Public procurement of workwear: what the quotation must include

What the tender actually checks

Tender documentation for workwear and personal protective equipment is usually divided into three sets of requirements. Each checks something different.

• Supplier capability. ESPD, grounds for exclusion, conditions for participation, references and often a financial guarantee for the seriousness of the tender.
• Product compliance. Technical data sheets, EU declarations of conformity, notified body certificates, samples and size tables.
• Commercial section. Itemised price quotation, delivery deadlines, validity of the quotation and prices, terms of call-offs.

The first set checks the company, while the other two check the goods and feasibility. The second set is the one where detail is most easily overlooked, because evidence is often compiled for the supplier's entire range rather than for the exact item listed in the quotation. If you are preparing a tender submission for a public procurement, compile the evidence folder by item, not by supplier, with a separate sheet for each item.

Proof of compliance: declaration, certificate, technical data sheet

The personal protective equipment category under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 determines who confirms conformity and what must be enclosed with the quotation.

Three details worth checking before submission:

• whether the item code on the certificate matches the code in the quotation, including the cut or colour variant, if certified separately,
• whether the EU type-examination certificate is still valid, as its validity is time-limited and must be renewed,
• whether the manufacturer's instructions are in Slovenian and whether the declaration of conformity is enclosed or available at the stated web address.

A claim that a product complies with personal protective equipment regulations, without a certificate number and without naming the body, has no evidential value. For category III, a CE marking without the four-digit number of the body is a sign that the documentation needs to be checked again.

Standards and classes that must be stated precisely

The contracting authority usually specifies the standard and class. The quotation should repeat both verbatim, as it is assessed against the required line item rather than the product description in the catalogue.

Visibility classes differ according to the minimum area of background and reflective material, so a short-sleeved T-shirt alone generally does not achieve the highest class. Whether class 2 is sufficient for a given site or class 3 is required follows from the contracting authority's risk assessment and the tender line item, not from the supplier's judgement. The meaning of individual markings is compiled in the standards glossary.

Samples, size charts and labelling

Samples. These are often required for only some items, and the sample deadline may run separately from the deadline for submitting the offer, so read it carefully. The exact item stated in the quotation, marked with the code, size and lot number, must be sent. A sample of a different model from the same range can be grounds for exclusion, even if the product is more expensive or better.

Size charts. It is useful to include body measurements in centimetres and not just labels from S to 3XL. In the offer, state:

• the size range for each item, including larger sizes and women's cuts,
• the method of size labelling using a body measurement pictogram,
• whether on-site measurement of the team is possible before the first delivery,
• the deadline and conditions for exchanging sizes after the first delivery, for example the number of days and the proportion of the quantity.

Care and labelling. For clothing with a protective function, state the number of maintenance cycles for which the properties have been verified, and whether this refers to household or industrial washing. If a logo is required, check that embroidery or printing does not interfere with reflective tape, and that, for flame-protective clothing, the materials and application locations permitted by the manufacturer are used.

Division into lots and what actually needs to be submitted

Clients divide the order into lots so that goods can be awarded to different suppliers. A common division is by safety footwear, general workwear, high-visibility clothing, special protection (flame, electric arc, chemicals), gloves and small equipment, and the winter range.

Within a lot, it is generally all or nothing. A single item not covered by a certified product can mean the loss of an entire lot, so it makes more sense to submit fewer lots in full than several lots incompletely.

When a specific product is stated with the addition "or equivalent", the burden of proof lies with the tenderer. Equivalence is demonstrated with a test report or certificate, not with a statement in the covering letter. The Public Procurement Act, in the section on the client's technical specifications, requires that when referring to a specific product, equivalent goods must be permitted, so raising a question on the public procurement portal before the question deadline expires is cheaper than a later objection. How to prepare a tender by lots in practice is described on the wholesale and B2B page.

Commercial section: prices, call-offs and framework agreement

The commercial section is easily overlooked because it looks like form-filling, yet it is precisely this section that determines whether the deal remains viable after signing. Check:

• whether prices are fixed for the entire contract period or whether an adjustment is planned and on what basis,
• whether transport, packaging and delivery to locations are included in the price when the client splits delivery across multiple units,
• what the minimum value of an individual call-off is and within what deadline it must be executed,
• whether contractual penalties and a performance guarantee for proper fulfilment of contractual obligations are envisaged,
• how long the quotation is valid and whether it must be extended at the client's request.

For multi-year framework agreements, the interchangeability of items is also important. Models change or disappear from the range within a few years, so it is useful to describe already in the quotation the procedure by which a replacement model with equal or better properties under the standard, and at an equal or lower price, is confirmed with the client.

Checklist before submission

The final review is quicker if carried out in order and by item:

• each item in the quotation has its own technical data sheet, declaration of conformity and, where necessary, a notified body certificate,
• codes match across the quotation, technical data sheet and certificate,
• standards and classes are transcribed exactly as stated in the tender,
• samples are sent to the correct address, on time, and labelled with codes,
• size tables are attached with measurements in centimetres,
• forms are completed and signed as required by the tender preparation instructions,
• the tender is submitted through the correct electronic system and on time, since the system no longer accepts submissions after the deadline expires.

If any of the required documents cannot be obtained in time, it is better to offer fewer items with complete documentation than an entire lot with one gap. Send us the tender documentation and we will prepare a proposal by lot with the corresponding evidence.

A quotation for a public procurement tender for workwear is not evaluated on the basis of the product description, but on whether each item on the price list is accompanied by evidence with a matching code, standard and class. Those who collect evidence by item and check sample deadlines separately from the submission deadline save the most work in the final days before submission.