Ammunition, Factory loaded

The California Department of General Services, Procurement Division is soliciting bids on factory-loaded ammunition to establish a statewide mandatory contract for all State of California departments, with bids due July 10, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. PT. A mandatory bidders' conference is scheduled for June 26, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. PT via Microsoft Teams.

The solicitation covers nine line items across handgun calibers (9mm Luger/NATO, .38 Special, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, .45 ACP), 12-gauge shotgun, and rifle calibers (.223 Remington/5.56mm NATO, .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO, and .338 Lapua). The CHP Approved Brands List specifies 132 approved ammunition line items within these calibers, organized by type (Full Metal Jacket, Controlled Expansion, Lead-Free Hollow Point, and frangible training variants) across manufacturers including Speer, Winchester, Remington, Federal Premium, American Eagle, Hornady, Barnes, Corbon, Black Hills, RWS, and Buffalo Bore. Only new, latest-model products in current production qualify; used, refurbished, or discontinued models are not acceptable.

Duty ammunition must meet FBI Ammunition Test Protocol requirements with minimum 12-inch penetration into 10 percent gelatin at 10 feet across all six test stages, plus specified expansion criteria. Training ammunition has less stringent performance standards. Ammunition not listed on the CHP ABL must undergo CHP testing per the CHP Test Protocol, which includes four-layer denim barrier testing and physical inspections for primer seating and casing defects.

The historical contract value based on current expenditures is $20.44 million over three years. The contract term is three years with two optional one-year extensions. Award is by line item to the lowest-cost responsive and responsible bidder. Pricing shall be quoted per-round, F.O.B. destination, freight prepaid. Bidders need not bid all line items.

Bidders must hold a California Department of Justice Ammunition Vendor License and, if non-manufacturers, be factory-authorized law enforcement distributors. A 5 percent small business preference and DVBE participation incentives apply. Bidders must provide customer references demonstrating at least $250,000 in similar work within the previous five years, complete all required certifications including California Civil Rights Laws and Federal Debarment compliance, and maintain customer service weekday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT with order acceptance via email, facsimile, and mail. Delivery must be completed within 90 calendar days of order receipt. A 1.25 percent incentive fee applies to all local governmental agency transactions. Monthly reporting includes contract usage reports and SB/DVBE participation tracking.