CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Approve the award of Bid 24-215, Fire Uniforms, to On Time Embroidery, Inc. (DBA Unique Apparel Solutions), for an amount not to exceed $371,000 and for a two-year term
body
DEPARTMENT: Fire Department
SUBMITTED BY: Mark Puknaitis, Chief
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The Naperville Fire Department purchases uniforms for all staff officers, sworn shift personnel, members of the Fire Prevention Bureau, administrative civilian personnel, and volunteers from the Naperville Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Uniform requirements for sworn shift personnel are established in a collective bargaining agreement and must meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1975: Standard on Station/Work Uniforms for Firefighters.
A complete set of uniforms is issued to new hires and individual items are replaced as needed based on the condition of the item. Per the collective bargaining agreement, items submitted for replacement may be appropriately repaired rather than replaced if it is reasonable. Employees are responsible for the cleanliness and appearance of uniforms.
In October 2024, the Fire Department issued Bid 24-215, Fire Uniforms, to seek a vendor that would provide work and dress uniforms, badges, collar brass, and other insignia as well as polo shirts, t-shirts, and caps.
DISCUSSION:
|
Advertisement Date: |
10/22/24 |
Notices Sent: |
75 |
|
Opening Date: |
11/12/24 |
Planholders: |
11 |
|
|
|
Proposals Received: |
2 |
Bids were received from the following vendors:
|
Vendor Name |
Proposed Cost |
|
Galls LLC |
$160,279.38 |
|
On Time Embroidery, Inc. |
$185,351.00 |
Galls LLC., the current uniform vendor, was deemed non-responsible due to a significant error rate of nearly 25% in fulfilling orders under the contract. These errors resulted in prolonged delays, forced members to wear unrepresentable uniforms, and incurred additional costs to rectify the issues. The majority of items had manufacturing errors, including but not limited to, sizing errors, incorrect embroidery, wrong department patches, faulty hemming, patch replacement requirements and consistent back-ordered items. To address these issues, external services and significant staff hours were required. Despite notifying Galls LLC of these issues, they failed to address them during the contract.
Considering the significant error rates, additional costs, and operational disruptions, the Procurement Division, and the Fire Department recommends awarding the new contract to On Time Embroidery Inc (DBA Unique Apparel Solutions) as the remaining responsible bidder.
The term of the award is January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026, with three, one-year optional extensions. Items will be ordered as needed throughout the year.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Uniforms for the Fire Department are expensed to the account number listed below. $189,500 is allocated in the 2025 Budget for work uniforms and related items. The requested award for year one is within budget. Funding for the remaining year of the contract will be included in the 2026 budget cycle.
|
Account Number |
Fund Description |
Total Budget |
|
22101100-541407 |
General Fund |
$592,500 |