Wholesale Clothing

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, on behalf of the Department of Corrections, is soliciting bids for wholesale clothing procurement through Kentucky Correctional Industries (KCI) via Request for Bid (RFB) 758 2500000737. The procurement encompasses three distinct commodity groups: Group 1 consists of 31 shirt items including cotton t-shirts, long-sleeve dry-blend shirts, sweatshirts, fleece, polos, and performance wear with estimated annual purchases ranging from 100 to 18,000 units per line item; Group 2 includes four hat and cap styles with estimated annual purchases of 600 units each; and Group 3 contains four tactical polo options with estimated annual purchases of 100 to 250 units per line item. All items must be available in sizes XS-6XL with applicable children's, women's, and men's sizing. Vendors may bid on any combination of groups but must provide all items within each selected group or their bid will be deemed non-responsive for that group. Bidders must meet three critical pass/fail evaluation criteria: delivery capability within five working days of order receipt (with 1% daily penalties for late delivery), a minimum of five years of demonstrated experience in the wholesale clothing industry, and the provision of discounted pricing off standard list prices. Pricing must be submitted on the revised Attachment C Bid Price Sheet at wholesale rates inclusive of all shipping and delivery charges on an F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed basis, with bidders entering $0.01 as a placeholder in the electronic submission system. The initial bid submission deadline is July 30, 2025, at 1:30 PM ET, with written questions having been due July 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET. The resulting contract will be awarded by group, with an initial one-year term from the award date and four optional one-year renewal periods subject to written approval and potential price renegotiation. All pricing must remain valid for a minimum of 60 calendar days after the bid due date, with no price increases permitted during the first 12 months of the contract.

The Commonwealth reserves the right to award contracts to multiple responsive bidders in each category, provided at least two responsive bids are received; however, if only one responsive bid is submitted for a category, that category will not be awarded. Kentucky Correctional Industries receives a 20 percent preference equal to maximum points awarded, while qualified bidders such as Kentucky Industries for the Blind and certain nonprofit agencies serving individuals with severe disabilities receive a 15 percent preference. Kentucky resident bidders may receive reciprocal preference equal to the preference given by the bidder's home state. All bidders must comply with Kentucky tax registration requirements and campaign finance law certifications as outlined in the mandatory affidavit attachment. Vendors must provide proof of Commercial General Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, with the Commonwealth named as additional insured, and Automobile Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 combined single limit if providing delivery services. Electronic bid submission through the Commonwealth eProcurement system is mandatory; paper bids are not acceptable. The solicitation does not specify a total contract value or budget range; instead, awards will be based on a quote-based procurement model whereby the Commonwealth will obtain competitive quotes from all awarded contractors before placing individual delivery orders, with the most favorable quote selected for each specific order. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the solicitation documents, and no guaranteed business volume is provided to any awarded vendor.