Specialized Disposable Gloves

Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice

Solicitation No.: 75N98026SS00813

Posted Date: July 20, 2026

Response Date: August 5, 2026

Response Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

NAICS Code: 315990 Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel manufacturing

Product Service Code: 8415 Clothing, Special Purpose

Title: Specialized Disposable Gloves

Disclaimer

This is a Sources Sought Notice.  This is not a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability of small business sources, and domestically manufactured products to meet the requirement described herein. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract.  Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to for a binding contract.  The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing a response.

Agency/Office

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Office of Logistics and Acquisition Operations (OLAO)

Description

The NIH/OLAO is seeking to obtain information regarding 1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged business; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code of 315990 with 500 in size standards in number of employees, and to obtain information regarding the availability of U.S. manufactured specialized disposable gloves. 

HHS personnel including clinicians, researchers, laboratory personnel, animal care staff, maintenance personnel, and other staff who may encounter chemical, biological, clinical, research, animal care, facility, diagnostic, or related workplace hazards require specialized disposable gloves to safely perform their duties of clinical, research, diagnostic, laboratory, animal care, maintenance, decontamination, cleaning, waste handling, facility-support, and emergency preparedness activities that support the Department's mission. These gloves are a critical element of personal protective equipment for personnel who handle or may contact hazardous chemicals, biological materials, infectious or potentially infectious substances, contaminated surfaces, research specimens, animal-related materials, cleaning and disinfecting agents, and other materials presenting exposure risks.

Gloves must be appropriate for the specific hazards, environments, and tasks for which they are used.  Glove performance is evaluated on hazard-specific protective characteristics, including material, thickness, barrier integrity, chemical resistance, degradation resistance, permeation performance, durability, dexterity, fit, tactile sensitivity, puncture or tear resistance, and compatibility with the intended task.

For chemical applications, gloves should be supported, where available, by product-specific chemical resistance documentation for the material and thickness being procured. Such documentation typically includes permeation testing (ASTM F739 or equivalent), which establishes how long a glove resists breakthrough by a given chemical, and degradation testing (ASTM D471, ANSI/ISEA 105, or equivalent), which establishes whether the glove material physically deteriorates on contact. Gloves used with chemotherapy agents or other hazardous drugs should have documented resistance under ASTM D6978 or an equivalent standard, which assesses permeation specifically by chemotherapy drugs.

The types of gloves we request are the following:

• Sterile nitrile (cleanroom, BSL-3, surgical, standard)
• Neoprene
• Polyisoprene
• Extended cuff
• Heavy Thick Nitrile (>6mil)
• Medical Non-Sterile

Specialized Disposable Gloves salient characteristics:

• Nitrile-Xtra Gloves, color – purple, meets high containment biosafety lab requirements for extended cuff and color 6 mil, 12 inch.
• Sterile Nitrile Gloves, color – silver, meets high containment biosafety lab requirements for extended cuff and color, 3.5 mil, 12 inch.
• Nitrile w/extended cuff – for BSL-3 labs, provide complete overlap coverage with lab coat, gown, or Tyvek suit.
• Neoprene non-latex alternative to nitrile for certain applications.
• Sterile Nitrile, Medical Grade, Sterile, powder-free nitrile examination gloves, sterling color, approximately 4.5 mil thickness at fingertips and 4.0 mil at palm, ambidextrous, textured fingertips, 9.5 inch cuff, natural rubber latex-free, proven for low dermatitis potential, tested for 52 chemotherapy drugs and fentanyl per ASTM D6978, should be worn for all activities involving chemotherapy drugs (range of sizes from XS-XL)
• Neoprene/Chloroprene powder-free chloroprene examination gloves, color green, latex-free gloves designed for clinical, laboratory, and chemical splash protection, offering a secure, textured grip and chemotherapy drug testing compliance, thickness: 6.7 mil/fingers and 5.1 mil/palm, textured fingertips, Length: 9.65 inches, beaded cuff.
• Polyisoprene-Synthetic (non-latex) surgical glove designed to reduce hand and thumb fatigue, a synthetic, powder-free, sterile, polyisoprene, surgical glove with the fit, feel and comfort of natural latex. This sterile surgical glove is to be biomechanically optimized to reduce hand and thumb fatigue during surgery. Recommended for all surgical procedures or surgeries where latex allergies are a concern for the patients or clinicians. It can be used alone or as an over-glove with Biogel PI Micro Indicator Under-glove to create a double-gloving combination with the Biogel Puncture Indication System that detects 97% of glove perforations. Produced on a biomechanically optimized former to reduce hand and thumb fatigue during surgery.  Extended cuff and micro-roughened surface Polyisoprene (non-latex) to avoid latex sensitivities Double-gloving with a Biogel over-glove and under-glove creates the Biogel Puncture Indication System that detects 97% of glove perforations.  
• Extended Cuff - Nitrile gloves, color blue, with extended cuff feature a thick mil design for enhanced protection and are primarily used in the life sciences industry, construction offers puncture resistance, textured finish allows for a secure grip, beaded cuff promotes easy donning and doffing, powder free, ambidextrous, and non-sterile, extended cuff means it offers expended protection over the wrist and forearm, manufactured in an ISO 9001 certified, 11.4inch, Glove thickness: Palm thickness (3.9ml) and finger thickness (5.1ml), Sterility: No, Ambidextrous: Yes, Cuffed: extended cuff length, Interior: N/A, Powder Free.
• Medical-grade, non-sterile, powder-free nitrile examination gloves, color - green; approximately 3.6 mil finger thickness; 2.8 palm thickness; ambidextrous; textured fingertips; latex-free; Aloe-Touch ICE; intended for direct patient care. (range of sizes from S-XL).
• BOSMA Opportunity Flex nitrile gloves with Compression Fit Technology
• Sterile Nitrile Examination Gloves, standard cuff, alpha sizing (XS-XL), for laboratory sterility requirements.
•  Sterile nitrile examination gloves, extended cuff, for BSL-3 and aseptic compounding work.
• Sterile nitrile examination gloves, cleanroom-certified (ISO Class 3 or higher).
• Sterile surgical-style nitrile gloves, numeric sizing 6-9, for procedures requiring precise hand-specific fit.
• Sterile polyisoprene surgical gloves, non-nitrile material, for personnel with chemical sensitivity to nitrile or latex.  
• Nitrile examination gloves above 6 MIL thickness, for specialty heavy industrial and mechanical lab applications.
• Nitrile examination gloves above 6 MIL thickness, extended cuff, for BSL-3 work.
• Sterile nitrile, extended-cuff non-sterile nitrile, and heavy-thickness nitrile for animal handling, husbandry, cage wash, ABSL 2-3 work, and facility inspections.
• Sterile, medical-grade, powder-free nitrile examination gloves, ASTM D6978 compliant (tested against 52 chemotherapy drugs and fentanyl). Sterling color, approximately 4.5 mil at fingertips / 4.0 mil at palm, ambidextrous, textured fingertips, 9.5-inch cuff, latex-free, low dermatitis potential; sizes XS-XL, required for forensic testing of potentially adulterated or misbranded chemotherapy drugs and samples that may contain fentanyl or similar compounds.

Without access to these types of specialized disposable gloves, HHS cannot conduct essential work safely and continuously. Inadequate glove protection increases the risk of occupational exposure, personnel injury or illness, interruption of clinical, research, diagnostic, animal care, maintenance, and facility-support operations, delayed research and diagnostic activities, reduced operational capacity, and noncompliance with applicable occupational health and safety requirements. Reliable access to specialized gloves is therefore necessary to protect HHS personnel, maintain continuity of essential operations, and carry out the Department's public health, clinical, research, animal care, emergency preparedness, response, and facility-support missions.

Information Submission Requirement

Please provide the following details within your response:

1. Provide: a) Legal Business Name, b) UEI Number, c) Point of Contact (phone and email), and d) Company website address, if applicable.
2. State size of business and current socioeconomic status (i.e. small business, small disadvantage business, women-owned small business, 8(a) program, HUBZone, service-disabled veteran owned small business, etc.). 

Capability and Experience Statement

All capable vendors should respond with a capability statement informing the availability of U.S. manufactured specialized disposable gloves meeting the salient characteristics listed above in detail.  Pictures and descriptions are welcomed.  Very importantly, within the capability statement Include the following:

• Country of Origin for all component materials (ex. Natural rubber, synthetic rubber, oils, etc.)
• Country of Manufacture (i.e. where the finished product is made), and
• Annual production capability (in each, ex. 1M gloves).

Response Instructions

An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. Any potential offers should respond electronically with their capability statement by 1:00pm eastern daylight time (EDT), Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in writing by email to Tonia Alexander at tonia.alexander@nih.gov  with (subject line to reference Sources Sought  75N98026SS00813 – Specialized Disposable Gloves). 

Confidentiality

Very importantly, no proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response.