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Council votes 4–3 to reject workwear bids after local vendor protest
Summary
After a close RFP evaluation and public comment from local vendor Groggy Dog, Denton council voted 4–3 to reject all bids for the city workwear contract and reissue the solicitation with clearer requirements.
Denton councilors voted 4–3 on Dec. 16 to reject all proposals for the city’s workwear contract after a local vendor raised concerns about the evaluation criteria.
Purchasing manager Laurie Huell told council the RFP was sent to 277 prospective suppliers and yielded 10 proposals; staff’s evaluation ranked Incentive Brands (Mustang Apparel, Inc.) highest and recommended a one-year award with four one-year extensions for a total not-to-exceed $3.5 million. During public comment, Craig Jones, owner of Groggy Dog, said his company scored closely to the recommended vendor and argued that the RFP emphasized buying from a “local storefront” while evaluation credit went to online storefront functionality and warehousing that were not explicit requirements.
Procurement staff responded that evaluators score only what was submitted in proposals and that clarifications are posted to all bidders during the solicitation period; staff also outlined the notice-of-intent and five-day protest window and said no formal protest had been filed. Despite those explanations, the mayor moved to reject all bids and reissue the RFP with clearer language; the motion passed 4–3.
Council did not name a replacement vendor; staff said the city would extend current coverage as needed while the procurement team rewrites and republishes the solicitation.
