SOLE SOURCE NOTICE - Project 7 / SEV3 / Complete Platform Ultralight 3A Ballistics SWAT Vest

The City of Salem, Oregon is issuing a Sole Source Public Notice for the procurement of a Complete Platform Ultralight 3A Ballistics SWAT Vest, designated as Project 7/SEV3. This specialized ballistics protective equipment procurement is being conducted under the City's adopted Public Contracting Rules, which permit alternative source selection methodologies for goods and services. The sole prospective contractor identified for this procurement is Aardvark, located in LaVerne, California. The procurement was first publicly noticed on April 16, 2026, with an anticipated award date of April 23, 2026, and a submission deadline of April 22, 2026. No information regarding site visits or bidders' meetings has been specified in the public notice. The deliverable consists of a single ballistics SWAT vest unit meeting the specified ultralight 3A ballistics protection standard, with no additional qualifications or evaluation criteria documented beyond the sole source designation.

This procurement is structured as a sole source acquisition with no open competition or set-aside designations identified for disadvantaged enterprises or other restricted categories of organizations. Aardvark has been identified as the sole prospective contractor for this requirement. The total contract value for this ballistics vest procurement is $8,610. Any affected person may protest the sole source determination by submitting a written protest to the City Manager's office at 555 Liberty Street SE, Room 220, Salem, Oregon 97301 within seven calendar days of the April 16, 2026 First Date of Public Notice. Protests must be accompanied by a certified or cashier's check in the amount of $500 to cover processing costs and must include detailed legal and factual grounds, supporting evidence, a description of resulting harm, and the relief requested.