The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a purchase order to Northern Illinois University for $24,500 on September 25, 2026, to conduct testing and evaluation of knee-saver devices used in deep squatting tasks.
Work is performed in DeKalb, Illinois. The order requires development of an IRB-approved testing protocol, pilot testing with 8–9 human subjects including biomechanical data collection via kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography, and comprehensive documentation comprising the testing protocol, processed experimental data in CSV or Excel format, data processing methodology, and a final technical report. Deliverables span November 15, 2026, through September 15, 2027. The contractor must demonstrate expertise in ergonomics, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal mechanics with prior occupational biomechanical evaluation experience. All personally identifiable information must be stored securely in paper format only and remain inaccessible to NIOSH staff. The originating solicitation was posted July 27, 2026, with quotations due August 10, 2026.