The rush to secure medical supplies for the federal government
Tom Noble, CEO of Noble Supply & Logistics, was interviewed by CNN reporters, Katelyn Polantz and Priscilla Alvarez, for a news article published on CNN's website March 26, 2020. The article, titled "Why even federal agencies are still scrambling for medical supplies," discusses current issues in medical supply procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the article, the authors report that some federal agencies are getting their supplies directly from manufacturers, rather than using their regular distributors of these items. The direct ordering contributes to an uneven availability for other agencies and longer wait times to obtain critical supplies.
Noble is a Federal Government contractor, with contracts to supply the U.S. Military, federal agencies, USPS, and state and local governments. Noble began noticing an increase of orders for supplies such as hand sanitizer, masks, and personal protective gear in mid-February. Noble's GSA EUCOM program, for example, experienced a 1400% increase in demand for hand sanitizer from our Department of Defense customers in Europe. By late February, the Defense Department and state and local governments in the continental United States also increased their orders for hand sanitizer by 1,200%.
Noble is continuously updating COVID-19 Contingency Plans to ensure that their supply chain management systems remain uninterrupted. As a Critical Infrastructure Industry contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, it is Noble's top priority to maintain services. Noble has a pipeline of over 11,000 suppliers from which to obtain products needed for COVID-19 preparation, response, and recovery and deliver them as quickly as possible to government customers.
Noble's range of emergency products includes janitorial and sanitation products, tactical gear, protective clothing and masks, medical products and equipment, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products, fire and emergency services equipment, and additional product categories. Noble has both the products and infrastructure necessary to meet the most challenging supply requirements.
