By David Pugliese
LOGISTIK UNICORP BASED in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, has received a significant contract to provide operational clothing and footwear to the Canadian Armed Forces for years to come.
The contract is valued at up to $3.7 billion over 20 years if all options are exercised.
The deal will see the delivery of approximately 1,222 different items of clothing and footwear worn by CAF members during their deployments. Included in the contract would be combat uniforms using Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPAT) camouflage; badges and insignias; footwear including combat boots, arid/hot weather boots, and mukluks; winter gear such as parkas, headwear and hand wear; and soldiers’ personal equipment, such as sleeping bags and day packs.
This contract will cover items for more than 160,000 people, including Regular and Reserve Force members, Canadian Rangers, Junior Rangers, search and rescue technicians, firefighters and cadets, according to the Department of National Defence. Also included are provisions to enable the ad hoc procurement of equipment required for unexpected deployment operations – such as the immediate supply of personal protective equipment during emergencies.
Once the contract is fully implemented, CAF members will be able to order items online and have orders shipped to their door, while also providing the CAF with the ability to continue distributing uniforms directly to units. This new approach will deliver better resource and inventory management for the CAF, improve item availability, and provide better value for taxpayers, according to the Department of National Defence.
Defence Minister Anita Anand visits Logistik Unicorp to announce the new contract for military clothing. (CANADIAN FORCES PHOTO)
Government officials say the deal will support over 3000 jobs in Canada’s clothing, footwear and textile industries.
Logistik Unicorp will invest in research and development and skills training in the textile, apparel and footwear sectors, which will generate additional jobs and export opportunities Defence Minister Anita Anand said the new contract with Logistik Unicorp will ensure that CAF members have the equipment they need, when they need it.
Currently, operational clothing and footwear items are being procured through multiple individual contracts. By combining the various contracts into one, the federal government believes it will achieve greater efficiency and availability of items the CAF needs and better value for taxpayers.
Logistik Unicorp based in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, has received a significant contract to provide operational clothing and footwear to the Canadian Armed Forces for years to come. (CANADIAN FORCES PHOTO)
Delivery of items to CAF clothing stores will commence during the second year of the contract, and individual online ordering capability is targeted to be implemented during the third year.
Since 1996, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have been using a consolidated clothing contract for dress uniform (non-operational clothing). Additional functionalities for users have been added, including online ordering. This approach, renewed in 2020 as the Non-Operational Clothing and Footwear Contract with Logistik Unicorp Inc., continues to supply non-operational clothing for 160,000 Canadian Forces full-time personnel, reservists, and cadets. With the latest deal, DND says it is taking a similar approach to the procurement of operational clothing and footwear.
In addition, Logistik will be required to conform to mandatory requirements of the Canadian Content Policy, as well as to ensure that the manufacturing of clothing and footwear items continues to be done in Canada.
“Logistik Unicorp is proud to have been selected to continue supporting the Canadian Armed Forces with their supply and equipment needs, which our Canadian military members continue to proudly wear while serving around the world,” said Karine Bibeau, Vice-President, Client Experience at Logistik. “Part of what makes Logistik Unicorp’s uniform programs stand out is the relentless pursuit of innovation through research & develop- ment practices, and commitment to proactively help our clients improve their services.”
Logistik Unicorp is considered a Canadian leader in Man- aged Clothing Solutions for uniform and personal equipment.
It provides high-quality, innovative and functional clothing, footwear and equipment to more than 600,000 individuals worldwide, including 325,000 Canadians in various corporations, government departments and agencies. The firm provides a turnkey solution: IT systems, research and development, design, production, procurement, quality assurance, customer service, secure warehousing and distribution.
Logistik Unicorp has a supply chain and network of domestic and international partners, with the group’s subsidiaries in Aus- tralia, New Zealand, Germany, Tunisia and Vietnam serving a global customer base.