R-95-05-11-15F - 5/11/1995WHEREAS, the City of Round Rock has duly advertised for bids
for the purchase of a body armor for the Police Department, and
WHEREAS, Safariland has submitted the lowest and best bid,
and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to accept the bid of
Safariland, Now Therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROUND ROCK,
TEXAS,
That the bid of Safariland is hereby accepted as the lowest
and best bid and the City Manager is hereby authorized and directed
to issue a purchase order to Safariland for the purchase of said
body armor for the Police Department.
RESOLVED this llth day of May, 1995.
ATTEST:
KS /RESOLUTION
RS5D511F
LAND, City Secretary
RESOLUTION NO. R 95 05 11 - 15F
ra r -'7h11-7
CHARLES C PPER, Mayor
City of Round Rock, Texas
MAY -09 -1995 0B:59 FROM ROUND ROCK PD
DATE: May 9, 1995
SUBJECT: City Council Meeting, May 11, 1995
ITEM: 15.F. Consider awarding a bid for body armor for the Police Department.
STAFF RESOURCE PERSON: James Jackson
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
The Police Department currently provides ballistic body armor to their commissioned
personnel to protect against the possibility of an armed threat. The current ballistic body armor
worn by most officers will exceed the manufacturer's warranty on ballistic integrity by October
of 1995 and the body armor will no longer be of use.
It was determined that the need for replacement of body armor would occur during this
fiscal year and allowances were made in the budget for this purpose. The city went to bid for
the purchase of the body armor.
Two bids were received for ballistic body annor for the Police Department.
Safariland
American Body Armor
TO 92556676 P.02
516,445.00
$29,419.50
Staff recommends awarding Safariland the bid for the ballistic body armor for the Police Department.
f1 Y -09 -1995 08:24 FROM ROUND ROCK PD
TO 92556676 P.03
Summary of Ballistic Body Armor Bids 4/95
Bids
The city received two (2) bids from ballistic body armor manufacturers, through Texas distributors. The two
manufacturers placing bids were American Body Armor (ABA) and Safariland.
ABA's bid met all specifications of the bid requirements and came in at a price of $534.90 per unit.
Safariland's bid did not meet the specifications as set out in the bid requirements, but did make noted
exceptions to the bid requirements in several areas of the specifications. The basis of the exceptions had to do
with brand specific materials and Safariland provided documentation to support the claim that their product
provided equal or better quality to that which was specified in the bid .(See attached) Safariland quoted a price
of $299.00 per unit.
Background
Upon receipt of the bids, research was conducted to ensure the validity of the bids. As previously stated ABA's
bid met all the requirements set forth in the bid specification. When researching the bid made by Safariland,
with reference to the exceptions to the specifications, comparisons were made using manufacturer's printed
material, independent testing laboratories, ballistic fiber manufacturers, and National Institute of Justice.
There were several exceptions noted in Safariland's bid, but the basic issues came down to
1) use of brand specific materials (LT ballistic fiber, Supplex coating, etc) Paragraphs 2.2, 4.1, 5.1
2) use of in -house testing laboratories. Paragraphs 11.4, 14.0
3) $8 million insurance policy against ballistic material failure. Paragraph 15.1
Upon reviewing these exceptions it was duly noted that the use of in-house ballistic testing, instead of
independent test laboratories, is an area of the bid specifications that should be changed In the area of liability
insurance it was discovered that the industry standard is $6 million.
In the area of brand specific materials, documentation has been provided and researched to indicate that the
product offered by Safariland is equal to or better than the product offered by ABA. There are three (3) areas of
consideration when comparing the products 1) ballistic performance 2) areal weight of the finished product 3)
overall comfort of the finished product
MAY -09 -1995 0B :25 FROM ROUND ROCK PD
ABA Model L-20 (Threat Level 11)
Round V50 satins
9mm 124 gr FMJ 1561
.357 158 gr ISP 1581
Safariland "Magnum Lite" (Threat Level II)
xIwnd V50 rggg
9mm 124 gr FMJ 1671
.357 158 grJSP 1651
When comparing the two products Safariland exceeded the performance of the ABA.
TO 92556676 P.04
The ballistic performance of each manufacturer's product was conducted by an independent laboratory, H.P.
White Inc., and the V50 performance ratings' are listed below:
The areal weight of the ABA vest is specified to be 1.10 pounds per square foot as compared to a weight of 1.13
pounds per square foot for the Safariland. The areal weight relates to the overall weight of the body armor and
directly relates to the overall comfort of the body armor.
In the area of overall comfort, both manufacturers provided samples of their product and were comparable in
overall comfort, with little notable difference in overall weight. pliability. or comfort.
Recommendation
Based on the information received both through the manufacturer's independent sources, and trial of the
products, there does not appear to be an appreciable difference in the products offered by either manufacturer.
The key difference is in the price of the products. With this in mind it is the recommendation of the police
department to accept the bid from Safariland