The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts respirator approval testing. As part of the approval process, the laboratory requires many specialty gases. For several years, all gas cylinders have been procured from a single supplier. The single supplier greatly simplifies the purchasing and tracking of the chemicals on hand. For gas cylinders, the contents of the cylinders are purchased, but the cylinders themselves are rented. Renting the cylinders removes the burden of waste disposal and cylinder testing from NIOSH, which also significantly decreases both the work load and cost for NIOSH. Previously, the cost of renting and purchasing gas cylinders was below credit card thresholds. With a recent increase in the number of cylinders on hand, an increase in rental costs, and increases in supply costs, it is now necessary to transition the cylinder fees from a credit card purchase to a PR purchase.
This contract will cover the gas cylinder needs for the NIOSH Respirator Approval Program. The contract shall cover fees associated with cylinder rental for a period of 12 months, covering September 2025 through August 2026. Plus, the contract will cover of one time purchase of replacement gas cylinders, as described elsewhere in this document.
