The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) today announced that New Jersey businesses with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) will be able to receive discounts of nearly 70 percent off purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE) through the NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program until Friday, May 28th, 2021 or until program funds are exhausted.
Small businesses and organizations interested in receiving these discounts must apply at https://ppe.covid19.nj.gov. Businesses that have already been approved do not need to reapply, but any discounts they have used previously will be counted toward the total program cap.
The NJEDA launched the NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program in late 2020 in response to consistent concerns emerging from the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Commission, the nine sector-based committees of the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council, and input from numerous small businesses indicating the need for readily available, fairly priced PPE.
During Phase 1 of the program, the NJEDA identified and vetted “Designated Vendors,” including Boxed, Office Depot, and Staples, who have partnered with the Authority to create “microsites” where New Jersey-based businesses can purchase a curated selection of PPE products with at least a 10 percent discount. The NJEDA also collaborated with the New Jersey Department of Health to create an online PPE Planning Tool that helps businesses understand PPE product requirements and estimate their organizational PPE needs. Links to the Designated Vendor microsites and the PPE Planning Tool are available at https://covid19.nj.gov/ppeaccess.
Additional discounts of 65 percent are available to businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer employees that make purchases from Staples or Office Depot. These discounts are available in addition to the 10 percent discounts available to all businesses, so businesses are able to receive nearly 70 percent off PPE purchases. Expanded discounts are capped at $800 for all eligible businesses or $1,000 for businesses located in one of New Jersey’s 715 census tracts that were eligible to be designated as Opportunity Zones. To date, more than 10,000 businesses have been approved for more than $9 million in discounts.
Small businesses and organizations interested in receiving these additional discounts must apply at https://ppe.covid19.nj.gov. Once the NJEDA has confirmed a business’s eligibility, the business owner will receive vouchers for purchases from a Designated Vendor of their choice. Businesses that have previously applied and been approved to receive discounts through the program are eligible and do not need to reapply. However, any discounts they have redeemed previously will be counted toward the program cap. Vouchers will expire at 11:59 PM on May 28th, 2021, but the NJEDA may close the program sooner if funds are exhausted. Businesses and nonprofits will still be able to receive 10 percent discounts on PPE purchases after this date.
More information about the PPE Access Program and the application for discounts up to 70 percent are available at https://ppe.covid19.nj.gov.
