Puerto Rico Firm Awarded $33.8 Million Army Dress Shirt Contract
Kandor Manufacturing of Arecibo beat six rivals for a five-year deal to supply green service uniform dress shirts to the Army, the Defense Logistics Agency said.
Kandor Manufacturing Inc., an Arecibo, Puerto Rico, apparel maker, won a five-year Army contract worth as much as $33.8 million to supply green service uniform dress shirts, as announced on war.gov.
The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery contract carries a maximum value of $33.8 million and runs through July 27, 2031, with no option periods, the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support office in Philadelphia said. The award followed a competitive acquisition that drew seven responses. The agency did not release a company statement or an executive quote with the notice.
The deal marks the first federal contract recorded for Kandor Manufacturing in 2026, establishing the company’s initial benchmark within the Defense Logistics Agency portfolio, according to war.gov. It stands as both the largest and smallest Defense Logistics Agency contract logged so far this year, according to war.gov. The award ranked among five Department of Defense contracts announced nationwide on July 29, 2026.
The stakes fall largely on Kandor Manufacturing and its workforce in Arecibo, a coastal city on Puerto Rico’s northern shore. A multiyear supply commitment gives a local employer steady revenue and predictable production. The Army secures a fixed-price source for a standard uniform item through the end of the decade, while the six losing bidders walked away without the work.
Apparel and textile production has long anchored parts of Puerto Rico’s manufacturing base, and defense clothing orders route through the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support office, which buys uniforms, food and medical supplies for the armed forces. Green service uniform dress shirts form part of the Army Green Service Uniform, the daily and business dress attire the service adopted to echo its World War II-era look.
For the average reader, the contract carries little direct effect on daily life. It reflects the routine machinery of federal procurement, in which small and midsize manufacturers compete for the goods that clothe and equip roughly 1 million active and reserve soldiers.
This kind of award has happened before. The Defense Logistics Agency issues thousands of clothing and textile contracts each year, and competitive bids with multiple responses are standard practice for commodity items such as shirts, trousers and coats.
The next step rests with the Army and Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, which will place delivery orders against the contract over its life. A specific date for the first order has not been announced.
Military clothing contracts have shaped Puerto Rico’s economy before. Federal apparel and textile plants expanded across the island through the mid-20th century under industrialization programs, and defense orders helped sustain factory employment as garment work later migrated offshore. Those earlier waves rewarded manufacturers that secured government supply deals, the same footing Kandor Manufacturing now claims with its Army shirt award.
This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Kandor Manufacturing Inc., Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $33,785,445. It is also the 1st Department of Defense contract awarded in Pennsylvania during 2026. Because this is the first award to Kandor Manufacturing Inc., Arecibo, Puerto Rico recorded in the database, it establishes the company’s initial benchmark within the Defense Logistics Agency portfolio. Specifically, it is both the largest and smallest Defense Logistics Agency contract awarded in 2026, at $33,785,445. Overall, this award was announced among 5 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 29, 2026.
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