What Are the Hidden Costs of Traditional Uniform Programs for Public Sector Employers?

When government agencies think about uniforms, the focus often starts and ends with the price tag on each garment. However, for public sector employers, the true cost of a traditional uniform program goes far beyond the purchase price. Hidden expenses in administration, storage, shrink, and inefficiency can quietly drain budgets and frustrate staff.

The Administrative Burden You Don’t See on the Invoice

Most government uniform programs are still managed with outdated methods such as paper order forms, spreadsheets, and long email chains.
This manual process demands hours of staff time to track allowances, approve requests, sort bulk shipments, and troubleshoot order errors. The payroll cost for this internal labor is rarely calculated into the “uniform budget,” but for agencies with hundreds or thousands of uniformed employees, it can be substantial.

The Cost of Shrink and Poor Tracking

Without strict controls on who can order what and how often, uniforms can easily disappear into a black hole of untracked inventory. Employees might stockpile extras, order items outside their job role, or lose uniforms without accountability. This shrink not only inflates costs but also leaves procurement teams with incomplete data, making it harder to forecast needs or justify budgets.

Wasted Space and Delays

Many public sector employers store bulk shipments in warehouses or back rooms, waiting for staff to manually sort items by employee. This requires dedicated storage space and delays getting uniforms into the hands of employees who need them. Over time, the cost of that storage space, whether in rent or lost operational capacity, adds up.

How Unitec’s Proximity System™ Changes the Equation

Unitec’s Proximity System™ web-based uniform management software eliminates the hidden costs that traditional programs create. Here is how:

• Automated Ordering and Eligibility Control: Employees log in and only see uniforms approved for their role, within their set dollar or item allowance. This prevents over-ordering and eliminates shrink.
• Direct, Bagged-by-Employee Shipping: Uniforms are shipped ready for distribution with no sorting required.
• Real-Time Tracking and Reporting: Procurement and operations teams have complete visibility over spending, inventory, and employee orders.
• Reduced Administrative Workload: The system takes your staff out of the uniform business, freeing time for higher-value tasks.

Why Public Sector Agencies Can Implement This Faster Than They Think

Switching to a better system often requires going through a lengthy bid process, but with Unitec’s awarded cooperative contract, eligible government agencies can piggyback on an existing agreement. This bypasses the need for a new RFP, saving months of procurement time while still ensuring compliance.

For public sector employers, the cheapest uniform supplier is rarely the most cost-effective partner. Traditional programs hide significant costs in payroll, storage, shrink, and inefficiency. Unitec’s Proximity System™ turn