Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Uniform Tender
Request for Proposals
Provider of Volunteer and Staff Uniforms & Related Items
Date issued: Thursday 1 July 2024
Deadline for responses: Monday 5 August 2024, 5pm
Introduction
Bradford Culture Company (BCC) operating as Bradford 2025 (the Company) is seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified partner (the Provider) to design and supply a range of uniform and supplementary items for both our volunteering programme and our live events staff.
Bradford 2025’s volunteer programme seeks to work with c3,000 participants over the next 18 months, and is generously supported by Spirit of 2012, the National Lottery Community Fund, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our volunteers will fulfil a wide range of functions including event enhancers and ‘meeters-greeters’, city centre and art-trail way-finders and many other roles that will require clear and distinguishable visibility to the public.
Likewise, our Live Event team require uniforms to be visible to each other and to key stakeholders as they work at pace to deliver complex live events and exhibitions.
The proposed contract(s) will run from August 2024, with initial deliveries September 2024.
BCC would like to invite interested providers to tender for this business. Our preference is for a single supplier, but given the variety of items, we will consider proposals for all, or a selection of the goods required. We are also open to partnership/consortium proposals.
This tender is for design, and supply of the specified items listed below. These numbers are indicative and will be ordered in batches and pending satisfactory delivery of the products proposed, we reserve the right to renew or extend the contract later for provision of additional products.
Providers must meet BCCs procurement objectives:
• To ensure that procurement activities reflect BCC’s approach to transparency, sustainability, value for money and equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• To ensure BCC’s commitment to the communities of Bradford is reflected in the procurement process.
• To ensure BCC’s duty to its funders to deliver best value for money.
• To ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
Specification
The design process is a fundamental part of this tender. We will work with the successful supplier to finalise a series of item designs consistent with Bradford 2025’s colours and brand identity, which also match our aspirations for sustainability, functionality, and value for money. We would expect you to work closely with our external Brand Agency on how to use the design and with your input on manufacturing.
We also invite you to consider how rapid, light-touch consultation with Bradford 2025 staff and our Youth Panel could be incorporated into this process.
The incorporation of Bradford 2025’s brand will be an integral part of this commission. Interested parties must be able to successfully and consistently reproduce Bradford 2025’s brand colours across the full range of specified items.
We welcome proposals that incorporate screen printing and embroidery options, as well as digital print. It would be useful to know whether you are able to print wraparound designs, or if you can only print within a specific area of an item of clothing.
We recognise that that costings may differ for more complex patterns and methods of application. Please provide price breakdowns for the different print methods that you can provide.
We anticipate that more common garment base colours (black, white, heather grey) may be easier to produce for many items. We are open to proposals that use this palette as a foundation, but strongly encourage proposals that use our brand palette (green, pink, and amber) as base garment colours. The brand guidelines are attached.
We anticipate that volunteer uniform items will be drawn down in multi-size lots of 300 to 500, with initial delivery in early September 2024. It is essential that the volunteers are clearly identifiable to fulfil their roles, and will need to consider visibility, warmth, and weather resistance.
Live Events staff uniforms will be required in smaller lots. Initial delivery required early September 2024.
Please include minimum lead time for production within your proposal.
Goods required and quantities
Volunteer uniforms & supplementary items
• Waterproof Jacket – range of sizes (1,000)
• Hoody/Fleece – range of sizes (1,000)
• Polo Shirts – range of sizes (2,000)
• Cap (400)
• Beanie (400)
• Patterned scarves that can also serve as Hijabs (500)
• Rucksack (1,000)
• Water Bottle (700)
• Lanyard (1,000)
• Winter Gloves (500)
Live Events Team Uniforms
• Waterproof Jacket – range of sizes (200)
• Hoody/Fleece – range of sizes (200)
• Polo Shirts – range of sizes (300)
• Cap (100)
• Beanie (100)
• Patterned scarves that can also serve as Hijabs (50)
• Winter Gloves (50)
Criteria for Selection:
• Sustainability
Bradford 2025 aims to be the most sustainable UK City of Culture to date. Our tender process gives additional weighting to proposals that indicate a strong commitment to sustainability. This could include production methods, materials used, as well as any other considerations you can offer.
• Local
Additional weighting will be given to suppliers based in the Bradford District; with additional, albeit lower weighting also available to suppliers from (i) West Yorkshire, (ii) other local authorities or counties adjacent to Bradford, and (iii) the wider North of England.
• Track record of providing Branded Clothing and Apparel to client design. Please provide examples.
• Best value for money.
• Alignment with BCC’s procurement objectives.
• Capacity to deliver within timeframe. Initial call off to be completed by August 2024.
• Completion of Supplier Assessment Questionnaire.
How to apply
Deadline for proposals is Monday 5 August, 5pm Shortlisting/sample submissions will take place immediately with a decision made w/c 12 August.
Please indicate whether you are tendering for all items or a selection.
We will require completion of a Non-Disclosure Agreement on award of contract.
Please email any queries regarding this tender to procurement@bradford2025.co.uk. Questions and answers from our team will be shared with all interested parties prior to closing date.
Please email final proposals to procurement@bradford2025.co.uk
Please see attachments here: