NIGP 98386: Uniform Rental or Lease

NIGP 98386 Uniform Rental Or Lease, an Item code, covers weekly rental, laundering, and delivery of work uniforms and protective apparel for state and local operational staff, with recent solicitations spanning protective clothing for law enforcement and transportation personnel, medical scrubs, firefighting ensembles, and general facility maintenance uniforms. The California Department of Highway Patrol dominates recent activity, issuing over twenty IFBs for protective clothing and operational supplies rental at Area Offices and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facilities throughout the state, typically for three-year terms with quantities ranging from 2 to 384 uniform items per location. The work being solicited covers weekly pickup and delivery of rental uniforms (jackets, shirts, trousers, coveralls), operational supplies (slip-resistant mats, shop rags, towels), initial employee sizing and fitting, resizing services, and laundering with replacement at no cost to the agency except for negligence or intentional damage. Beyond CHP, issuing bodies include the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (uniform and linen rental at a correctional training center), the California Department of Transportation (statewide rental at 151 locations, estimated $1.86 million), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (lab coat and floor mat rental), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (structural firefighting protective ensemble cleaning and repair), the Texas Facilities Commission (uniform rental and purchase services in Austin), Harris County and Texas Juvenile Justice Department (uniform rental at multiple facilities), the City of New Haven (uniform rental for public works), the City of Fort Worth (medical scrubs rental for code compliance), and Clark County School District in Nevada (facilities management uniforms).

Recent opportunities cluster heavily in California, with secondary activity in Texas and scattered activity in Maine, Connecticut, Nevada, and the District of Columbia. Representative recent solicitations include the California Department of Highway Patrol's IFB 26C660001 (Blythe Area Office protective clothing rental, bids due July 23, 2026), the Texas Facilities Commission's RFP 0007240 (uniform purchase and rental at four Austin locations, proposals due July 7, 2026), Caltrans' IFB 32A0690 (statewide uniform and PPE clothing rental at 151 locations, estimated $1.86 million, bids due April 2, 2026), and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's IFB C5613263-D (uniform and linen rental at McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt, rebid posted May 11, 2026, bids due May 22, 2026). Small business, micro-business, and DVBE preference programs are standard across California procurements, though DVBE participation requirements are frequently waived while incentive opportunities remain available. Multi-year terms (typically three years with optional extensions) and fixed unit pricing are common, and bidders routinely face qualification requirements including three to five years' relevant experience, valid business licensing, liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence minimum, and pre-award background checks.