WATERVILLE – Officials at C.F. Hathaway will have to wait until next month for a decision on a five-year contract to make shirts for the U.S. Air Force.

An announcement on the contract, which could help revive the fortunes of the troubled Waterville shirt maker, did not come Wednesday.

It was expected in July only if one company’s bid clearly was superior. But earlier this month, Donald Sappington, Hathaway’s chief executive officer, said he did not expect a decision until August.

The decision to wait until Aug. 19 to announce a winner means military officials still are considering more than one offer, sources said.

Dave Lackey, a spokesman for Sen. Olympia Snowe, said officials have assured him that Hathaway remains competitive for the contract. The Air Force deal would mean steady work for the Waterville factory – up to 386,000 shirts in the first year and up to 250,000 shirts for each of the next four years.

Officials believe the Air Force contract would help Hathaway leverage additional work from other customers, including Wal-Mart and the Dillards department store chain.

Hathaway also is waiting to hear on a contract to make 26,000 shirts for the Navy. An announcement on that deal is expected by early September, but Maine legislators have pressured the military to make a decision sooner because Hathaway will run out of work sometime in September.

The future of the 165-year-old shirt company has been in doubt for years. Windsong Allegiance Group, which owns Hathaway, planned to close the factory later this year before an investment group came forward to buy it.