Page 36 - Campus Security & Life Safety, November/December 2020

3 PPE Procurement
Challenges School Systems
Face, Potential Solutions
Strengthening the supply chain to procure PPE and other essential materials
Campus Supply Chain
Asurge can defeat even the most thoughtful inventory plan. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many school district leaders suddenly realized that they didn’t have adequate access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) sup- pliers, forcing them to attempt to locate essential materials and build inventory dur- ing a huge surge in demand.
PPE and other resources have remained in demand throughout the pandemic. They are also a core aspect of school reopening plans, and are foundational to CDC reopening guidelines, which suggest that all school reopening plans address adherence to behav- iors that prevent the spread of COVID-19. When used consistently and correctly, for
example, cloth face coverings are among important mitigation strategies to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
With so many districts in need, how do we avoid the chaos that many encountered dur- ing the spring semester?
By considering the challenges that COVID-19 revealed and using them as a learning experience, we can prevent future shocks and improve supply chain manage- ment as a whole for school systems.
Unreliable Access
to Essential Supplies
Because of COVID-19, traditional sources for schools, such as highly localized suppli- ers, were unable to deliver the essential materials that institutions needed to remain
operational. As we’ve seen, global and regional surges in demand can massively cripple the supply network.
The pandemic also gave rise to opportun- ists looking to make a quick profit by prom- ising PPE supplies they could never actually deliver. Many fell victim to these opportun- ists, who sought to make a profit through price gouging, unrealistic delivery promises and even blatant fraud.
According to The Washington Post, “the international market for desperately needed medical masks is riddled with fraud. Up and down the supply chain, from factories to hospitals, opportunists are benefiting from the chaotic market as prices have quintupled. Rampant price gouging and fraud has pro- voked dozens of lawsuits and hundreds of
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36 campuslifesecurity.com | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020