May 24 2009
The Air Force Uniform Office, here, continues its research to find a stain-resistant utility boot that retains the low maintenance of the current sage green boot and is composed of material that will not stain nor absorb workplace chemicals.
A request for information, or RFI, was posted on www.FedBizOpps.gov, the single source for federal government procurement opportunities, in May 2009 for sage green full-grain leather boots. The goal of the RFI is to procure and then have participants wear test boots that are made from a material similar to the current black leather boots, but are sage green in color and with a duller finish that will discourage anyone from polishing them.
"The latest test boots have smooth leather, like the old black boots," said Richard Keefer, Air Force Uniform Office chief. "The intent is to try a boot that is easy to clean, will not stain, and has leather that hides scuffs and wear from industrial use."
Since posting the RFI the AFUO has received responses that include boot samples and test data from five boot vendors. Before this RFI, the AFUO has tested stain-resistant boot prototypes with little success. In late November/early December 2008, 45 pairs of boots were distributed to participants to wear and test during a 60-day period.
According to 2nd Lt. Ashley Hawkes, AFUO project officer, most of the Airmen selected to participate in this wear test were based on Air Force specialty codes. Participants included active-duty and Reserve Airmen working predominantly in the maintenance, medical, and civil engineering career fields. Unfortunately, the majority of feedback received from the participants in this wear test was negative and the boot samples returned for analysis failed to meet the standards required by the AFUO.
Wear testing of these full-grain leather boots will commence this summer at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
After participants have been selected, one pair of boots will be delivered to each individual to wear and to test them during a 45-day period. The objective of this wear test is to get opinions from the participants about the stain resistance, care/maintenance, appearance, and overall suitability of the boot material and the ability of the boots to withstand the rigors of the participants' work tasks.
It is projected that 200 Airmen will participate in this wear test, which is five times more than the number who participated in the previous test. The majority of these Airmen will work in the aircraft maintenance career field.