Fire Hose

The City of Madison, Wisconsin, through its Finance Department and Purchasing Services, issued Request for Quotation (RFQ) 5031 for the procurement of fire hose for the Madison Fire Department on August 10, 2021. The solicitation sought four distinct line items of fire hose: 20-30 sections of 50-foot 5-inch large diameter double jacket fire hose with Storz couplings, 20-30 sections of 50-foot 1-inch double jacket fire hose with NST 1.5-inch couplings, 10-20 sections of 50-foot 1 3/4-inch combat-ready hose with NST 1.5-inch couplings, and 30-40 sections of 50-foot 2-inch double jacket fire hose with NST 2.5-inch couplings. All hoses must be manufactured to NFPA 1961 standards, with a required 10-year warranty period. The evaluation criteria included cost, quality, workmanship, warranty, delivery, past performance, and service reputation. The response deadline was set for August 24, 2021, at 2:00 PM CST, with bid prices required to remain valid through December 31, 2022. Pricing must include all shipping charges with FOB delivery to Madison, and bidders were required to specify delivery timelines in days after receipt of order.

The solicitation did not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises, though a local vendor preference policy was available to registered local suppliers. Six vendors submitted bids, including BG Fire Hose, Tactical Fire Equipment LLC, 5 Alarm Fire & Safety Equipment, Fire-Rescue Supply LLC, Jefferson Fire & Safety, and Tiles In Style LLC. Jefferson Fire & Safety was ultimately awarded the contract with a total bid of $1,272.20, including a $225.00 shipping charge. Competing bids ranged from $928.62 to $1,554.92, with Fire-Rescue Supply LLC submitting the lowest alternative bid. The contract included two proposal periods: Proposal #1 (8/13/21-11/1/21) and Proposal #2 (11/2/21-12/31/22). Notably, the solicitation explicitly stated that import hose would not be accepted for North American customers due to verification concerns regarding NFPA 1961 compliance.