UNSPSC 48101622: Commercial refrigerator

A refrigerator is an open system that dispels heat from a closed space to a warmer area, usually a kitchen or another room. By dispelling the heat from this area, it decreases in temperature, allowing food and other items to remain at a cool temperature.

UNSPSC 48101622 Commercial refrigerator (Commodity) covers walk-in coolers and freezers, ice machines, and refrigeration equipment that state and local governments procure for school nutrition programs, correctional facilities, senior centers, and other institutional food service operations. Recent solicitations show school districts and county education systems are the dominant buyers, with substantial activity in Texas, Georgia, Florida, California, and across the upper Midwest. The work being solicited ranges from single-unit replacements (ice machines, walk-in cooler/freezer combos) to full kitchen equipment packages where refrigeration is one component among serving lines, preparation tables, and dishwashing systems. Vendors compete on equipment cost, delivery and installation speed, warranty terms, and ability to coordinate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work; many solicitations require turnkey pricing that bundles equipment, removal of existing units, haul-away, and commissioning into a single all-inclusive quote. Installation timelines and response capability are often scored as evaluation factors, particularly in districts replacing aging equipment.

School districts dominate the recent activity—Mesquite ISD, Klein ISD, Tacoma School District, Magnolia ISD, Northside ISD, Baconton Community Charter School, and others issued RFPs and IFBs for kitchen equipment packages that prominently feature refrigeration units. County school systems in Georgia (Dougherty County, Henry County, Bartow County, Richmond County, Fulton County, Colquitt County) also posted multiple opportunities for equipment and smallwares. Beyond schools, Gwinnett County (senior center ice machine and steamer), Texas Health and Human Services Commission (kitchen supplies for a state supported living center), Texas Department of Criminal Justice (braising pans), Santa Clara County (Levi's Stadium kitchen renovation), and the City of College Park fire department have solicited kitchen equipment. Representative recent opportunities include Klein ISD RFP26239 (walk-in refrigeration, freezer assembly, and related equipment for Epps Island Elementary, proposals due June 26, 2026), Mesquite ISD RFP 2026-010 (walk-in cooler/freezer combo with mandatory site visit and board approval by June 10, 2026), Temple ISD RFP-008-26 (walk-in cooler/freezer with remote refrigeration for new high school cafeteria, proposals due March 25, 2026), Tacoma School District RFP26012F (annual hood inspections and on-call repairs across 50 locations, proposals due July 24, 2026), and Bartow County Schools RFP 10-2026-018 (refrigeration replacement with mandatory site visit March 9, 2026, proposals due March 30, 2026). Texas, Georgia, Michigan, California, Oregon, Florida, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania are active in the past four months. Most solicitations are IFBs or RFPs with response periods of four to eight weeks; many require mandatory pre-bid or site visits, and nearly all demand firm fixed pricing that includes delivery and installation. School districts frequently use cooperative purchasing platforms such as Bonfire and prioritize vendors demonstrating experience with K-12 operations, appropriate insurance ($1–2 million general liability typical), and three references from recent school projects.