UNSPSC 44103105: Ink cartridges

UNSPSC 44103105 Ink cartridges, Commodity tier, encompasses OEM and compatible toner and ink supplies that state and local governments procure for office printing operations across diverse departments, schools, courts, and administrative functions. Issuing bodies span school districts (Austin ISD, Northside ISD, Rockwood School District, Tacoma School District, Los Fresnos CISD, Harlingen CISD), county governments (Denton County, Collin County, Gwinnett County, Los Angeles County Superior Court), state agencies (California, Illinois, Mississippi), cities (Philadelphia, Madison), and special-purpose districts (Valencia College). Recent solicitations reflect a mix of OEM-only procurements and remanufactured-cartridge allowances, with HP, Lexmark, Canon, Xerox, Brother, Dell, Kyocera, and Ricoh among the most frequently specified manufacturers. Philadelphia issued two separate micro-purchase quotes for Noritsu printer supplies and an Epson dot matrix printer (IFB B2727537 and B26010SH), while Northside Independent School District consolidated two expiring printing-supplies contracts into a single IFB 2026091 due July 30, 2026, signaling replacement-cycle consolidation common in school procurement. Collin County (IFB 2026-251, June 25, 2026) sought Fujitsu scanners and Lexmark printers and accessories on firm fixed-price basis, while Rockwood School District (RFB 2613201, May 22, 2026) specified OEM toner cartridges only with a five-year contract term commencing November 1, 2026. The State of California posted RFB-IS-26201054 (July 24, 2026) for OEM toner cartridges across multiple manufacturers, and the Illinois Office of the Attorney General (IFB 27 AG IT Toners, April 28, 2026) sought genuine HP supplies over three years with historical annual spend of approximately $171,612 suggesting contract value near $515,000–$550,000 range.

Geographic activity concentrates in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Washington, with secondary activity in Mississippi and Wisconsin. The State of Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration solicited laser toner cartridges (May 15, 2026) on a nonexclusive negotiated contract requiring minimum 25% discount from MSRP, while Denton County, Texas (ITB 26-2903, April 2, 2026) sought OEM supplies for 235 Mobile Election Supply Carriers containing approximately 800 OKI Data printers deployed at polling locations. The Superior Court of Los Angeles issued two recent requests—one for DYMO machines and labels (RFQ 202635172299, May 22, 2026, seeking 50 printers and 50 label-box sets) and another for remanufactured toners (RFQ 2025351656291, February 16, 2026) serving 38 court locations and 4,500 employees. Pricing structures vary widely: micro-purchase thresholds in Philadelphia cap at $45,000, five-year school contracts specify firm fixed pricing with no cost escalation allowed, and state-level procurements often require per-unit pricing with discount percentages off MSRP. Delivery requirements typically run 7–30 days from order, with FOB Destination and freight-prepaid terms standard. Set-asides and preferences appear rarely designated; the Manatee County School District (RFP 260107KD, March 24, 2026) reserved right to use Florida DMS statewide contracts concurrently with any award, marking the procurement nonexclusive and fragmenting potential contract value across multiple vendors.