Fabric, dark navy mesh wick

The South Carolina Department of Corrections Purchasing Branch issued a solicitation for 20,000 yards of Dark Navy Mesh Wick fabric for its Prison Industries division, located in Richland County. The procurement specifically requires 100% polyester knit mesh fabric in Pantone #19-3832 TCX Navy, with precise technical specifications including a weight of 4.5 ounces per square yard, minimum thread count of 120 per square inch, and pre-shrunk to 2-3% shrinkage control. Vendors were required to submit two 6" x 8" swatch samples with comprehensive test results demonstrating compliance with ASTM and AATCC standards. The solicitation opened on August 26, 2022, with bids due by September 13, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., and award notification scheduled for September 19, 2022. The delivery schedule mandates 5,000 yards within 45 days after receipt of order and the remaining 15,000 yards within 90 days, with delivery to be made to LEATH Correctional Institution's Prison Industries facility in Greenwood, South Carolina. Award was to be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder based on unit pricing, with vendors required to ensure palletized, individually wrapped, and banded shipments.

The procurement was governed under Procurement Exemption #2 for Raw Materials, which was not protestable, and allowed for end-product preferences for materials manufactured in South Carolina or the United States. Vendors could also claim resident vendor preference by maintaining a qualified office in South Carolina. The contract was ultimately awarded to DAF Products, Inc. of Wyckoff, New Jersey, for a total evaluated amount of $37,800.00, representing a unit price of $1.89 per yard. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the documentation. Vendors were required to submit head-end samples for approval before full shipments, with strict requirements that all subsequent shipments exactly match the awarded fabric and color sample. The South Carolina Department of Corrections reserved the right to conduct verification testing, and any samples not meeting specifications would require immediate resubmission within the original delivery period without time extensions. Delivery was restricted to Fridays between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with delivery confirmation required 24 hours in advance.