What Is a Managed Uniform Program and Why Are More Government Agencies Choosing It?

When it comes to outfitting employees, many public sector agencies still take the same approach they have used for decades: purchase uniforms in bulk from a supplier and handle all the distribution, tracking, and administration in-house. On the surface, this might seem simple. In reality, the process is often inefficient, costly, and difficult to control.

A managed uniform program offers a very different approach, one that many government agencies are now adopting to save time, reduce costs, and improve accountability.

What Is a Managed Uniform Program?

A managed uniform program is more than just purchasing clothing for staff. It is a complete uniform management system designed to handle every stage of the process, from ordering and distribution to tracking and reporting.

Instead of procurement teams juggling spreadsheets, emails, and manual approvals, a managed program uses technology to control who can order what, track allowances, and ship uniforms directly to employees or departments in ready-to-distribute packages.

With Unitec’s Proximity System™, for example, employees log in to a secure portal and only see the uniforms approved for their job role, within their set dollar or item allowance. This prevents over-ordering, eliminates untracked shrink, and ensures fair, consistent distribution.

How It Differs From Traditional Purchasing

Traditional uniform procurement focuses only on buying garments, often through a simple price-per-item comparison. The responsibility for managing orders, sorting shipments, storing inventory, and ensuring compliance falls entirely on the agency’s staff.

A managed uniform program shifts that workload to the provider. Instead of paying for uniforms and then spending countless hours administering the program, the agency pays for a service that handles both the product and the process.

Why Government Agencies Are Making the Switch

Public sector organizations are recognizing the benefits of a managed uniform program:

• Reduced Administrative Burden: Automated ordering and allowance tracking take the agency’s staff out of the uniform business.
• Improved Accountability: Real-time reporting provides complete visibility into spending, usage, and inventory.
• Faster and Easier Distribution: Bagged-by-employee shipping eliminates manual sorting and speeds up uniform delivery.
• Better Employee Experience: Staff can select from approved options that fit their role, size, and comfort needs.

Cooperative Contracts Make It Even Easier

One of the biggest barriers to adopting new procurement solutions in government is the lengthy bid process. Unitec’s awarded cooperative contract removes that obstacle. Eligible agencies can piggyback on the existing contract, gaining access to a managed uniform program without starting a new RFP from scratch.

This not only saves months of administrative time but also ensures the agency gets a proven, compliant solution from a trusted provider.

A managed uniform program turns what has traditionally been a labor-intensive and costly process into a streamlined, accountable, and employee-friendly solution. With technology handling the details and cooperative contracts simplifying procurement, more government agencies are choosing providers like Unitec to modernize their uniform management.

Discover how a managed uniform program can work for your agency. Schedule a Consult with Unitec today.