Ferrara Manufacturing Wins $9.6 Million Marine Corps Dress Coat Contract

H.C. Contracting Inc., doing business as Ferrara Manufacturing of Long Island City, New York, secured a maximum $9.6 million five-year deal to supply blue dress coats for the U.S. Marine Corps through July 31, 2031.

First Published: July 31, 2026, 1:43 PM ET

LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK — A Long Island City garment maker won a $9.58 million deal to clothe Marines in their signature blue dress coats.

H.C. Contracting Inc., doing business as Ferrara Manufacturing, received a maximum $9.6 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for blue dress coats, as announced on war.gov. The five-year agreement carries no option periods and sets a performance completion date of July 31, 2031, according to war.gov.

The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serves as the contracting activity, drawing on fiscal 2026 through 2031 defense working capital funds, according to war.gov. The Marine Corps is the using military service under contract number SPE1C1-26-D-0070.

The award benefits a New York manufacturer that keeps uniform production stateside and locks in a uniform supply line for the Marine Corps through the end of the decade. Working capital funds finance the purchases as individual delivery orders are placed, which spreads the risk of the ceiling amount across five budget years rather than committing the full sum at once.

This marks the second contract awarded to Ferrara Manufacturing in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $22.98 million, according to usaspending.gov. The deal is the 32nd Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. It is not the largest award in the company’s history, a record that stands at $13.4 million, according to usaspending.gov.

Measured against the Defense Logistics Agency’s 2026 portfolio, the award sits at the low end. The agency’s year-to-date contracts have ranged from a minimum of $9 million to a maximum of $1.53 billion, according to usaspending.gov. The Ferrara deal ranked among 29 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.

For the average reader, the contract illustrates how routine military clothing keeps small domestic manufacturers in business. Marine dress blues remain one of the most recognizable uniforms in the U.S. armed forces, and every set requires a supplier held to federal quality standards. Contracts like this one sustain skilled sewing and tailoring jobs in American cities rather than overseas factories.

The Defense Logistics Agency has awarded uniform contracts to domestic apparel firms for decades. Repeat awards to established garment makers are common because the agency values proven suppliers that can meet strict specifications and steady demand. Ferrara Manufacturing’s earlier 2026 award signals an ongoing relationship with military clothing buyers.

The next decision on additional volume rests with Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support contracting officers, who place delivery orders against the ceiling as Marine Corps demand warrants. A date for the next order has not been announced.

Military tailoring in the New York region traces back generations, as garment districts once outfitted soldiers for both World Wars. During World War II, New York’s apparel factories produced millions of uniforms and coats for U.S. forces, and the city’s garment trade employed hundreds of thousands of workers at its peak. That legacy thinned as production moved abroad in later decades, yet contracts routed to firms like Ferrara Manufacturing show a narrow strand of that industry still stitches for the military today.

This contract represents the 2nd contract awarded to H.C. Contracting Inc., doing business as Ferrara Manufacturing, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $22,980,012. It is also the 32nd Department of Defense contract awarded in New York during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to H.C. Contracting Inc., doing business as Ferrara Manufacturing, whose record stands at $13,404,012, it is notable within the Defense Logistics Agency portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Defense Logistics Agency portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,000,000 and maximum of $1,525,000,000. Overall, this award was announced among 29 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on July 31, 2026.