Statewide– Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced a new marketplace for personal protective equipment that will serve as an added resource for Indiana small businesses returning to work in the coming weeks. The Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace, which is expected to launch next week, will ensure reliable access to PPE for small businesses and nonprofits lacking the resources needed to comply with safe workplace guidance during the reopening.
The Marketplace will leverage PPE that is being manufactured and sourced by Indiana businesses across the state to help support supplies. In order to be eligible to utilize the Marketplace, an organization must:
- Be a business or nonprofit organization registered to do business in Indiana with the Indiana Secretary of State;
- Employ less than 150 associates; and
- Be identified in the reopening plan as an entity that must use PPE as a condition of operating in order to comply with safe workplace requirements.
All businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to first source and procure PPE on their own with the Marketplace serving as an alternate backstop for employers. While the state will make every effort to provide needed supplies, it cannot guarantee the integrity of the PPE supply chain due to increasing demands worldwide. All requests will be evaluated and fulfilled based on the work environment risk profile, stock availability, and the number of outstanding requests. At times, partial or delayed fulfillment of requests may occur.
