# The life of a uniform: from contracting to customer

/ Published Sept. 12, 2023
PHILADELPHIA, 
From coordinating with contractors to testing boots on an open flame, the Defense Logistics Agency ensures uniforms meet military customers’ needs and are durable.

Before a recruit or service member can take pride in wearing their uniform, the materials must meet the standards of the respective military service.

The DLA Troop Support’s Clothing and Textiles supply chain works with customers to determine uniform requirements, then handles contracting and quality assurance for military uniform support.

To start the process, the services provide military specifications for an item and submit a supply request package, said Karla Williams, C&T’s supervisory quality assurance specialist for utility items.

“Basically [the SRP] includes the item's description, price estimates, requirements, patterns and/or drawings and certification that research and development has been completed and the specification is ready for production,” she said. “Then contracting will put out a solicitation and vendors will bid on it.”

From there, vendors submit proposals on their ability to make the item including cost and proof, or a product demonstration model. The C&T contracting team then blindly submits the vendor samples to the quality assurance team.

“The product specialist reviews the item to make sure that it's made correctly according to the requirements in the specification,” Williams said. “We’ll examine the item for defects and take measurements. Sometimes we’ll submit the item to the [DLA Product Test Center Analytical] laboratory for testing."

Based on the ratings provided by the quality assurance team, the contracting team makes the award, and the awardee will go into production.

“A manufacturer of one of our end items, for example, the Marine Corps [dress] coat, they make the coat, but they may have a fabric provider, so prior to any of the fabric being used in manufacturing of the end item, the manufacturer has to submit swatches of the lot they want to use in production,” said John Mumbower, C&T’s quality assurance supervisor for military dress uniforms.

The DLA Product Test Center Analytical at Troop Support conducts any pre- and post-award testing to ensure the contractors are hitting the mark on fabric shading and performance.

“We are testing to the services' requirements,” said Anna Wilson, DLA PTC Analytical branch chief for textile technology. “When there is a contract awarded for Clothing & Textiles, there are testing requirements built into the contract. Fabric manufacturers and sometimes end-item manufacturers are required to send us samples to test.”

The PTC Analytical ensures the serviceability and color do not deteriorate in a short lifespan. This could mean a matter of life and death for the warfighter while conducting their work in utility uniforms, Wilson said.

The testing team is looking for safety from results of tensile strength and webbing tests to ensure materials do not snap or fray after usage and a warmth test shows how much body heat stays in and vapors are let out.

“Warmth tests in utility uniforms ensure when the warfighter is in the field with unfavorable weather conditions such as, rain, sleet, and cold, they are not losing their body heat,” Wilson said.

Once the PTC Analytical verifies shade and performance is acceptable, the C&T contracting team stores this information for future reference, Mumbower said. They also use test results to mitigate issues that may arise with customers.

“In the event we get some complaints from the services, ‘these shirts aren’t looking right,’ etc., we’ll work with the manufacturer and try to identify why the shade is off,” Mumbower said.

Shade matching is a highly tested component ensuring uniforms meet service requirements, Wilson said.

“For example, based on the contracts, we have to ensure the warfighter’s white colors look white and not blue of pink under different lighting,” Wilson said.

Shade room scientists are required to have superior color vision, or total error scores under 20 on the Farnsworth Munsell 100 Hue Color Test to fully perform the job function, said Brittany Giosia PTC Analytical chemist and color scientist. The test includes four boxes of 85 tiles total, with each tile a half shade different than the tile next to it. Each evaluator is required to retake the test every six months according to the International Organization for Standardizations certification.

The function and nature of an item is also critical to the type of testing performed.

“Utility items have a slightly higher importance during testing,” Wilson said. “The strength of the fabric, [and] how will this protect them from the weather [is tested].”

Fabrics such as those used by pilots and air crew go through flame testing.

“Our team wants to ensure the warfighter has the safest materials,” Giosia said. “The flame testing is one of the test steps that stand out to me.”

Materials that will become boots, flight suits, and paracord are tested against an open flame. In the PTC Analytical laboratory, thermal readings and burn rates are also tested.

The effects of flammability testing, especially in-flight suits are critical because there is a high risk for fires working on an air crew, for example, fuel leaks or crashes, Wilson said.

Each item varies in the level of difficulty it takes to bring the item to completion.

"An item with a more complex design requires a higher level of skill to produce,” Williams said. “These items are typically higher in cost.” Williams said.

An example of one of these items is the Marine Corps service dress coat, Mumbower said.

“Their signature or unique collar with globe and eagle insignia...the only way you can attach it to the coat is by hand,” Mumbower said. “So, a lot of our processes are automated with machinery, but that collar has to be done by hand and there are only about two companies that have personnel that can do that to meet the requirement.”

The C&T teams and the PTC Analytical work together regularly to ensure the final product is produced correctly according to military customers’ specifications.

“We are in constant communications with the services and contractor,” Wilson said. “Contractors can come into our facility and see their samples tested.”

Recently, a defect was identified in a combat coat by one of the recruit training centers, said Rachel Ganaway, C&T branch chief for the contracting combat uniform team. 

“DLA was notified of the issue and immediately contacted the suppliers so they could review current production, adjust their internal quality control measures, and prepare a root cause analysis to prevent the defect from reoccurring,” Ganaway said. “Existing defective coats were sent back to the vendor to be repaired or replaced.”      

Contracting can also issue waivers to vendors depending on item demand, if the end user isn’t at risk of losing ‘life or a limb,’ Williams explained. The teams also work together to rectify discrepancies in testing done by contractors’ independent labs and by the PTC Analytical to ensure optimal military uniform support.