polymerase chain reaction PCR tube strip and plate cooler

Cool packs designing for the uniform cooling of PCR plates, tubes or strips during preparation

UNSPSC 41103037 Polymerase chain reaction PCR tube strip and plate cooler is a Commodity code, but the recent state and local opportunities posted under it diverge sharply from the nominal scope—the code shows little relevant activity for PCR-specific laboratory cooling equipment. Instead, recent solicitations tagged to this code are requesting evidence refrigerators and freezers for forensic DNA storage, medical-grade refrigeration units for correctional facility pharmacies and vaccine programs, and general law enforcement equipment, none of which are PCR tube or plate coolers. The City of Austin issued an IFQ in July 2026 requesting three evidence refrigerators and one evidence freezer (specified Spacesaver models or approved equivalents) with delivery required within ninety days to an evidence warehouse; the Illinois Department of Corrections issued two separate IFBs in May 2026, one for 28 countertop pharmacy refrigerators with data logging and alarms due by June 30, 2026, and another for medical-grade refrigeration units and vaccine data loggers distributed across 26 correctional facilities. Issuing bodies include city and county procurement offices (Austin), state corrections and public health departments (Illinois, District of Columbia), and cooperative purchasing vehicles such as Sourcewell serving multi-jurisdictional law enforcement procurement.

Geographic activity centers on Texas (Austin) and Illinois (corrections facilities statewide), with District of Columbia public health lab procurement and a multi-state cooperative procurement through Sourcewell for law enforcement equipment. The representative opportunities show evidence and medical-grade refrigeration dominating actual procurement volume, not laboratory PCR cooling equipment—Austin's IFQ for evidence refrigerators (due August 3, 2026, with responses by July 29) and the Illinois Department of Corrections' two refrigeration IFBs (both due May 18, 2026) represent the bulk of recent volume. The mismatch between the code's nominal scope and actual recent solicitations suggests either consistent miscoding by state and local procurement offices or that this particular UNSPSC designation has been repurposed to encompass broader refrigeration and temperature-monitoring equipment for forensic, medical, and correctional applications rather than laboratory research consumables.