Purchase of Firefighter Turnout Gear on an Annual Contract

Agency:	Gwinnett County
State:	Georgia
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	339113 - Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing
Posted Date:	Jan 30, 2025
Due Date:	Dec 31, 2025
Solicitation No:	RP003-25 INV
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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January 3, 2025

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RP003-25

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified vendors

RfPo0r15t-h2e4 IPnvu-rcv2ha- se of Firefighter Turnout Gear on an Annual Contract with four (4) options to renew for the

FirDeecpoamrmtmenetns t&oDf WFire and Emergency Services.

Proposals must be returned in a sealed container marked on the outside with the Request for Proposal number

and Company Name. Proposals will be received until 2:50 P.M. local time on February 4, 2025 at the Gwinnett

County Financial Services - Purchasing Division – 2nd Floor, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046. Any

proposal received after this date and time will not be accepted. Proposals will be publicly opened and only names

of submitting vendors will be read at 3:00 P.M. A list of vendors submitting proposals will be available the

following business day on our website www.gwinnettcounty.com.

A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. local time on January 14, 2025, at Gwinnett County Fire

and Emergency Services Headquarters, 408 Hurricane Shoals Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. All vendors are

urged to attend. Questions regarding proposals should be directed to Casey Beauston, Purchasing Associate II,

at casey.beauston@gwinnettcounty.com no later than 3:00 P.M. local time on January 22, 2025. Proposals are

legal and binding upon the vendor when submitted. One (1) unbound single-sided original, five (5) exact bound

copies, and one (1) electronic copy on a USB flash drive should be submitted.

A fitting session will be conducted following the pre-proposal conference. Further information and instructions

are included within the specifications.

Gwinnett County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to its programs or

activities. Any requests for reasonable accommodations required by individuals to fully participate in any open

meeting, program or activity of Gwinnett County Government should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the

Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center, 770-822-8165.

The written proposal documents supersede any verbal or written prior communications between the parties.

Selection criteria are outlined in the request for proposal documents. Gwinnett County reserves the right to

reject any or all proposals, to waive technicalities, and to make an award deemed in its best interest.

Award notification will be posted after award on the County website, www.gwinnettcounty.com, and vendors

submitting a proposal will be notified via email.

We look forward to your proposal and appreciate your interest in Gwinnett County.

Casey Beauston

Purchasing Associate II

The following pages should be returned as part of your proposal package:

Delivery ARO Response, Pages 4-5

Vendor Information, Page 19

References, Page 20

Code of Ethics, Page 21

Contractor Affidavit and Agreement, Page 22

RP003-25

Page 2

I. GENERAL

A. Scope

Gwinnett County is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors for the provision of turnout gear.

Gwinnett County is located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia and has a land area of 437 square miles.

Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services provides fire protection, rescue,

advanced life support emergency medical services, and transport for the entire County. The

department currently operates 31 Fire Stations. Gwinnett County currently has an authorized strength

of 1,056 firefighters, paramedics, and support staff. The department has historically purchased

approximately 250 - 300 sets of turnout gear per fiscal year. It is the intent of this Request for

Proposal (RFP) to describe the minimum requirements for turnout gear and related components.

Vendors will be asked to demonstrate best performance, guaranteed availability and delivery,

customer service excellence, accountability, knowledge, experience and cost.

B. Adherence to Specifications

The specifications contained herein are not for restrictive purposes or to limit competition, but to

assist vendors in determining the standard of quality and basis of design Gwinnett County is seeking.

It shall be understood that items equaling or surpassing the quality level are also acceptable.

Gwinnett County shall be the sole determinant of acceptability of all approved equivalents. It is the

vendor’s responsibility to prove equivalent products equal or exceed the quality level of the product(s)

specified. If quoting an equivalent product, those specifications must be submitted with bid. The

County reserves the right to request additional information and/or make further investigations to

determine the acceptability and capabilities of the vendor and their bid submittal. Statements using

“must,” “will,” or “shall” are non-negotiable and failure to comply with these requirements may result

in a low score given in the “adherence to technical specifications” portion of scoring criteria. All

exceptions to specifications must be clearly spelled out in the proposal submission.

All specifications included herein, and all proposals/turnout gear submitted, shall comply with NFPA

1970-2025 edition.

Vendors are invited to submit their latest design that meets or exceeds specifications. Vendors may

submit more than one product if they choose; however, vendors must have a separate proposal

submittal for each product proposed addressing criteria requested under Section IV of this RFP

“Preparation of Proposals and Scoring Criteria.”

II. AWARD

A. Recommendation to award to the highest scoring firm will be submitted the Gwinnett County

Board of Commissioners at the completion of the evaluation process.

B. Awarded vendor must deliver a complete fitter line by the contract effective date to the user

department. Fitter line must be clearly marked with “RP003-25 Fitter Line” and include a packing

slip of garments in the shipment, shipped to:

Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services

450 Hosea Road

Lawrenceville, GA 30046

C. Requirements of Successful Supplier After Award

1. It is the intention of the County to place an order upon award of this contract. This gear

is required to replace the County’s safety stock and replacement of fitter line and recruits;

therefore, the successful vendor will be required to provide gear no more than 30 days

after receipt of the Purchase Order. If this lead time will present potential challenges, it is

the vendor’s responsibility to specify same. The Purchase Order will be for gear with

common sizes; sizes will be specified at the time of order.

2. Tracking Software: Upon request, the manufacturer should be capable of providing a

Windows-compatible software program for the tracking of care, cleaning and

RP003-25

Page 3

maintenance of the department’s Personal Protection Equipment. This should be a stand-

alone program and not a web-based application. This tracking program should meet or

exceed all record-keeping requirements of standard NFPA 1970-2025 Edition. The

manufacturer should be capable of providing onsite or internet training to department

personnel who are involved with the daily use of this tracking program, and if there is an

additional cost involved for this service, the supplier must disclose those costs with

proposal. Upon delivery to the County, the awarded vendor shall provide electronically an

Excel spreadsheet form to assist with uploading the information for equipment tracking;

this is to include a list of all items ordered with size serial numbers and manufacturing

dates.

3. The manufacturer should have in place a computer-maintained traceability program that

provides for the assignment of a production control number to each garment. The

traceability program should be capable of tracing the garment through production, from

the bolts of cloth used in all three layers of the garment composite construction, to the

assignment of the garment to the individual firefighter. This production control number

should be visibly located on the garment label and on other protected areas of garment.

4. To ensure a perfect fit, sizing should be based on actual measurements taken of the

firefighter by a trained measurement specialist, or sizing try-ons, or both. Fittings/sizing

measurements are to be provided during normal business hours of 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.,

Monday - Friday at a designated location (Fire Resource Management Warehouse or Fire

Academy). The successful vendor should be responsible for measuring Gwinnett County

employees for proper fit as required per department and maintain record for each

employee fitted regardless of order quantity or total price. The successful vendor should

also train department personnel in the proper method for measuring Gwinnett County

employees for proper fit as required per department.

5. Seller agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Buyer from any and all licenses, royalty

and proprietary fees or costs, including legal costs, which may arise out of Buyer’s

purchase and use of goods supplied by the seller. It is expressly agreed by Seller that

these covenants are irrevocable and perpetual.

D. Each vendor shall read all sections of this request for proposal including the instructions, and all

attachments hereto. Vendor’s proposal response should follow the format of the

sections/subsections within, and clearly indicate the section/subsection being addressed. The

vendor should sign the Vendor Information page with their usual signature by an authorized

representative and shall give their full business address.

E. Vendors are requested to submit one (1) unbound single sided original, five (5) exact bound

copies, and one (1) electronic copy on a flash drive should be submitted. Please label the

electronic media with the submitting vendor name and reference the proposal number.

F. A Cost Proposal will be requested after the completion of Phase 2 of the evaluation. Vendors

that advance to Phase 3 must submit the Cost Proposal by the date noted in the request. The

Cost Proposal must be in a sealed envelope, clearly defined with the RP#, company’s name and

marked “COST PROPOSAL.” The Cost Proposal is to be submitted in a separate sealed

envelope. The Cost Proposal should not be included in the technical portion of vendor’s

submittal.

G. The County asks that vendors include any exceptions to contract, terms and conditions, or

proposal requirements in their submittal. Any exceptions must be clearly stated in the submittal.

If no exceptions are stated, it is assumed that the vendor fully agrees to the provisions contained

herein.

H. In order to evaluate the proposals fairly, each Vendor is required to describe how each

specification or requirement of the proposal will be satisfied. It is not sufficient to state for

example: “Acknowledged”, “Understood”, “Will Comply”, etc. Failure to provide complete, clear,

concise, and definitive responses may result in rejection of the Vendor’s proposal. The format

of the response should follow the format of the proposal and reference the page number and

paragraph that each requirement is addressing.

RP003-25

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I. Proposing vendors are invited to submit their latest design that meets or exceeds the

specifications herein.

III. FITTINGS/SAMPLES

A. Upon request, samples must be provided at no cost and must be sized specifically to the County

employee.

B. The samples will be evaluated in real-life scenarios and may be damaged.

C. Samples may be returned to the proposer after the evaluation is completed or the proposer has

been eliminated from the process.

D. The fittings process for the samples will be conducted directly following the pre-proposal

conference. If vendors are unable to attend the pre-proposal conference, contact Casey

Beauston, Purchasing Associate II, to schedule fittings. Fittings should be completed by January

21, 2025.

E. County Evaluators will be assigned an identifying number. Short-listed vendors moving on to

Phase 2 will be assigned an alphabet letter when wear test sets are requested. The vendors are

to cover the NFPA label with a piece of fabric made of the same liner material, labeled with the

vendor alphabet letter assignment and assigned Evaluator number.

F. Short-listed vendors will have six (6) weeks from the date of request to deliver the samples to

Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services. Samples are to be sent separately and directly to:

Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services

Attn: Yvonne Shannon

450 Hosea Road

Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Failure to deliver the samples by the close of business on the dates specified in the request may

be cause for rejection of the proposal.

G. All samples must be submitted in sealed boxes clearly marked with the RP#, company name,

and “SAMPLES.” Samples submitted for evaluation shall represent what the proposer is offering

to Gwinnett County.

H. All samples will be subject to performance exercise testing in conjunction with the use of self-

contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), boots, helmets, and gloves as required.

IV. PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS AND SCORING CRITERIA

Cover Letter

At the beginning of the proposal, provide a cover letter to include: description of your company’s

history, and the manufacturer’s facility and scope of operations.

PHASE 1: TECHNICAL EVALUATION

A. Delivery Terms (20 points)

The manufacturer should provide a user information guide for the garments, which complies with

user information requirements of NFPA 1970-2025 edition. Topics should include, but not

necessarily be limited to: pre-use information, preparation for use, inspection frequency and

details, don/doff, use consistent with NFPA 1970-2025 edition, maintenance and cleaning, and

retirement and disposal criteria and considerations. This document should be packaged with

each garment along with a specification summary sheet describing garment custom options,

sizing and production details.

Vendor shall state the Delivery ARO below for the given ordering scenarios. Given quantities are

estimates and could change based on County needs and the allocation/availability of funds.

Please specify whether or not Delivery ARO will change based on the scenario and provide

additional information as needed. Vendors may include additional sheets in their proposal to

cover this information.

RP003-25

Page 5

Approx. 50 complete sets of turnout gear,

ordered 3 - 4 times per year

Delivery ARO:

Approx. 85 second sets of turnout gear,

typically 1 order at the beginning of the year

Delivery ARO:

Replacement sets of turnout gear ordered as

needed

Delivery ARO:

B. References (10 points)

Vendors should include list of references as part of their proposal submission. Vendors are

required to demonstrate successful performance of the proposed turnout gear and customer

service level by submitting references from three (3) user departments during the past three (3)

years. The vendor should provide references from user departments of similar size, climates,

comparable number of employees, and similar call type and volume.

Name and contact numbers must be for a liaison within the respective Fire Department who has

an in-depth working knowledge of the performance and wear/tear of the proposed turnout gear.

C. Understanding and Adherence to Specifications (5 points)

Include a section in the proposal that demonstrates vendor’s understanding of the basic scope of

services and performance requirements stated in the Request for Proposal. Include in this section

information on service and F.O.B. delivery terms.

Scoring the composite makeup of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear and the level of

thermal insulation provided will be based on the adherence to specs and the overwhelming factor

of safety. It is the County’s preference that no materials that may contribute to a loss of protective

performance over time and/or after exposure to heat, sweat, etc., be used in the construction of

the PPE garment composite.

D. Gear Specifications (5 points)

Vendors should submit a comprehensive and detailed description of the proposed product.

Include manufacturing materials, procedures, testing, specifications, diagram, drawings and/or

photos. Describe your company’s process for fitting and sizing throughout the contract period.

Any exception or variation in construction, materials, performance, testing, or items of equipment

between this specification and the proposal shall be detailed and submitted on a separate

sheet(s) along with the proposal in sequence, citing page and item number. Vendors must explain

in detail (with full supporting data) how the proposed deviation meets or exceeds the

specifications.

1. Gear Miscellaneous

i. Coat and trouser shall be manufactured by the same company to ensure

uniformity, complete protection, and compatibility. NO EXCEPTIONS.

ii. Include the available size increments for both men and women and detail the

percentage of gradation for the proposed product.

iii. This Request For Proposal defines the minimum requirements for blood borne

pathogen resistant (BPR) firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) to

provide limited protection to fire fighters against adverse environmental effects

during structural firefighting operations and certain other emergency operations

where there is a threat of fire or where certain physical hazards are likely to be

encountered, such as during non-fire-related rescue operations, emergency

medical operations, and victim extraction, as defined by NFPA 1970-2025 Edition.

In the absence of comment on a particular point, industry standard practice should

be presumed to prevail. Workmanship and material should be first quality

throughout. Vendor must provide documentation for minimum Total Heat Loss

(THL) and Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) in Coat and Pants and minimum

Conductive and Compressive Heat Resistance (CCHR) in knees and shoulders. In

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

Purchase of Firefighter Turnout Gear on an Annual Contract

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