On October 29, the The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced the NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program. New Jersey small businesses can now purchase discounted Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the NJEDA-approved “Designated Vendors.”

The NJEDA has approved three “Designated Vendors” for the launch of the Program, including Boxed, an online shopping club that delivers household essentials in bulk, and Office Depot. These Designated Vendors have created “microsites” where New Jersey-based businesses can register and purchase a curated selection of PPE products at a 10 percent discount.

Pursuant to Executive Order 192, employers are required to provide employees, customers, visitors, and other individuals entering the worksite cloth or disposable face masks. To help businesses understand what PPE they need to purchase, the NJEDA has also created an interactive Small Business PPE Planning Tool. Developed in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Health, this tool helps businesses understand PPE product requirements and estimate their organizational PPE needs. The online tool can be accessed here. 



A second phase of the PPE Access Program will make $20.4 million available to subsidize small and micro businesses’ PPE purchases from Designated Vendors. Launching soon, this phase of the program will allow businesses with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) to receive grants equal to 25 percent of the cost of purchases made through Designated Vendors. All eligible businesses can receive up to $400 in discounts, and businesses in one of the 715 census tracts that were eligible to be designated as Opportunity Zones can receive up to $500. Small businesses and organizations interested in receiving alerts on their availability can sign up at https://covid19.nj.gov/ppeaccess.

 Please reach out to Hilary Chebra, Manager, Government Affairs at hchebra@chambersnj.com if you have any questions.