The finance committee voted to hold a proposed one-year, $50,000 spending authority for police uniforms after committee members and the purchasing director identified missing pages and formatting inconsistencies in the bid packages received from vendors.

Police recommended splitting the contract between Barney's Uniforms (Cranston) and American Fire Gear of Warwick to ensure availability. During the review, council members reported that bid pages were missing from the Barney's submission as provided in their binder, while American Fire's submission contained the omitted items. Purchasing officials said the omission likely resulted from a copying or formatting problem with the physical bid book. The committee chair and purchasing director agreed it would be prudent to pause action until complete, verified bid documents were available for every bidder.

A motion to hold the item until the next meeting (Nov. 17) was made and seconded; the motion carried. The hold is intended to allow staff and the bidders to reconcile missing pages and to provide the council a complete record prior to any award decision.