Maverick County court approves SB22-funded body-armor purchase pending patent verification

Maverick County Commissioners on July 25 approved moving forward with a Senate Bill 22–funded purchase of level-3 body armor described by staff as a lighter, thinner vest option — but asked auditors to verify a patent claim before designating the buy as sole-source.

The court heard that the requested vendor, Safelife Defense, supplied a product described in staff materials as 0.19 inches thick and weighing about 0.9 pounds per square foot and that the quoted purchase would cost roughly $51,800 for the set under consideration. Auditing staff reported they could not find a confirmed patent on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website and said, "so till then, we cannot authorize the sole source," a statement made in the record by the county auditor (first noted by the court at the start of item 25).

Legal staff told the court that the decision whether a purchase meets sole-source criteria rests with the commissioners given the information presented. Commissioners pressed both sides: procurement staff said competing quotes existed but argued the Safelife product is uniquely light and thin; the auditor noted large price gaps between quotes (roughly $500–$1,000 per set) and recommended verification. Commissioners expressed concern about losing grant funding if the county waits and asked auditors to attempt to verify the patent before the next meeting.

The court voted unanimously to proceed with the purchase process while directing the auditor\'s office to verify the patent documentation; if verification is not received before the next meeting, commissioners instructed staff to return the item for further action. The motion and vote were recorded without roll-call tallies in the record.

What happens next: auditors will attempt to confirm the vendor\'s patent claim; the procurement will be revisited if the documentation is not verified before the next scheduled meeting.