There are clearly bad choices when it comes to picking out office chairs for large teams. For teams of 500+, bad choices become obvious headaches in warranty claims, employee complaints, and even workplace injuries. Because of this, Procurement teams are more often specifying ANSI BIFMA Certified Office Chairs within sourcing requirements during the first stages of the RFP process, instead of considering the certification an optional addition.
Bulk buyers of office, coworking, or corporate campus space should know that specifying ANSI/BIFMA certification mitigates risk of making bad purchasing decisions in the future.
What ANSI/BIFMA Certification Actually Means
ANSI/BIFMA is a collaborative performance and safety certification for office furniture systems provided by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA). Office furniture systems are subjected to a variety of tests for commercial safety and durability.
For office chairs, the test is the rigorous BIFMA X5.1 Standard. This test includes multiple load cycles, tipping, backrest strength and stability, caster and chair stability, and strength when weight is distributed unevenly. Commercial Chairs that pass this standard are built to stand up to the daily demands of a conference room chairs, unlike chairs built for residential use.
This is more significant than it appears. ANSI BIFMA certified office chairs are not just a label. These chairs have undergone independent testing to see if they pass the standard. This gives purchasing teams tangible evidence to support their office furniture purchasing decisions to management or internal customers.
Why Does the Certification Matter More when Purchasing in Bulk?
One uncertified chair that fails may not be a big deal. However, the same failure would cause major problems – frequent warranty claims, safety issues, and the operational challenges of replacing hundreds (or more) chairs.
Because of issues like this, it is extremely important to work with a certified bulk office chair supplier. A supplier that offers ANSI/BIFMA tested chairs ensures a lower risk of defects and provides a documented safety standard that the purchasing team can rely on for the complete bulk purchase.
What Should You Inquire About Before Making a Bulk Purchase?
Purchasing teams should be prepared to look beyond just the certification for a bulk purchase. Asking one (or all) of these questions can help teams better understand a manufacturer’s commitment to compliance.
- Test Documentation: Suppliers should be prepared to support their claims with testing. Third-party labs should have tested and documented the fulfillment of BIFMA X5.1 and not just have a logo in a specification sheet.
- Are all of the supplier’s products certified, or just some? Sometimes, suppliers may only certify their flagship model while offering their other, cheaper models within the same family as uncertified. They could even offer uncertified models that represent the majority of their sales. Make sure you order an item that has been certified.
- How does the supplier maintain quality when producing at scale? Certification tests usually only apply to a small sample and not to all chairs in the production run. Manufacturers should be able to explain how they ensure every chair in the production run meets the certification tests.
- What is the warranty on the certification? A good manufacturer will confidently uphold the certification and warranty the chair for a longer period, typically between 5 and 12 years for commercial seating.
Things to consider when choosing a Bulk Office Chair Supplier
Not all suppliers have the ability to fulfill a large order. To evaluate a bulk office chair supplier, look beyond the price and factor in the supplier’s ability to fulfill large orders, supply commercial and contract-grade seating products instead of retail seating grade products, and consistently supply large order seating.
An excellent supplier will also be able to tell you who their other bulk clients are, give you an accurate estimate of how long it will take to process your order, and give you the paperwork to back up their certification claims. These factors matter much more when ordering a large quantity compared to a small order.
Why Choose Aura Seatings Certified Office Chairs?
Certified office chairs have many benefits beyond compliance and risk. Uncertified chairs suffer from poor construction, which causes complaints from employees and eventually leads to office strain injuries. These injuries cause employees to lose focus and not enjoy being at work as much. The right seating will also cause less of a strain on your company’s budget over time since the chairs will not need to be replaced as often.
Conclusion
For procurement teams who are in charge of purchasing a bulk amount of office furniture, certification should be the standard and built into all of your Requests for Proposals. Purchasing ANSI BIFMA certified executive office chairs helps shield your company from safety risks, warranty issues and problems with quality at a large scale. With a good bulk office chair provider, this protection will apply to the entire order, and not just an individual unit that was sampled.
At Aura Seating, we sell ANSI/BIFMA certified office chairs that are designed for bulk purchase orders and manufactured to ensure that every single one meets the required compliance.
