FAQ

Customer Service

• Hours of Operations
  The Customer Service Center is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday.  The afterhours call center answers calls from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. Monday thru Friday, on weekends and during holidays when the University is closed.
• How do I submit a work request?
  Work requests should be submitted to the Customer Service Center using the Work Order system FMAX. The requests should be submitted by your building representative. Emergencies after hours and during holidays please call the 348-6001.
• How do I gain access to FMAX?
  Access to FMAX is granted once you have been approved as a Building Representative.  To add or update a Building Representative, please contact Hillary Foy at hfoy@fa.ua.edu or 348-3384.
• Who do I call if I am locked out when the Customer Service Center is closed?
  Lockouts and key requests are handled by Security Resources after hours, weekends and holidays. Please contact Security Resources at 348-9494.

Uniform Management Services

• Are all University departments required to order work uniforms and professional shirts for employees through Uniform Management Services?
  Only departments within Financial Affairs are required to order work uniforms and professional shirts through Uniform Management Services. We welcome all University departments to take advantage of the service, but they are not required to do so.  University departments can work directly with the contract vendor for their uniform needs by contacting the applicable buyer in the Purchasing Department to obtain current contract information.
• What does the uniform service include?
  Uniform Management Services includes a full array of services to assist University departments in the selection, fitting, ordering, and delivery processes for employees that require work uniforms and professional shirts. Uniform Management Services will make sure that a full range of sizes of the uniform items selected will be available for employee fittings.  Employee’s eligibility requirements will be determined for quantity of pants, shirts, etc. per employee.  University logo requirements will be reviewed, and a uniform fitting and delivery will be scheduled.  Participating departments will have an opportunity to review and approve all orders prior to the orders being placed.  Uniform Management Services will troubleshoot all problems while keeping you informed during the entire process.
• When and where are fittings held?
  Uniform fittings and most deliveries are held at the Employee Resource Center in our showroom located at 1515 Flint River Drive on the University Services Campus. The Uniform Management Services’ staff is not located at this location full time.  Fittings/deliveries and meetings for departments to view the work uniform and/or professional samples are by appointment only. Contact Mike Morrow at mmorrow@ua.edu, 348-5879, or 205-310-5241 to arrange a fitting.
• Is there a catalog of available uniform items posted on-line?
  Yes, you can view a work uniform catalog and a professional wear catalog here.
• How do I know which uniforms and how many uniforms are allowed per employee?
  Uniform selections and uniform quantity per employee are decided by a director and/or manager in the ordering department. Departments usually allow a total combination of ten items including pants and shirts plus three to five T-Shirts and a shoe/boot for full-time employees each year. Jackets are usually allowed every three years. Uniform Management Services has access to an extensive assortment of sample uniforms in a full run of sizes for employee fittings. This assortment includes polo shirts and button-down shirts in long and short sleeves and an assortment of denim jeans, shorts and pants in a variety of colors, coveralls, overalls, T-Shirts, and jackets.
• How are work uniforms and professional shirts paid?
  Uniform Management Services will pay the contract vendor for all University work uniforms and professional shirts, and charge the designated departmental FOAP.
• Can University employees place personal orders for work uniforms or professional shirts?
  Yes, University employees can place orders for additional work uniforms or professional shirts and pay for them personally.  These transactions are between the University employee and the contract uniform vendor.  Personal orders can currently be paid by personal check, debit card, or credit card directly to the contract vendor.  Personal orders placed with the contract vendor are taxable and they must have an approved embroidered University logo.
• Is a logo required on personal orders?
  Yes, all personal purchases for work uniforms and professional shirts ordered through the contract vendor require a logo approved through the University‘s Trademark Licensing Department with the Alabama script A and a department name.  There is an additional small fee for the embroidered logo.
• How long does delivery take after an order is placed?
  Delivery is usually 4 – 6 weeks after an order is placed.  The annual work uniform and professional shirt fitting in early spring of each year has a delivery in mid-July.
• What information do you need if my department decides to participate in the uniform service?
  • A list of all employees by supervisor that will participate in the fitting, along with the title for each.
  • The names of employees that work shifts other than Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so an earlier or later time can be scheduled.
  • Work uniform eligibility requirements for each employee. These are “rules” that are conveyed to the contract vendor to insure compliance for each area.  This can be a total dollar sum per employee, a total number of pieces from which the employee can choose his/her preference, or a specific number of shirts, pants, etc.  Eligibility requirements for shoes, jackets, coveralls/overalls and frequency of these items (yearly, every three years, etc.) are also required.
• Do I need to have the University’s Trademark Licensing Department approve our preferred logo for use on uniforms and professional shirts?
  Yes, all work uniforms and professional shirts must have a department logo approved by the University Trademark Licensing Department.  If you do not already have an approved University logo for your department, Uniform Management Services can handle this approval process for you.   Approval will be requested from the Trademark Licensing Department based on your preferred logo.  You will be kept informed as we go through the process.  Otherwise, this is something that University departments can handle directly with the University’s Trademark Licensing Department if preferred.
• If I take advantage of the service provided by Uniform Management Service, do I need to have uniform purchases pre-approved through the Purchasing Department?
  No, preapproval through the Purchasing Department is not required.  Uniform contracts created and awarded by the Purchasing Department are used by Uniform Management Services.  If the current uniform contract vendor cannot provide the items that you need, contact the applicable buyer in the Purchasing Department to request approval to purchase items through another source.