U.S. Company Gets Contract for Afghan Military Clothing

Bethel Industries Inc., Jersey City, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $22,572,000 firm-fixed-price contract for various types of field jackets. This is a two-year contract with no option periods. This was the small business set-aside lot 0002 portion of a solicitation containing two lots. This was a competitive acquisition with six responses received. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a Sept. 14, 2019, performance completion date. This is a Foreign Military Sales ("FMS") procurement. Using customers are Afghan Border Police, Afghan Uniform Police, Afghan National Army and Afghan National Army Special Operations. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-17-D-1094).

Within the U.S. industry it is widely understood that Department of Defense acquisitions of textiles and clothing are government by the Berry Amendment which requires domestic U.S. sourcing. Less well known is that the Berry Amendment applies to all funds "made available" to the Defense Department. That includes Department of Defense procurement for Foreign Military Sales.