News and Announcements

MIT has awarded a contract for packaged gas services to Linde Gas and Equipment effective July 1, 2023, following a formal request for proposal process conducted with community input by the Strategic Sourcing and Contracts team in the Office of the Vice President for Finance. As MIT’s Preferred supplier, Linde is charged with bringing excellent service and a streamlined billing and administrative process to its new relationship with MIT.

New pricing structure

Linde’s “All-in” pricing is structured as a single fee-per-product, based on volume purchased, with no additional fees for cylinder rentals, delivery, or hazmat fees.  This approach will reduce the administrative burden of tracking cylinder rental fees, billing issues, and overall account management for this essential product used across MIT’s research labs.

Linde will have a punchout catalog on Buy-to-Pay (B2P), making it easy to place orders and pay invoices. Pricing for specific products will be available once the new Linde B2P punchout catalog is launched.

Preparing for the transition

Airgas will continue to be the Preferred supplier of packaged gas services at MIT for the remainder of the Fiscal Year, with the transition to Linde occurring on July 1, 2023.

Jim Bagley, VPF Strategic Sourcing Analyst for lab equipment and supplies, is working with Linde on a transition plan to prepare labs to place orders for service starting in July. He will serve as a liaison to help Linde’s account manager conduct a site assessment with each lab to establish lab contacts, set up accounts, conduct an on-hand inventory count, and schedule delivery days while addressing possible delivery challenges and special requests. More information about the transition process can be found here.

Individual DLCs can prepare for the transition by reviewing their current Airgas cylinder inventory and requesting pickup for unused Airgas cylinders through B2P.

Selecting Linde as the Institute’s supplier for packaged gas

In advance of issuing a request for proposal, VPF conducted a survey and held focus group meetings with lab managers and administrative officers to gather feedback and determine community needs.  With the support of Ronald Hasseltine, Assistant Provost for Research Administration, an evaluation committee was formed with representatives from the Department of Chemistry, the Koch Institute, the Division of Comparative Medicine, MIT.nano, Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Office, and the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies to review proposals and make recommendations for supplier selection. The committee provided thoughtful feedback carefully considered a number of proposed suppliers.

Additional information about the transition will be posted here as it becomes available.  If you have questions about this transition contact Jim Bagley, VPF's Strategic Sourcing Analyst for lab supplies & equipment, at 617-324-8162.