Complete Story
03/26/2020
PPE Shortage Solution
PPE Shortage Solution
A message from Jared Schei, President & CEO of Value First… Value First, Inc. is a group purchasing organization (GPO) designed for aging services providers who seek expanded choice, intelligent solutions and significant savings.
As the PPE supply shortage has escalated, Value First has been actively researching and vetting alternative suppliers to supply critical PPE products. Phoenix Textile has been a trusted supplier to LeadingAge members for many years and has identified a potential solution for masks and isolation gowns. Phoenix Textile is sourcing products for some larger health systems and federal facilities in the US. Given our longstanding relationship with Phoenix Textile, I have confidence that we have identified a viable solution. However, it will require aggregating volume across the LeadingAge membership.
Phoenix Textile can source N95 masks to be shipped via air freight for approximately $2.75 each. The price includes freight to a distribution center in the US and products would ship approximately 1 week after the order is placed. A 50% down payment is required and can only be ordered in full containers. This means we would be ordering in intervals of 338,000 masks, with 338,000 being the minimum number to make this a viable option.
The isolation gowns would cost approximately $9.75 each and have a minimum order of 10,000 gowns. The air freight option would take approximately 10 days to get to our distribution center.
I have been working with a local distributor to accept the bulk delivery, then break down the orders and drop ship to individual member locations. The distributor will charge a small mark-up as well as the cost of the shipping via FedEx, which will slightly increase the proposed prices.
It is important to note that the pricing and timing of delivery is changing daily, so we are looking to pull this together in 1-2 days. The price of the masks is the most volatile, while the isolation gown pricing has been relatively consistent.
If you are interested in pursuing this option, click and complete the short survey below as soon as possible. We may be submitting an order as soon as this Friday, March 27th. The survey is not a commitment to purchase, just a way for us to determine if there is enough interest to move forward. If there is critical mass, we will reach out to you to fill out a commitment form and coordinate the deposit.
If you have questions, please reach out to Jared via email at jschei@valuefirstonline.com.