Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
On Dec. 29, the Baker-Polito administration announced contracts with manufacturers of COVID-19 at-home tests that will allow municipalities and other eligible entities to begin placing orders for rapid test kits at state-negotiated prices.
Tests ordered through these contracts with three manufacturers will cost from $5 to $26 per test. Additional manufacturers are expected to be awarded contracts in the coming weeks as the rolling contracting period continues through March.
The administration has assurances from each manufacturer that there is significant supply, but given the high demand across the country and the level of interest from a wide range of organizations in purchasing test kits, interested municipalities and eligible entities are advised to review their options quickly and take steps toward placing orders. In a communication to municipal and other buyers, the Operational Services Division outlined other options available for purchasing rapid test kits, including purchasing them through previous statewide contracts with distributors.
Municipalities may use American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase these test kits.
The Operational Services Division has set up a web portal with contract details.
Who is eligible to order:
• Cities, towns, districts, counties, and other political subdivisions
• Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, including all departments and elected offices therein
• Independent public authorities, commissions and quasi-public agencies
• Local public libraries, public school districts, private schools, charter schools, and early childhood centers
• Public hospitals owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Public and private institutions of higher education
• Public purchasing cooperatives
• Nonprofit human and social service providers under contract with the Commonwealth and other nonprofit organizations receiving public funding from state, federal or local governments in the form of appropriated funds, grants, or contracts
• Other states and territories with no prior approval by the State Purchasing Agent
• Other entities when designated in writing by the State Purchasing Agent (individual cities and towns or school districts in other states where the entire state is not authorized to purchase)
The program is not available directly to individual consumers.
On Dec. 13, the administration announced that it would deliver 2.1 million free, over-the-counter at-home rapid antigen tests to 102 cities and towns in Massachusetts with the highest percentage of families below the poverty level.
For complete information on COVID testing in Massachusetts, visit www.mass.gov/gettested.