NIGP 20026: Food Service Clothing

NIGP 20026 Food Service Clothing, an Item code, covers consumable protective and functional apparel and supplies used in food preparation and meal service operations — including safety work boots, hair nets, gloves, and related items that protect workers and maintain food-service hygiene. State and local governments acquire these goods primarily through school districts, municipal purchasing offices, and county food service operations running meal programs like CACFP and child nutrition initiatives. The sourcing is typically consolidated into competitive sealed-bid and RFP processes that bundle food-service clothing with related consumables (paper goods, janitorial supplies, food storage items) under a single contract, reflecting the integrated procurement of meal-program inputs rather than apparel-only solicitations. Award criteria emphasize cost, vendor qualifications and experience, technical approach and program management, and menu or product quality and nutritional value — signaling that issuing bodies weight reliability and operational capability alongside unit pricing.

Texas municipalities and counties dominate recent activity under the code. The City of Edinburg, Texas posted RFP 2026-017 in August 2026 for CACFP meal-program supplies including hair nets and gloves alongside beverages, paper goods, proteins, and janitorial items, serving approximately 400 children daily with a response deadline of August 4, 2026 and a local-vendor preference within 5% of lowest bid. The City of Huntsville, Texas issued Bid No. 26-34 in August 2026 for safety work boots (150 units annually, ASTM and OSHA compliant) under a one-year contract with four renewal options, response due September 1, 2026, again with local-vendor preference. Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners solicited consumable janitorial and operational supplies under ITB-26-00319 in July 2026 for its 47-station Fire Rescue Department with an estimated contract value of $765,679.84 and response due July 24, 2026. All three solicitations require Drug-Free Workplace Certification, insurance compliance, and adherence to local and state regulations; awards are contingent on Texas Department of Agriculture approval where CACFP is involved.