Sources of Supplies

Sources of Supplies

On May 1 we introduced our co-op buying program for organizations that have funds for and are currently purchasing PPE items but, because they are buying in small quantities, encounter difficulty finding reasonable prices.

Our team works closely with these organizations to pool orders and buy larger quantities, thus taking advantage of volume pricing discounts from our various certified distributors and manufactures. This in turn helps everyone to get the fairest price available.

This program is coordinated through our fiscal sponsor, Players Philanthropy Fund

"How can you source supplies when everyone is talking about shortages and unavailability?"

Volume/Price. The medical supply situation across the globe and in Arizona is changing daily, if not hourly. What was available yesterday may not be available today. In some cases, it is not a matter of availability, but a matter of volume and price. In the current environment, organizations that can provide volume and premium price management will be able to obtain the supplies. ProtectAZ will be able to combine Arizona groups in need to achieve volume buys.

ProtectAZ is a mission-focused entity with the sole function of helping others to save lives versus aligning to corporate budgetary rules, constraints, and bureaucracy. Accordingly, we are able to quickly work toward volume contracts and pay the current real cost as soon as product becomes available.

Local Sourcing. ProtectAZ seeks to convince local suppliers to provide their products to Arizona as a priority. Local sourcing also helps our state workers keep their jobs. For example, we have negotiated a volume discount with an Arizona laboratory of COVID-19 tests, which is in place and functioning now.

Connections and Non-Traditional Sources. In addition to our supply volume/price and local sourcing strategies, ProtectAZ leadership has experience and personal connections with local and international sources. Dr. Tyler Southwell runs a concierge practice with clients who include very successful business people with sourcing connections. Additionally, Dr. Southwell has experience working with numerous medical supply sources globally. (See Dr. Tyler Southwell’s commentary below.)

Furthermore, ProtectAZ.com also focuses on non-traditional sources of medical supplies. Many manufacturing facilities are retooling to manufacture critically needed medical supplies. As an example, a manufacturer of carwash equipment is repurposing its idled sewing operation for sewing masks and gowns. Such initiatives provide much needed medical supplies while restoring Arizona jobs. We are identifying other operations that are changing over and challenging others to step up to provide medical supplies to fight the pandemic.

Combining the connections of all of our leadership, supporters and volunteers, coupled with our diligence, hard work and passion to think outside the box on sourcing, we are confident that we will be successful. 

Commentary: Dr. Tyler Southwell
Dr. Tyler Southwell

If hospital systems are using the same supply chains and as they did pre-COVID and are not willing to expand their search to new suppliers based in Europe and China, they will not find what they need.


The truth is that most of the major U.S. suppliers white-label products from large producers in China, and they do not have an exclusive contract with any of those companies.


I have tried working with sourcing directors of the major health systems in town, offering to share the sources I have developed, and most have not returned my calls. In the meantime, my suppliers are telling me their order volumes have been increasing by 200% per day in recent weeks, and the time to delivery is getting pushed out further. The larger orders are being serviced first and are able to get prices closer to the pre-COVID standard, but even hospitals looking to stay in their budget and order $15,000 worth of units of, for example, masks, are not finding availability.


The companies I am dealing with only want orders of 15,000-50,000 units or more, which is equivalent to $45,000-$350,000, depending on the price per unit. I believe these sourcing directors are hesitant to buy from companies with whom they have no track record, and they are ill equipped to vet these companies. All these products are FDA approved for the U.S., so they are not knock-offs; the FDA provides proofs for this on their website.


We have partnered with two parties with connections in China to vet products with us, and as a group of physicians we feel we can make these judgements. With that, plus the fact that we do not have a bureaucracy to satisfy and can (hopefully) act fast and pay a premium, we simply have a much easier time sourcing.
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