People have gone to great lengths to find the perfect Christmas tree. For the federal government, however, it’s a bit more complicated than strapping an oversized tree to the top of a station wagon.
So, what does the federal government do when it’s looking to bring a little festive cheer to a military base? It issues a solicitation for its “perfect” tree. Let’s take a look at the government’s wish list.
Interestingly, the federal government issues a fair number of procurement for Christmas decorations. Today we’re looking at Solicitation No. FA3016-18-U-0022, which sought a Christmas tree for installation and Joint Base San Antonio in 2017.
The Air Force’s tree specifications were fairly straight forward, though the scale was certainly more than would fit in my living room. The tree needed to be 30 feet in height. It was to be an artificial tree, though it was to have a “natural look.” Charlie Brown Christmas trees need not apply, apparently.
The Air Force also called for some heavy-duty ornamentation. Specifically, the tree needed to come pre-wired with at least 16,000 white LED lights. It was preferred that these be embedded in the tree. It also needed to boast a fade resistant and flame retardant garland.
Some interesting additional details came out during the question and answer sessions as well. For example, the government would accept a tree up to 40 feet. Additionally, the tree did not need to come with artificial “snow.” This question was asked three times, so it was clearly an important consideration.
Given that this particular procurement went through three rounds of questions and answers, its apparent even the federal government struggles to find its perfect tree.
From all of us here at Schoonover & Moriarty, we hope your Christmas tree “hunt” has been equally successful. Happy holidays!