Wisconsin Spent At Least $99 Million on PPE During Early Months of Pandemic

Sunday, December 20th, 2020 -- 12:00 PM

(AP) Wisconsin spent at least $99 million on personal protective gear and medical equipment such as ventilators during the chaotic early months of the coronavirus pandemic, with almost all the money going to out-of-state suppliers, an Associated Press analysis shows.

The AP found that states nationwide spent more than $7 billion for personal protective equipment and high-demand medical devices such as ventilators and infrared thermometers this spring.

The data, obtained through open record requests, is the most comprehensive look yet at how much states were buying, whom they were paying and how much they were spending as they raced to stockpile scarce supplies.

The data covers the period from the emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S. in early 2020 to the beginning of summer, when many governors were describing the marketplace for protective gear and medical equipment as the Wild West. Supplies often went to the highest bidder, even if they were promised to someone else.

Data for Wisconsin suggests purchasing agents had a difficult time finding supplies in-state. Of the $99.2 million they spent between March 23 and June 17, just $10 million went to Wisconsin-based suppliers.

The state purchased from companies in 19 other states, including California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Texas.  The state’s single biggest expenditure came April 7, when it paid Michigan-based KKM Global Group $30 million for 1,500 ventilators, or about $20,000 each.

The biggest purchase from a Wisconsin company was April 9, when the state paid $2.6 million to Milwaukee-based Rockstar Trading Co. for 500,000 N95 masks, or about $5 each.

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