With spring right around the corner, government agencies are now preparing for annual maintenance and updates to parks, nature preserves, playgrounds, trails, and other recreational facilities that we all love to enjoy. All throughout spring and summertime, you’ll see hundreds of bid opportunities being issued at the state and local levels across the country looking for these types of services, and you may even find a few good opportunities right now, so keep an eye out for these bids because they may just be the perfect opportunity for your business.
Spending on Parks and Recreational Facilities
Every year, state and local governments combined spend billions of dollars to keep our parks, outdoor spaces, and recreational facilities in good condition. In the chart below, we can see the top ten cities that spent the most on parks and recreation in 2020:
(Source: Statista Research Department. “Cities that spent the most on parks and recreation in the United States in 2020.” Statista.com, 18. Oct. 21)
As you can see, these are some of the most well-known cities around the country that see high pedestrian traffic due to being some of the most favorite tourist spots, so it’s no surprise that they spend the most when it comes to upkeeping their parks. But don’t count yourself out yet if you can’t provide services in these specific cities, there are plenty of other cities throughout the U.S. that spend millions of dollars each year on services or goods to help maintain their parks, so you’re bound to find opportunities for your business to bid on.
Keeping our parks and recreational facilities in good condition is important for many reasons as it serves as a safe and enjoyable place for people to gather, play sports, and exercise, along with the environmental aspects they play in our communities. We can’t forget that upkeep and protecting public lands and parks play an essential role in preserving natural resources and wildlife habitats as well as protecting clean air and water for future generations. For example, the High Line walkway in NYC includes repurposed industrial infrastructure, natural and herbaceous plants, lawns and meadows, and a green roof system with drip irrigation. Some other examples are Discovery Green Park in Houston, TX which includes sustainable buildings, organic gardening and landscaping, and recycling centers, and Eden Park in Cincinnati, OH which includes solar and wind power efforts. Each one of these, as well as many other parks and public lands across the U.S. have green initiatives in place.
Currently, overall spending on parks and recreation is led by states with larger populations and greater economic activity including California, Florida, New York, Illinois, and Texas, but still every state and local government’s fund these types of goods and services. In 2020 alone, close to $45 billion was spent by state and local governments and growth will likely continue in this industry.[i] Researchers at CLIQ put together data on the states that spent the most on parks and recreation per capita. Here you can see the top ten states that spent the most per capita in 2020, followed by total spending for the year:
(Source: Semow, T. “States Spending the Most on Parks and Recreation.” cliqproducts.com, 15. Jun. 21)
It’s interesting to note that these top ten states listed are ones that are more famously known for their state and national parks, such as Yellowstone in Wyoming, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, Custer State Park in South Dakota, and Diamond Head and Na Pali Coast State Park in Hawaii. Because these parks see a lot of tourists, the Parks & Recs departments spend a good chunk of their funds on contracts for goods and services to upkeep these national and state treasures.
Types of Parks and Recreation Bids
There are hundreds of bids for parks and rec services throughout the country being published on bidnet direct. Here are a few examples of open bids you can find:
- Playground, Park and Waterpark Equipment/Parts, Purchase & Delivery – Florida
- Adaptive Recreation Equipment and Services – Massachusetts
- Parks and Recreation Equipment, Products, & Installation Services – Texas
- Glamping Lodging in Maryland State Parks – Maryland
- Sports Park Design – California
If you’re new to government bidding, looking at closed and awarded bids related to the industry you do business in will also help you get a feel for what types of bids you can find and how much they were awarded for.
How to Find Parks and Recreation Bids on bidnet direct
As a registered vendor you will have access to our solicitation search feature where you can search for open solicitations by specific keywords related to your industry. You can use keywords such as “parks”, “playgrounds”, “recreation”, “park construction” and many others to see what opportunities are out there requesting parks and rec services or goods that you can bid on. You can also set up saved searches for each keyword you’ve entered to be able to easily go back and look for any open solicitations related to those saved keywords at any time. To narrow down your search even further, along with your keywords, you can also search by solicitation type, NIGP category codes, location, purchasing group, and more and can also add those to your saved searches.
How to Receive Matching Bid Notifications
On bidnet direct you can receive daily email notifications with a list of opportunities that match the goods and services you sell. All you need to do is register for a Group, Statewide, or Federal package and you can instantly start getting notified. To get notified of the bids that match with your business, you’ll need to set up your NIGP category codes and keep them up to date, allowing you to receive any new relevant solicitations.
Below are some examples of NIGP category codes related to parks and recs equipment and services that you may want to consider when making your selections:
- 65000 – Park, Playground, Recreational Area and Swimming Pool Equipment and Supplies
- 65006 – Benches, Park (Including Bus Stop Benches)
- 65024 – Grill and Park Stoves, Outdoor
- 65036 – Picnic Tables
- 65038 – Playground Equipment
- 65062 – Sports Field Maintenance Equipment
- 65072 – Swings, Playground
- 65066 – Swimming Pools, Equipment, and Supplies
- 90672 – Recreation Facilities (Parks, Marinas, etc.) – Architectural Services
- 98863 – Park Area Construction/Renovation
Start Bidding Today
With state and local governments spending billions of dollars each year on our parks and recreational facilities, a good amount of funding goes towards awarding contracts to fulfill these needs. It’s best to get in on some of these lucrative opportunities now, as spring and summer are quickly approaching, and more outdoor activities are underway. There are hundreds of open solicitations related to parks and rec equipment and services that you can find on bidnet direct, so don’t hesitate to register and start bidding and watch your opportunities grow!
Andrea Cortina | bidnet direct
Find your next government contract!
[i] Semow, T. “States Spending the Most on Parks and Recreation.” cliqproducts.com, 15. Jun. 21
