Youth Safety Boots for Summer Student Program

The State of Michigan, Department of Transportation (MDOT), issued an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) on April 19, 2018, to procure safety boots for its Youth Development and Mentoring Program, which serves 400-500 participants annually through an 8-15 week program. MDOT seeks to procure approximately 400-500 pairs of safety boots that comply with ASTM F2413 or ANSI Z41 standards, featuring six-inch or higher safety-toe footwear with composite or steel toe construction and bearing I-75 markings, distributed across seven regional service areas: Saginaw (25 pairs), Grand Rapids/Muskegon/Cadillac (50 pairs), Detroit (160 pairs), Gaylord/Traverse City/Alpena (70 pairs), Kalamazoo (35 pairs), Escanaba/L'Anse/St. Ignace (30 pairs), and Lansing/Jackson/Adrian (110 pairs). A critical requirement is that vendors must provide a mobile truck distribution service, whereby the vendor's truck travels directly to designated MDOT regional locations to provide on-site sizing and boot purchase services, a requirement that narrowed the procurement to a single identified source after established state contract vendors Grainger and Cintas were determined incapable of meeting this service model. The maximum allowable price per pair is $80, and boots are needed between late April and early June 2018. Bidders must submit written questions by April 24, 2018, with responses to claims of equivalent products or services due by April 27, 2018. Vendors must certify compliance with Michigan state requirements, including Michigan Business Tax filings under Public Act 431 of 1984, Iran-Linked Business restrictions under Public Act 517 of 2012, Environmental Protection Act compliance, convict labor prohibitions, and tax payment obligations, as well as certify non-use of forced labor, forced or indentured child labor, and indentured servitude.

This is a one-time procurement that will result in multiple purchase orders distributed across MDOT regions, with no renewal options. The ITN does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged, minority, or women-owned enterprises based on the provided documentation. The procurement identified Michigan Industrial Shoe (SIGMA Vendor Number CV0025476) as the intended sole source vendor following competitive research that determined other established state contract vendors could not accommodate the mobile truck service delivery model required by MDOT's program structure. The total contract value is estimated at approximately $32,000 to $40,000, based on the specified quantity range of 400-500 pairs at the $80 per pair maximum price. Bidders are classified under commodity code 80008, and the solicitation represents a single award purchase opportunity without options for renewal or extension.