Government confirms purchase order with Saskatoon PPE company

The Saskatchewan government has released the details of its deal with Saskatoon’s Benchmark PPE.

In a media release Monday, the provincial government said it bought 18,000 face shields and 4 million disposable masks from the Saskatoon-based company. The products are to be used in the province’s schools to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Our government is pleased to support Saskatchewan-based personal protective equipment suppliers while protecting students, school staff and families,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in the release.

“We continue to work closely with the education sector to identify how we can best support their school-based needs.”

The government said this is the third batch of PPE it has purchased for schools. Shipments of the face shields and masks to Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions and 26 independent schools started Monday, with shipments continuing through the week.

Every school-based staff member will have access to a face shield as a result of the purchase.

The government previously bought 8.4 million disposable masks for the province’s schools. School divisions and parents also have supplied masks for students on their own.

“Benchmark PPE is extremely proud to be able to manufacture these critical PPE items in Saskatoon,” Benchmark business developer Justin Stuart said in the release. “It is of the utmost importance to keep students and staff in schools safe while in the classroom.”

The government also said a Request for Bids (RFB) is open on SaskTenders for 210,000 non-medical cloth face masks. The RFB closes Thursday and the reusable masks are expected to be delivered to school divisions and independent schools by the end of January.