# Presentation: 009406

## Bid Specificationsand Statements of Work

## Current Specifications 

- The majority of current bid specifications provided by federal customers for the purpose of obtaining competitive bids are inadequate to insure fair bidding.
- This is a widespread problem.  Many furnishings projects and most industries in the furnishings business are affected.

## Introduction

- Several examples of incomplete or ambiguous bid specifications follow.
- Each example has been taken verbatim from actual projects during the past year.  Examples #1 and #2 are from multi-million dollar package room projects.
- These specifications create problems including unfair or unequal bidding by vendors and lower overall quality of merchandise for government customers.
- We will analyze the drapery and bedspread specifications.  The descriptions for other products including furniture, carpet, appliances, lamps, etc. were similar to the drapery specs.

## Example #1 

**DRAPERY**
- “Pinch pleat w/baton draw, lined, 100% trevira or equivalent blackout flame retardant.  Contractor to remove old hardware—to be replaced with new hardware, nominal size 76W x 72L.”
**BEDSPREADS**
- “Twin XL quilted w/6 oz fill and poly cotton backing, 100% trevira captains corners, or similar, machine wash.”

## Analysis of Example #1 

- EXAMPLE #1 does not provide nearly enough information to insure “apples for apples” bidding.
- It does not identify:
- The fabric pattern, color or base cloth
- The type of hardware desired
- Any construction details
- Other details required for fair, equal bidding
- These ambiguous specifications allow for a variety of interpretations by different bidders.
- Vendors often bid the lowest quality, lowest cost item they can produce to “technically” comply with the specification.

## Example #2

**DRAPERY**
**Quantity 862**
- “Fabric, Greenham, Color: Kir, Hardware: Kirsch 94003, baton one-way draw, cotton/poly lining.  Fullness shall be a minimum of 100%.  Covered #2 weights shall be sewn into each corner and seam.”

**BEDSPREADS**
**Quantity 2,265**
- X-L, 58” w x 188” l, throw style, cap fitted with 10” drops, material 100% Trevira FR polyester, 5% cotton fill polyester backing.  Fabric:  Greenham, Color: Kir, double onion quilted, machine washable, flame resistant.”

## Analysis of Example #2 

- EXAMPLE #2 is more detailed than Example #1 but it still does not provide nearly enough information to insure “apples for apples” bidding.
- It does not identify the following critical issues:
- Fabric base cloth
- Specific type of lining required
- It identifies the hardware but not the components to be used
- Most of the construction details
- Other details required for fair, equal bidding
- This leaves the door open for different interpretations by different bidders.

## Analysis of Example #2 Hardware

**Selected Components for Kirsch 94003 Baton Draw**
- Regular Carriers
- #9670 at $.27 each
- #9406 at $.07 each
- Master Carriers
- 94133 & 94134 at $7.70 per pair
- 94158 & 94159 at $2.44 per pair

## Analysis of Example #2 Base Cloth (Price per Yard)

**Alternate Base Cloths for Typical Printed Fabric                ****(Every price is for the identical print, but on a different base cloth)**
- 1.  Misty		$3.35	 	11. Prelude 	$7.95
- 2.  Sonata	$4.65		12. Crescendo 	$8.95
- 3.  Audience	$5.50		13. Overture	$8.95
- 4.  Chorus	$5.50		14. Virtuoso 	$9.40
- 5.  Starlite	$5.75		15. Serenade 	$9.75
- 6.  Applause	$5.95		16. Manlla 	$10.50
- 7.  Cloud		$6.50		17. Oxford 	$10.50
- 8.  Innovation	$6.75		18. Legacy 	$11.75
- 9.  Volare		$7.15		19. Samson	$13.50
- 10. Masetro	$7.95		20. Tigris	$13.50

## Suggested Minimum Specifications

- For draperies and bedspreads, we suggest the following minimum bid information:
**Drapery: **Drapery style including header type and minimal construction specs. Fabric selection including pattern name, color and base cloth.  Details on lining selection.
**Hardware:** Hardware type, including components.
**Bedspreads: **Bedspread style including size, type (quilted, throw, fitted, etc.), fill weight and overall finished bedspread weight, and minimal constructions specs.  Fabric selection including pattern name, color and base cloth to be used.

## Example of Suggested Specifications-Draperies

**Draperies:**
- All draperies to be pinch pleated, center open baton draw, blackout lined, with three finger pinch pleats. Fullness shall be a minimum of 100%.  Side hems to be 1 1/2 inch double turned and blind stitched, top and bottom hems to be 4 inch double turned.  Headers shall contain 4 inch permanent and washable buckram.  All pleats shall be bar tacked, uniform in size and equally distant from one another.  Printed fabrics shall be matched.  Kirsch #94145 overlap stiffener with eyelet shall be sewn into the overlap edge of each drapery.  Covered #2 weights shall be sewn into each corner and seam.  All draperies shall be fan folded and individually wrapped in plastic bags.  Fabric pattern:  Greenham, Color: Kir, Base Cloth: Cloud, 100% Trevira Polyester FR, Lining: Three Pass FR Blackout, Color: White/White. Successful contractor shall be responsible for measuring draperies and hardware for accurate fit.

## Example of Suggested Specifications-Hardware

**Drapery Hardware:**
- All hardware shall be assembled Kirsch baton draw system #94003.   Each track shall be comprised of the following components: #94003 track, #94105 & 94106 master carriers #94145 stiffeners with eyelet, #9670 carriers, #94141 end caps, #94132 brackets, #91235 batons, #1012C stainless steel hooks.

## Example of Suggested Specifications-Bedspreads

**Bedspreads:**
- All bedspreads shall be bunk size, captains style, double diamond quilted using a computerized lock stitch quilting machine and lubricated nylon thread. Bottom corners shall be split with matching quilted gusset inserts.  Fill shall weigh a minimum of 5 ounces per square yard.  Backing shall be 50% cotton, 50% polyester, color: White. **Weight of the overall finished bedspread shall be a minimum of 4 pounds, 7.5 ounces**.  Fabric pattern:  Greenham, Color: Kir, Base Cloth: Cloud, 100% Trevira Polyester FR.  Successful contractor shall be responsible for measuring mattresses for accurate fit.

## Example #3

- This example is from a recent e-Buy RFQ:
**“****Description:  **Would like to order black out curtains for dorm style rooms (job location inserted). Number of windows is 342. Window sizes are 40.25 x 62 and 46.25 x 62 finished sizes.
- All hardware and installation cost needs to be included in proposal cost.”

## Analysis of Example #3 Pricing

**The guessing game!**
- Which price would you offer to try to win this award? Should we bid the quality we believe they “should” have, or the quality it will take to be the low bidder?
- Our company could have bid as low as $62 per pair,  ($21,204) or as high as $281 per pair ($95,982), or more than a hundred prices in between.  All 100 bids would “technically” comply with specifications.
- We bid on a “low middle end” quality ($48,929) and lost to a bidder who offered a lower quality and price.

## Summary of Problems

- The majority of specifications provided by federal agencies for bidding purposes are inadequate to achieve truly competitive bidding on an “apples for apples” basis.
- Ambiguous specifications leave the door open for various interpretations by each bidder.
- Incomplete or vague bid specifications may lead to unfair or unequal bidding and contribute to costly bid protests, job delays, and in some cases, law suits.
- Government customers often receive lower cost, lower quality merchandise than intended.

## What Can Be Done?

- The QPC may consider the formation of a sub-committee to address this issue, if there is sufficient interest from industry and customers.
- The purpose, if created, would be to provide information and training to address the minimum amount and types of bid information required to insure fair competitive bidding for each industry.