SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will get a $247 million refund amid delayed delivery of protective masks it ordered under a deal with a Chinese manufacturer.
The N95 respirator masks, made in China by electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, failed to meet an April 30 certification deadline from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a spokesman for the Office of Emergency Services said Wednesday. The state disclosed the refund when it released its nearly $1 billion contract it signed in April for about 500 million masks over 2.5 months, a mix of N95 and surgical masks.
Tens of millions of masks were set to arrive in California this month.
The state paid the first half of the contract up front to Global Healthcare Product Solutions, a BYD subsidiary, nearly a month ago. That payment covered 300 million tight-fitting N95 masks at a cost of $3.30 each.
The governor’s office didn’t say what caused the certification delay. An amendment to the contract signed Wednesday gives the company until May 31 to meet certification. If it does not, it must return the other half of the state’s upfront payment.
