Quality as the main indicator in the purchase of workwear

Quality as the main indicator in the purchase of workwear

The article will examine in detail the issues of purchasing workwear on the platform of the ProZorro system, and provide practical recommendations on limiting the risks of enterprises from the purchase of low-quality PPE.

The nuances of the procedure for purchasing fabric for workwear  

Since 2016, all enterprises with a state-owned share are required to purchase workwear using the ProZorro platform. It is necessary to publish tender documents and conduct procurement openly.

Analyzing the problems faced by enterprises since 2016, complaints about the quality of the goods supplied are received everywhere. The main reason is poor-quality preparation of tender documentation. As a result, the main criterion for evaluating commercial proposals is the price.

Common workwear problems:

  • High shrinkage
  • Loss of color after the first wash
  • Poor tear and abrasion resistance
  • Premature wear

Let's take a look at a few examples of how procurement works, what problems businesses face, and how it can be avoided.

Situation 1: Poor Documentation

Tender documentation for a large state-owned company is very sparse. For example, the most general conditions set out: a work suit, 100% cotton, 250 density. That’s it.

In practice, this means that almost any company can be a supplier of such workwear, including those sewing companies that are used to working in non-reliable segments.

What happens then during the tender competition? A large number of companies with minimal quality in the bidding process reduce the price to a minimum level. At the same time, anyone who invests even a little in quality is doomed to lose. Because quality comes at an additional cost.

As a result, the enterprise receives the cheapest, poor-quality, uncomfortable, workwear without the necessary protective qualities. People and businesses suffer.

The second situation: the minimum set of documents

The enterprise writes out in detail the requirements in the tender documentation, but requests the minimum set of documents. At the same time, the budgets allocated by the enterprise make it possible to purchase really high-quality clothes. What are the traps here?

It's a forgery of documents. Unscrupulous companies attach documents of quality manufacturing companies, but the material from which the clothes are then sewn does not comply with these documents. Accordingly, they can drop significantly in price and eventually win the tender.

It’s falsification of documents. Unfortunately, we still have this. Some companies which want to “tune” their materials to the right level of quality, falsify the results of laboratory tests.

There are cases when enterprises made requests to the laboratory to confirm the presence or absence of the necessary certificates. And they received answers that such a certificate was issued, but the dates did not correspond to another fabric or on the certificate. Such problems are not uncommon.

Recommendations for the transition to workwear made from quality materials

Enterprises should systematize work on the purchase of workwear.

It is necessary to create an organization standard (OS), which clearly reflects all the features of the model and the technical characteristics of the materials that will be used. All this information should be indicated in the OS and fixed at high level management.

And when the garment company will ask questions about the requirements, there’s an “iron argument” that this is the standard of the organization, we rely on it.

What needs to be done to develop such a standard? 

It’s necessary to make a risk analysis:

  • where there is a risk of sparks, anti-static materials should be used;
  • where there are risks associated with fire hazards, high-quality fire-resistant materials should be selected, etc.

After that we should test PPE under production conditions. You can contact the sewing companies that supply workwear. Order 3-4 sets of quality textiles and evaluate it’s price, quality and workers satisfaction.

Audit should be conducted by an independent commission. The commission decides which materials to choose, develop and implement a PPE standard.

Algorithm for the development of an internal standard for PPE:

  • analysis and risk assessment
  • selection of PPE to ensure maximum protection
  • testing of PPE in a production environment
  • audit by an independent commission
  • development and implementation of PPE standards

This is a very effective mechanism for protecting against low-quality products which could be procured. The problem is very serious and global.

But what if the standard is not registered yet?

It is necessary to conduct tenders, make purchases, protect people, work must not stop. How to protect yourself from defects and poor quality?

Our proposal is to include in the tender documentation the following requirements:

  • protocols for laboratory testing of fabrics issued by state standardization agencies. The protocol reflects all physical and mechanical loads, values, indicators that are necessary. For textiles, there are 10-12 indicators that need to be checked. If there is this protocol, then there is an understanding of what level of textiles are offered;
  • Fabric certificate. What is it for? All fabric that is imported to Ukraine must pass the appropriate laboratory test. Since certification for fabric in Ukraine is not required, many enterprises refuse to provide certificates. But this requirement is a must. This is a guarantee that the fabrics are verified;
  • OEKO TEX standard 100 certificate for testing products for allergenic and harmful dyes. Why is this needed? Many enterprises say that they have sanitary and hygienic certificates, but there is a problem. However, hygienic certificates have very poor information and therefore cannot guarantee safety . Make sure to request an official OEKO TEX translation.

OEKO TEX is a worldwide certification system for textile products. Within the framework of the OEKO TEX system, there are 11 institutes that check, analyze, and monitor suppliers. Enterprise or a textile company that produces low-quality products will not be able to receive this certificate. This is the direct protection of your enterprise and people.

  • Certificate of origin. What is it? This certificate can be used to trace whether certain textiles were imported to the territory of Ukraine during its warranty period;
  • a certificate from the supplier of workwear with information about the type of fabric the overalls will be sewn for certain tender. A certified copy of the certificate is a guarantee that clothes will be sewn from that fabric, with the necessary articles and indicators;

Protection against fakes

Let's take a closer look at a question why special fabric marking is needed.

This makes it possible in the process of using overalls to determine what problems exist with this clothing. For example, is there any shrinkage? Color loss? And by marking to understand which manufacturer provided low-quality material.

Any manufacturer, including our competitors, can make special anti-counterfeiting protection upon request.

Company STG for many years has practiced applying anti-counterfeiting protection on the reverse side of the fabric. It is also convenient for businesses. Simplifies acceptance control: you can look at the suit and make sure that it is the original product.

High-quality workwear is a guarantee of high productivity and labor safety in production.

 

by Nikolai Sheverdin,

STG Regional Development Manager

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