Thomas Phippen on October 19, 2016

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.”… read more here