Footwear is usually the last line on a uniform budget and the first thing a guest sees at floor level. By the time it reaches procurement it has often been reduced to a unit price and a colour, which is how properties end up with a shoe nobody on the floor wants to wear.
A useful supplier conversation covers five things: what the upper is made of, what the sole is made of, how sizing is confirmed before production, what the lead time is on a repeat order for new starters, and what happens when a pair fails in month three.
What to put in the brief
Send the uniform palette and the material references rather than a colour name. Send headcount by department rather than a single total, because the shoe that suits front office is rarely the shoe that suits housekeeping.
Ask for the quote broken out by department. It lets you move numbers between teams later without asking for a new quote, and it makes the trade-offs visible to finance.