Indiana Readies PPE Marketplace Supporting Small Businesses In The Hoosier State

This resource will serve the small businesses which will be returning to work in the upcoming weeks.

File Photo

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – On Friday, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced a new marketplace for personal protective equipment (PPE).

The Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace will guarantee reliable access to PPE for small businesses and nonprofits in the Hoosier state who are lacking the resources needed to follow the safe workplace guidelines during Gov. Holcomb’s “Back on Track” plan.

This resource will serve the small businesses which will be returning to work in the upcoming weeks.

Currently, the Marketplace website is not currently active, however; the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) expects the launch to be this week.

“As we look toward a safe and responsible reopening across the state, we’re working to remove barriers for entrepreneurs and small business owners that could limit or delay progress,” Gov. Holcomb said. “The Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace is another tool that will help support small businesses during this unprecedented time, ensuring they are able to continue operating while providing needed safety measures to protect workers and customers alike.”

Developed by the Indiana Small Business Development Center, the Indiana Office of Technology, and the IEDC, this marketplace will leverage the PPE that is being manufactured and sourced by Indiana businesses in Indiana to support supplies.

To utilize the Marketplace, and organization must:

• Be a business or nonprofit organization registered to do business in Indiana with the Indiana Secretary of State;
• 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; and
• Employ less than 150 associates

Businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to obtain PPE on their own before using the Marketplace. This service aims to be an “alternate backstop” for employers.

The state will make every effort to provide needed supplies, but due to increasing demand across the world, Indiana cannot guarantee the stability of the PPE supply chain.

The request will be evaluated and fulfilled based on the work environment risk profile, the number of outstanding requests, and stock availability. Partial or delayed requests may occur at times.

The Indiana Small Business PPE Marketplace is just another step the IEDC has made to help those across the state, which includes, securing PPE for the state’s hospitals, first responders, healthcare providers, and long-term care facilities.

Thus far, Indiana has secured commitments for more than 7.84 million pieced of PPE, which is up form the 6.3 million which was reported last week. More than 2 million items have already been delivered to the Indiana State Department of Health for distribution.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Hoosier state houses approximately 104,335 small businesses that employ 941, 578 across the state.  

To learn more about COVID-19 resources and no-cost counseling available to Indiana entrepreneurs and small businesses, visit https://isbdc.org/indianacovid19smallbusiness/.