UNSPSC 92111501: Dispute mediation or conciliation or negotiation or settlement

UNSPSC 92111501 Dispute mediation or conciliation or negotiation or settlement (Commodity) represents state and local procurement of professional mediation and hearing officer services, predominantly driven by special education dispute resolution under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and vocational rehabilitation appeals. Recent solicitations show school districts and state workforce and education agencies engaging mediators and impartial hearing officers to facilitate parent-school disputes over special education services, preside over administrative hearings, and resolve conflicts in statutory compliance timeframes. The Kentucky Department of Education and Texas Education Agency dominate this code's recent activity, each issuing multiple RFPs for IDEA mediators and special education hearing officers, while state workforce commissions and departments of education in Texas and Georgia structure qualified-supplier pools or individual service contracts for dispute resolution professionals. Work under this code spans facilitated mediation sessions ($75–$125 per hour across recent Kentucky and Texas awards), impartial hearing officer services with written determinations ($280 per hour capped in Texas; $1,100 per complaint or $650 per case in Georgia), and investigator roles assessing special education complaints within statutory deadlines. Qualifications typically require law licenses, special education teaching certification, court-approved mediation training, or demonstrated dispute-resolution experience, with mandatory competency in IDEA regulations and federal special education law.

Recent opportunities concentrate in the Southeast and South. Kentucky Department of Education posted two successive IDEA Mediator RFPs (RFP 54027000001061, due October 30, 2026, and RFP 54027000000211/212, due September 22, 2026) seeking multiple-award mediators at $75 per hour with minimum 80 annual hours availability and statewide travel. Georgia Department of Education established a qualified-supplier pool for complaint investigators, mediators, and IEP facilitators under a prequalification notice (PE41400NWA2027000000007, submitted to IDEADisputeResolution@doe.k12.ga.us) compensating investigators at $1,100 per complaint and mediators/facilitators at $650 per case, with 6–10 week review cycles. Texas Workforce Commission issued an RFQ for Impartial Hearing Officers (3202600207, due October 27, 2026) at $125 per hour for hearings and $50 per hour for travel, with annual historical compensation ranging $700–$25,000 and a pre-solicitation conference on October 5, 2026. Texas Education Agency's earlier RFP for Special Education Hearing Officers (RFP 701-26-017, due May 15, 2026) capped rates at $280 per hour with evaluation scoring on legal experience, writing samples, and references. Florida Department of Financial Services issued an information-gathering RFI (RFI17010, due October 29, 2026) exploring feasibility of a mediator pool for property, commercial, automobile, and continuing-care disputes at per-case rates funded by insurance carriers, not state funds. Activity outside these core jurisdictions is sparse in recent postings.