Purchase Order N0017313P7156

The Office of Naval Research awarded a $4,111.22 firm fixed-price purchase order to Praxair Distribution Mid-Atlantic, LLC (doing business as Gts-Welco) on February 4, 2013, for the supply of liquid helium. The contract was completed by February 6, 2013, with performance taking place in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This award was issued through open competition with no set-aside designation, reflecting the vendor's established capability to supply specialized gases to the Department of Defense and its subordinate agencies.

Praxair Distribution Mid-Atlantic, a for-profit limited liability company and subsidiary of Praxair, specializes in the production and distribution of medical and specialty gases to federal defense and research operations. The vendor maintains a substantial federal contract portfolio primarily through a $6.5 million blanket purchase agreement with the Defense Health Agency extending through September 2030, and has additionally received purchase orders from the Office of Naval Research and Naval Sea Systems Command for specialty gases including xenon, krypton, halocarbon compounds, and nitrogen. The liquid helium procurement supports the Office of Naval Research's scientific research and development mission.