The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is treating its employees with two “elegant” bicycle shelters that cost almost $50,000.
NIH announced the purchase of the two shelters for its Bethesda, Md., Office of Research Services in September, but did not say how much the shelters would cost. The details of the contract on USASpending.gov, however, show that the government will pay $47,530 for two shelters, Washington Free Beacon reports.
NIH awarded the contract “without competition,” meaning it asked for and received one bid. The agency did research other companies, and decided that Modern Design and Site Furnishings, LLC, was the only company with the type of shelter it wanted.
“Only one known company exists with modern designs for Bicycle Shelters as determined by documented research,” NIH said in a document justifying its decision to award the contract without competition. The bike shelters are necessary, the NIH said in its contract justification, to stop employees from leaning bikes against handrails.
Modern Design and Site Furnishings is proud of its modern design: “Bicycles are no longer just the exclusive transportation of the poor—and design should react to this truth.”
“This elegant bike shelter has an uncompromisingly dynamic shape combining a robust frame and delicate glass which are supported by sturdy stainless steel brackets. The main characteristics of this shelter are the grooves for bicycles in its rear and its distinctly slanting wall.”
An NIH spokesman told The Washington Free Beacon that the bike shelter purchase is a “long term investment.”
“This purchase is necessary to encourage alternative transportation, thus reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality,” Brad Moss, spokesperson for the NIH, told the Free Beacon. “The purchase allows the NIH to comply with federal guidelines established to mitigate traffic congestion.”
Modern Design and Site Furnishings did not immediately return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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