UNSPSC 85171500: Funeral and associated services

The services associated with the preparation and holding of a funeral

UNSPSC 85171500 Funeral and associated services, a Class code, encompasses the pickup, transportation, storage, cremation, burial, and disposition of human remains—particularly indigent, unclaimed, and abandoned decedents—on behalf of county medical examiners, health departments, correctional facilities, and other government entities. State and local procurement under this code reflects steady demand for mortuary labor, equipment, and final disposition services, with contracts typically structured as firm fixed-price per-case or bundled service agreements rather than retainer-based arrangements. Recent solicitations emphasize licensed funeral director staffing, refrigerated storage capacity, responsive 24-hour or next-business-day transport, cremation within 10–21 days, and compliance with state funeral service regulations; many also require personnel background checks, E-Verify verification, and comprehensive general liability and workers' compensation insurance.

County medical examiners' offices, county health and human services departments, state health commissions, county purchasing departments, correctional facilities, and higher-education procurement offices are the primary issuing bodies. Texas (Collin County, Texas HHSC/DSHS, Hays County) and Florida (Clay County, Sarasota County, Pinellas County, Broward County) show the most recent and frequent activity; Georgia (Sumter County), Illinois (Big Muddy River Correctional Center), and higher-education purchasers (Texas A&M University) also appear in the recent pipeline. Representative opportunities include Collin County's morgue transport RFB (IFB 2026-300, due October 15, 2026, estimated value $130,000 annually for approximately 800 decedent transports with 75-minute response-time requirements); the Texas HHSC/DSHS Mortality Resources and Services IFB (HHS0017352v3, due October 28, 2026, historical spend $269,485.68 and four strike teams for mass-fatality readiness); Clay County's Unclaimed Decedent Disposition Program RFB (2526105, due August 27, 2026, approximately 60 cases annually at a unit-price model with local-preference points available); and Pinellas County's indigent burial and cremation RFP (260292RFP, due April 23, 2026, approximately 720 annual cases with $550,000 annual funding estimate and five-year contract term). Several solicitations involve master agreements or vendor pools (Texas A&M University ITBs TAMHSC-26-0642 and TAMHSC-26-0647) structured for on-call access rather than guaranteed volume.