UNSPSC 82161500: Theatrical set design, property and costume services

Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a theatrical production. Scenery may be just about anything, from a single chair to an elaborately re-created street, no matter how large or how small, whether or not the item was custom-made or is, in fact, the genuine item, appropriated for theatrical use.

UNSPSC 82161500 Theatrical set design, property and costume services is a Class code that encompasses the production equipment, labor, and technical services state and local governments procure to stage outdoor festivals, municipal events, concert series, civic celebrations, and venue productions. Recent solicitations show state and local buyers acquiring full-service event production—including staging systems, sound and lighting rigs, rigging labor, and on-site technical management—rather than costumes or theatrical properties in isolation. The issuing bodies span city parks and recreation departments, municipal venues, county convention centers, university facilities, and school districts, with most activity concentrated in venues and event-focused jurisdictions rather than traditional theater operators. Representative recent opportunities include the City of Norwalk, Connecticut soliciting production services for its 2026 Summer Concert Series (RFP, due February 26, 2026); Jackson County, Missouri requesting stage, sound, and lighting for its Christmas in the Sky event (ITB 26-025, due May 19, 2026); the City of New Haven Parks Department procuring a towable mobile stage (RFP, due May 4, 2026); and the University of Texas at Austin requesting commencement staging and labor services (RFP 721-26056, due March 10, 2026). The County of Volusia, Florida also solicited rigging services exclusively for its Ocean Center convention center and arena (ITB 26-B-37JJ, due April 8, 2026), requiring certified rigging technicians and comprehensive equipment rental.

Geographic activity spans Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Texas, with secondary clusters in Arizona and California. Evaluation weighting across these solicitations consistently privileges experience and technical qualifications over price—typically allocating 40–70 percent of scoring to equipment capability, project team reputation, and delivery methodology, with cost ranging from 5 to 40 percent of the total evaluation. Insurance mandates are standard across all opportunities, commonly requiring $1 million commercial general liability per occurrence, professional liability or rigger's liability endorsements, and workers' compensation. Contract structures favor on-call or task-order arrangements with no guaranteed minimum volume, annual terms with optional renewals, and pricing negotiated either as lump-sum per event or time-and-materials bases. No evidence of set-aside programs specific to disadvantaged enterprises appears in the recent solicitations, though some municipalities reference MBE/WBE preferences as discretionary options. The code shows active, recurring demand from venue operators and municipalities seeking integrated production delivery—particularly for one-time civic events and seasonal programming—rather than permanent staffing or singular product procurement.