Sources Sought Notice - Linens (8-18-26) Final.pdf

This is a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) issued solely for information and planning purposes. This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice is for market research purposes only.

The Government will not award a contract based on this notice and will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting a response.

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) is conducting market research to determine the commercial availability of Berry Amendment compliant textile products used in support of commissary operations. Specifically, DeCA is seeking information regarding the availability of compliant clothing items as well as floor mats and mop heads that may be furnished through a commercial linen rental and laundering program or through other commercial means.

The purpose of this notice is to identify whether Berry Amendment compliant products are commercially available and to better understand the commercial marketplace. Responses will assist the government in determining appropriate acquisition strategies.

Berry Amendment Requirements:

The Berry Amendment, 10 U.S.C. § 4862, as implemented in DFARS 225.7002 and the clause DFARS 252.225-7012, Preference for Certain Domestic Commodities, generally requires that certain items, including clothing and other textile products, furnished to the Department of War, either as end products or as components, be grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States, unless an exception applies. Synthetic fabric and coated synthetic fabric, as well as cotton and other natural fiber products, are subject to the Berry Amendment. When developing your response, please carefully review DFARS 225.7002 for information on how the requirements of the Berry Amendment are applied in DoW contracting. Note that for clothing, generally the clothing itself must be produced in the United States, as well as the materials and components thereof, other than sensors, electronics, or other items added to, and not normally associated with, clothing and the materials and components thereof.

As part of this market research, vendors, manufacturers, distributors, and other interested parties are requested to provide information regarding the availability of Berry Amendment-compliant products for the items identified below

Items of Interest

Covered Clothing Items

• Butcher Coats – White, snap front, no pockets; Sizes S–5X

• Butcher Shirts – White, no pockets; Sizes S–5X

• Butcher Pants – White, no pockets; Sizes S–5X

• Butcher Aprons – White bib apron with adjustable neck strap and waist ties; one size

• Bib Aprons – Royal Blue with adjustable neck strap and double front pockets; Sizes S–

5X

• Smocks – Royal Blue with double front pockets; Sizes S–5X

Entrance Mats

• 3' × 5' Heavy-duty black/gray entrance mat with non-slip backing

• 3' × 10' Heavy-duty black/gray entrance mat with non-slip backing

• 4' × 6' Heavy-duty black/gray entrance mat with non-slip backing

Note that many entrance mats have fabric or other textile material as a top layer, even if the rest of the mat is rubber or plastic. The requirements of 10 U.S.C. § 4862, DFARS 225.7002, and DFARS 252.255-7012, may be applicable if fabric or other textile material is included on a mat primarily made of plastic or rubber.

Mop Heads

• Mop Head, Dust: Sizes available must be 36” and 48”. Should easily fit standard commercial wireframes and attach securely.

• Mop Head, Wet: Sizes available must be 24oz and 28oz.

Requested Information:

Interested parties are requested to provide the following information:

1. Company name, CAGE Code (if applicable), UEI (if applicable), business size, and socioeconomic status.

2. Whether the identified clothing items, mats and mop heads are available in Berry Amendment-compliant form.

3. For each compliant item, identify:

o Manufacturer;

o Country where item is produced;

o Country where each component (such as but not limited to fabric, thread, zippers, buttons, etc.) of each item is produced;

o Whether the respondent is the manufacturer, distributor, or reseller;

o Current commercial availability;

o Any minimum order quantities or production limitations;

o Estimated production lead times.

o Estimated Pricing

1. Price of 1 each of each compliant item.

2. If quantity price breaks are available, please provide that information.

3. Comparison of prices for compliant items vs non-compliant items, assuming a quantity of 1 as well as any applicable quantity price breaks.

4. If Berry Amendment-compliant products are not available for one or more items, identify:

o Which items are unavailable;

o The reasons they are unavailable;

o Any known commercial limitations preventing domestic production;

o Whether domestic production could be established and, if so, estimated timeframes.

5. Identify any challenges associated with obtaining Berry Amendment-compliant products through commercial sources.

6. DeCA typically has contracts for the rental and cleaning of the linens, mats and mop heads. Services are provided weekly to various commissaries. If your company also provides linen rental and laundering services, briefly describe:

o Geographic areas serviced;

o Experience providing comparable services;

o Whether Berry Amendment-compliant products could be incorporated into an existing rental program;

o Weekly pricing to rent and launder 1 each of each type of item.

1. Berry Amendment compliant product pricing

2. Non-Berry Amendment compliant product pricing

The Government is also interested in learning whether compliant products have been commercially available previously and, if known, any significant changes in availability or manufacturing capability have occurred in the past.

Responses:

Responses should be limited to information relevant to this market research effort and should not exceed ten (10) pages, excluding product literature.

Responses should be submitted to:

Diana Gross-Bendall: diana.gross-bendall@deca.mil

Christina Ellison: christina.ellison@deca.mil

Fatia Broussard: fatia.broussard@deca.mil mailto:diana.gross-bendall@deca.mil mailto:christina.ellison@deca.mil mailto:fatia.broussard@deca.mil