UNSPSC 53101806: Poncho

Clothing used as a coat, it consists of a squared or rectangular blanket with a central opening to pass the head, the blanket may be made of various fine or simple materials such as wool, fabrics, loom weaves, etc., with different designs and colors.

UNSPSC 53101806 Poncho is a Commodity code that in recent state and local solicitations encompasses a broader scope than the code name alone suggests — state and local governments are buying uniforms, apparel, and accessories with custom decoration services (embroidery, screen printing, logo placement, patch application) rather than ponchos specifically. Recent opportunities span school districts purchasing branded apparel for students and staff, law enforcement and fire departments procuring formal and patrol uniforms with tactical gear and body armor, and municipal departments ordering safety and non-safety uniforms with department-specific customization. The issuing bodies include independent school districts (Temple ISD, Northside ISD), municipal police and fire departments (City of Tucson, City of Phoenix), state agencies (Railroad Commission of Texas), and city governments (City of Richardson). School districts and municipalities dominate the recent activity, with districts frequently establishing multi-vendor pools to support multiple campuses and departments purchasing under annual requirements contracts with online ordering and employee account-tracking systems.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas, with solicitations from Temple ISD (RFP00627, due October 6, 2026), Northside ISD in San Antonio (IFB2026097, due September 3, 2026), City of Richardson (Solicitation 5526, due June 16, 2026), and Railroad Commission of Texas (IFB 455-26-1028, due March 24, 2026), alongside activity in Arizona from City of Tucson (Solicitation 260177, due May 26, 2026) and City of Phoenix (IFB 25-0771, due July 28, 2025). The Tucson Police Department and Fire Department solicitation carries an estimated annual usage of approximately $300,000 for police uniforms and is being made available nationwide through the Axia Cooperative purchasing program with an estimated nationwide annual volume of $10,000,000. Vendors pursuing this code should expect requirements for online catalog systems, in-person and web-based ordering, local inventory maintenance, turnaround-time transparency for both blank apparel and decoration services, NIJ certification where applicable, and comprehensive insurance including general liability, professional liability, and cyber liability coverage. Customization capabilities and prior performance are consistently weighted in award decisions.