Employee Safety Shoes and Accessories

The City of Orlando is conducting a procurement for Employee Safety Shoes and Accessories through Invitation for Bid (IFB24-0489), seeking suppliers to provide safety footwear and related accessories for city employees. The solicitation requires vendors to supply safety shoes that meet American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety criteria, with a specific focus on multiple shoe brands including Ariat, Bates, Caterpillar, Reebok, Timberland, and Wolverine. Vendors must have a local brick-and-mortar store within 15 miles of City Hall and potentially offer a mobile footwear unit, with the ability to provide men's and women's styles ranging from sizes 5-15 and 4-13 respectively. The contract will be for a three-year term with potential renewal for two additional 12-month periods, totaling up to 60 months. Key procurement dates include a virtual pre-bid conference on September 11, 2024, at 11:00 AM, with bid submissions due on October 8, 2024, at 2:00 PM through the city's e-Procurement Portal. Evaluation criteria will be based on the lowest total response, with the potential to award on a per-group or per-item basis. Bidders are required to provide percentage discounts off list prices for various safety shoe brands and additional accessories like socks and insoles.

The procurement appears to have provisions for minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE) participation, with Kimberly Wyche listed as the MWBE Representative. Two potential suppliers are already identified: Global Trading Inc from Miami, Florida, and Safety Shoe Distributors from Houston, Texas. The solicitation does not specify a precise budget range, but estimated quantities suggest between 500 to 30,000 units per brand. Current contract documentation indicates potential for multiple vendor awards, as evidenced by the Miami-Dade County contract that included seven awarded vendors. Suppliers must meet specific requirements including providing a password-protected website listing available shoes, maintaining internet security standards, offering returns within 30 days, and submitting quarterly sales reports. The city will require vendors to have trained personnel for sizing and fitting, pass through manufacturer rebates, and comply with living wage policies and non-discrimination contracting standards. A protest period is scheduled to conclude on November 13, 2024, with a potential city council meeting on November 11, 2024, to finalize contract approvals.