Face masks for a coronavirus-hit US prison became 70% pricier overnight
A Louisiana correctional institution has been hit hard by the new coronavirus—and by jacked-up prices for face masks. The US Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which runs the facility, will pay nearly 70% more for an order of the personal protective equipment than it agreed to just one day earlier, according to federal purchasing data reviewed by Quartz.
Records show that the BOP signed a contract to buy “coronavirus masks” from Epko Supply of Round Rock, Texas at 3:50pm on Thursday, April 2. The unknown quantity of masks, which were made in China, would cost the agency $12,555.
Less then 24 hours later, the the price being charged jumped by $8,545, to $21,100.
This, says a notation on the contract, reflected an “increase in price between the time that the quote was submitted and when the purchase order was completed. The demand for masks during the pandemic has caused prices from the manufacturer to increase exponentially.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/m/df4d6859-942e-3dde-8edd-2a9f44a0c584/face-masks-for-a.html
