A naloxone dispensing machine specification turns a program’s intent into tests a supplier can pass or fail. The best ones describe outcomes, not brands or parts: one carton per release, at most two per transaction, a question that records but never blocks, a named list of data fields, the label temperature range of the product being stocked. This page is a requirement-by-requirement checklist for government and NGO buyers, built from published programs and the requirements Victoria used to buy machines for its naloxone trial. It also lists what you should ask each supplier to show you, and what no supplier should promise.
Quick answer
- Specify behaviour you can test: controlled dispensing, a per-transaction limit, the release method and what happens when a check fails.
- Questions record, they do not block. If the program asks age or “first supply or refill”, the vend proceeds whatever the answer.
- Temperature comes from the label. Narcan (US label): 2–25 °C, do not freeze, avoid heat above 40 °C. Nyxoid (Australian CMI): below 30 °C, do not freeze.
- Name the data fields and the export format, and keep personal information off the machine.
- Ask for demonstrations, not compliance ticks, and pilot before you scale.
- Do not accept legal-compliance certificates, uptime guarantees or promised outcomes.
What published programs already require
The clearest public example is Victoria. The Department of Health went to market for naloxone vending machines (contract reference C13890), to be located and managed through existing needle and syringe programs, and the trial was included in the state’s $95.1 million Statewide Action Plan announced in April 2025. A department update on 1 June 2026 described 20 machines, 10 in metropolitan Melbourne and 10 in regional and rural Victoria, running until June 2027. The first two were installed at the Alfred Emergency and Trauma Centre and at Sunshine Hospital, with community health services in Bendigo, Lakes Entrance, Shepparton, East Reservoir, Morwell, Ballarat, Mildura and Wangaratta next. Each packet holds two nasal sprays, and the machines are available 24/7.
The requirements Victoria published, which we summarised in our June 2026 post, included:
- stock dispensed with no ability for self-selection;
- a maximum of two units per transaction, with no limit on the number of transactions;
- an age question (12 or over) that is recorded but does not prevent access;
- evaluation data: units by formulation, date, time and location; initial supply or refill; what happened to previously supplied naloxone; machine data such as temperature, downtime and stock;
- wall mounting or bolting to concrete, a shatter-resistant screen, tamper-resistant locks and durable construction;
- a machine visually distinct from syringe dispensing units;
- stable room-temperature storage, with monitoring and alerts preferred;
- restocking, coil changes, expiry checks and audit by program staff.
US programs show the same choices made differently. Naloxone Texas, run from UT Health San Antonio with state funding, plans 112 machines released by keypad code; its first machine, in Denton, needed restocking twice in its first week. New York City’s public health vending machines ask users to enter a New York City ZIP code before choosing free supplies. In Clark County, Nevada, naloxone was limited to one two-dose kit per client per week against a swipe card.
The checklist: dispensing, questions and data
| Requirement | Why it matters | How to write it measurably | What to ask the supplier to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled dispensing | Stock must not be reachable or browsable | “Each release delivers one carton to a delivery bin; stock is held behind a locked door with no user access” | A vend sequence, and the stock area with the door locked |
| Per-transaction limit | Stops one person emptying the machine while allowing repeat need | “Maximum 2 cartons per transaction; number of transactions unlimited” (or your figure) | An attempt to take a third carton in one transaction |
| Per-period limit (if any) | Rations supply where stock is scarce | “No more than N cartons per code per 7 days, enforced across all machines in the program” | Two machines refusing the same code after the limit |
| Release method | Sets friction and what data you get | Push button, QR or typed code, program card, or PIN; state which, and whether more than one | Each method working, and what the screen says on refusal |
| Form inputs that do not block | Funders need indicators; people at risk avoid barriers | “Questions are optional; skipping or any answer still releases the carton” | A vend with every question skipped |
| Question set | Short, answerable, useful | List the exact questions and answer options, e.g. first supply or refill; used last kit; age band; postcode | The configured screens, in the languages you need |
| Data fields | Evaluation and contract reporting | List each field: product, quantity, machine ID, site, timestamp, answers, stock, temperature, fault events | A sample record for each field |
| Export | Data you cannot get out is not yours | “CSV export of all records on demand, and monthly; data retained for N years” | A real export file from a test machine |
| Offline behaviour | Codes need a server; free vend may not | “If the network drops, push-button vends continue and sync; code vends show an out-of-service message” | The machine with its network unplugged |
The design choices behind the first five rows are covered in controlled dispensing on harm reduction machines and on-screen questions.
Temperature: write the label, not a number you invented
Naloxone is a medicine with a storage range, and the range belongs to the product, not the machine. As of October 2026:
| Product | Storage statement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Narcan nasal spray (US) | Store at room temperature or refrigerated, 2–25 °C (36–77 °F); do not freeze; avoid excessive heat above 40 °C (104 °F); protect from light | DailyMed label, updated 17 August 2026 |
| Nyxoid nasal spray (Australia) | Store below 30 °C; do not freeze; keep away from heat and sunlight, not in a car or on a window sill | Nyxoid consumer medicine information |
Write the tender requirement as: “The cabinet shall keep stock within the storage range on the label of the product supplied, at the stated site conditions, and log temperature at a stated interval with an alert to named staff when a threshold is crossed.” Then describe the site: indoor conditioned corridor, unheated foyer, or sheltered outdoor wall, with its likely minimum and maximum.
There are two honest ways to meet it:
- Ambient wall-mount cabinet in a conditioned building, with an optional temperature sensor that alerts at thresholds you choose. Our compact wall-mount machines are ambient; they rely on the room and do not heat or cool.
- A floor-standing cabinet with temperature control, where the site cannot be relied on. Our KF10X22, BG10X10 and KF6X10 are available refrigerated or ambient. Refrigerated machines can block sales when the cabinet goes out of range, with the threshold set to your rules. For naloxone, decide in advance whether a lockout is acceptable, since it also means no naloxone.
Do not copy a tolerance such as “±2 °C” into a tender unless your product or regulator requires one, and if you include it, ask for test data. Validation of storage conditions belongs to your quality system; we build the cabinet and monitoring you specify. The wider topic is in temperature control for medicine vending.
The checklist: cabinet, site and users
| Requirement | Why it matters | How to write it measurably | What to ask the supplier to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical security | Unattended sites attract damage | Steel cabinet; named lock type; tamper-resistant fixings; shatter-resistant screen or no screen; no cash | Drawings, lock and fixing details, door-open alert if fitted |
| Mounting | Wall type decides fixings | “Wall-mounted to [brick/concrete/stud] or bolted to slab; supplier provides mounting drawings” | Mounting drawings and backplate detail |
| Visual distinction | People must not mistake it for a syringe unit, and vice versa | “Panel colour, wording and pictogram clearly identify naloxone; distinct from any syringe dispensing unit on the same site” | Artwork proofs before production |
| Signage and instructions | Users who cannot operate it walk away | Steps on the panel; QR link to a short how-to-use video; help phone number; machine ID; what to do if it fails | The panel artwork and the fault-report path |
| Accessibility | Controls must be reachable and usable | Operable parts and delivery bin within your jurisdiction’s reach range; large text; languages listed | A dimensioned elevation at the mounting height |
| Privacy | Fear of identification deters use | “No personal information stored on the machine; any registration held off-machine with a stated retention period” | The data map: what is stored where |
On security, the vandal-resistant vending guide explains steel, fronts, locks and fixings. On reach ranges, the US rules are set out in ADA-compliant vending machines; in Australia, ask your access consultant for the applicable standard. Note that accessibility depends on the installation, so specify the mounting height, not just the machine.
The checklist: stock, connectivity and service
| Requirement | Why it matters | How to write it measurably | What to ask the supplier to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restocking | An empty naloxone machine is a failure | “Program staff can restock a machine in under N minutes without tools beyond the door key” | A timed restock of a full coil |
| Coil sizing | Cartons must vend cleanly | Send the carton dimensions as loaded; require a test vend of N cartons with no jams | Test-vend video with your carton |
| Expiry and FEFO | Naloxone carries an expiry date | Expiry recorded at restock; first-expiry-first-out loading; report of stock nearing expiry | The restocking screen and expiry report |
| Low-stock alerts | Restock before empty, not after | Alert to named staff at a threshold you set, per product | An alert arriving on a phone |
| Connectivity | Alerts and data need a link | 4G or Wi-Fi; state who provides the SIM or network | Signal check at each site before order |
| Fault and door alerts | Faults must be seen quickly | Alert on dispense failure, lost connection and (if fitted) unscheduled door opening | A simulated fault and the resulting alert |
| Warranty | Defects happen | Warranty term and what it covers, in writing | The warranty document |
| Service model | Who fixes it on a Sunday? | Name who does first-line fixes, how spares are supplied and how support is contacted | A written service plan |
| Lead time | Trial dates are fixed | Delivery date per batch, with shipping stated | A build schedule |
| Pilot | Prove it before scaling | A pilot batch, acceptance tests, and an option for the remainder | Pilot terms in the quotation |
Our service model, stated plainly: KioskForce provides a 12-month warranty against manufacturing defects. Support is by email. We do not provide on-site service; on-site installation is optional and, in some regions, provided through a local distributor, which then handles warranty and service. Elsewhere your own contractor or program staff fit spare parts that we ship. Write the tender so first-line response sits with someone local: the needle and syringe program staff, the host site’s facilities team or a contractor.
Lead times: about 4–6 weeks for a modified standard machine and 8–12 weeks for a custom design, with software scoped separately and shipping on top. Standard models can be ordered singly; a full custom design typically starts at about ten units.
How to run the pilot
Staff from 12 US syringe services programs told RTI International researchers that planning and launching their machines took about a year, and nearly half hit practical problems: suitable power outlets, temperature control, malfunctions, and showing users how to use the software. A pilot catches those before the full order.
- Start with two or three sites that differ: one indoor clinical site, one community site, one harder environment.
- Write acceptance tests from the checklist: a run of test vends with your carton, a skipped-question vend, a network-off test, an alert test, an export.
- Agree the success measures before launch: units dispensed, share after hours, stock-outs, downtime, answers to the questions.
- Keep an option, not an obligation, for the remaining machines, and let the pilot change the specification.
Victoria’s 20-machine trial is itself a pilot with an end date, which is a sensible structure for any first deployment. Siting decisions are covered in where to put a harm reduction vending machine.
What a supplier should not promise
Some promises sound reassuring in a tender response and are not the supplier’s to give.
| Promise | Why to reject it | What to ask for instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Certified compliant with [medicines / privacy / disability] law” | Compliance depends on your product, your supply authority and your site; only your regulator and advisers can decide it | The specification in writing, so you can show what was built |
| “99.9% uptime guaranteed” | Power, network, site access and vandalism are outside the supplier’s control | Fault alerts, spare-parts lead times and a named first-line responder |
| “Reduces overdose deaths by X%” | The best published study, in Clark County, Nevada, found 229 deaths against 270 forecast in the year after naloxone was added to machines; that is an association, not a guarantee | Evaluation data fields that let you measure your own program |
| “Tamper-proof” | Nothing unattended is | Named locks, fixings and, where needed, a tested impact or security standard |
| “24/7 support” | Round-the-clock support is a staffing promise; check exactly what is staffed, and when | The written support channel and response expectation |
KioskForce builds to the requirement you state and writes it into the quotation. We do not certify legal compliance with any medicines, privacy or accessibility law.
This is a summary for planning, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the regulator where the machine will stand. Facts stated as of October 2026.
Where KioskForce fits
We design the hardware and software in-house and build to specification in our partner factories; we sell direct and, in some regions, through local distributors. The controls in this checklist are ones we already run on public health programs. On the HIVConnect and MyTest HIV self-test programs, users answer a few questions on their phone, receive a code, and collect a kit from a compact wall-mount machine against a per-person quota, with an optional follow-up survey and no personal data on the machine. Our monthly-quota and map-finder projects add reusable access codes and a location finder. We have not supplied machines to a naloxone program; the same platform and controls are what one needs.
To get a quotation, send the carton dimensions, sites and their temperature ranges, the release method and limits, the question set and the data fields. Prices start from about US$800–1,500 for a compact wall-mount unit; budgets are worked through in what a harm reduction vending machine costs, and the harm reduction hub covers the rest of the cluster. Or go straight to the contact page.
Where a naloxone machine is the wrong answer
- Where no one owns restocking. NYC’s first program installed four of ten planned machines because not enough eligible organisations were interested in managing them.
- Where the only site is outdoors with no climate control and nobody will act on temperature alerts.
- Where the supply authority is not settled. In Australia, the machine runs inside an approved supplier’s program; settle that first.
- Where the goal is engagement. A machine can link to services; it cannot replace a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
What should a naloxone dispensing machine tender specify?
Write each requirement so a supplier can show it working. Cover controlled dispensing with no self-selection, the per-transaction limit, the release method, any on-screen questions and whether they may block supply, the data fields and export format, the storage temperature range from the product label, mounting and physical security, visual distinction from syringe machines, signage, restocking and expiry handling, connectivity and alerts, accessibility, privacy, warranty and service, lead time and a pilot phase. Ask for a demonstration or a recorded test for each, not a tick in a compliance column.
What temperature range should a naloxone vending machine hold?
The range on the label of the product you will stock. The current US Narcan nasal spray label says to store it between 2 and 25 degrees Celsius, not to freeze it and to avoid heat above 40 degrees. The Australian consumer medicine information for Nyxoid says to store it below 30 degrees and not to freeze it. Put the product’s range in the tender, describe the site’s own temperature range, and require logging and alerts. A compact wall-mount cabinet is ambient and relies on the room, so it belongs in a conditioned indoor position.
Should a naloxone machine ask the user’s age?
Only if the program needs the answer, and never in a way that refuses supply. Victoria’s naloxone machine requirements asked the machine to confirm the recipient was 12 or over without preventing access, so the answer is recorded for evaluation but the carton is still released. Write that rule explicitly in the specification: the question can be skipped or answered in any way and the vend still proceeds. Then ask the supplier to demonstrate a vend where the question is skipped.
How many naloxone units should a machine release per transaction?
Most programs cap a single vend at one or two cartons and allow repeat vends. Victoria’s requirements set a maximum of two units per transaction with no limit on the number of transactions. A per-period limit, such as one kit per person per week, needs a code or card so the machine can tell repeat users apart, which adds a registration step. Decide whether the limit protects stock or rations supply, and write the number into the tender.
What data should a naloxone vending machine collect for the funder?
At minimum: every dispense with product, quantity, machine, site, date and time; answers to any optional questions; stock levels and stock-outs; temperature readings and excursions; faults and downtime. Name each field, the reporting interval and the export format, such as a CSV download or an API, in the tender. Keep personal information off the machine. If a per-person limit is needed, the machine should see only a code or card number, with registration handled elsewhere.
What should a naloxone machine supplier not promise?
Treat three promises as warning signs. A certificate that the machine complies with your medicines or privacy law, because only the regulator and your own advisers can decide that. A guaranteed uptime percentage, because power, connectivity, site access and vandalism are outside the supplier’s control. And a guaranteed fall in overdose deaths, because the published evidence shows associations, not guarantees. Ask instead for fault alerts, spare parts, a written service model and the evaluation data you need.
How long does it take to deliver naloxone dispensing machines?
For KioskForce, a modified standard machine takes about 4 to 6 weeks to build and a custom design about 8 to 12 weeks, with software scoped separately and shipping on top. The whole program takes longer: staff from US syringe services programs told RTI International researchers that planning and launching their machines took about a year. Allow time for host-site agreements, power and network at each position, signage, staff training and a pilot.
References
- Victorian Department of Health — “Free naloxone machines rolling out across Victoria” (1 June 2026). https://www.health.vic.gov.au/news/free-naloxone-machines-across-victoria
- Premier of Victoria — “More Access To Life-Saving Medication To Reverse Overdose” (22 April 2025). https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/more-access-life-saving-medication-reverse-overdose
- DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine) — “NARCAN (naloxone hydrochloride) nasal spray”, storage and handling (label updated 17 August 2026; accessed 11 October 2026). https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=a0ebc83d-2892-40de-bc0a-775ce90b30db
- Healthdirect Australia — “Nyxoid” medicine information, storage (accessed 11 October 2026). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/medicines/brand/amt,1227481000168105/nyxoid
- Be Well Texas, UT Health San Antonio — “Narcan vending machines help prevent opioid overdoses” (August 2025). https://bewelltexas.org/narcan-vending-machines-help-prevent-opioid-overdoses/
- NYC Mayor’s Office — “Mayor Mamdani Opens City’s First Public Health Vending Machines on Staten Island” (29 June 2026). https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/mayor-mamdani-opens-city-s-first-public-health-vending-machines-
- Route Fifty / THE CITY — “New York City’s public health vending machine program ends up with just 4 installed out of 10 announced” (29 July 2024). https://www.route-fifty.com/management/2024/07/new-york-citys-public-health-vending-machine-program-ends-just-4-installed-out-10-announced/398399/
- Philbrick S et al., RTI International — “Vending machines: A tool for distributing harm reduction equipment” (2025). https://harmreduction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vending-Machines-for-Harm-Reduction-2025.pdf
Related
- Harm reduction vending machines — the cluster hub.
- Controlled dispensing on harm reduction vending machines
- On-screen questions and forms
- How much a harm reduction vending machine costs
- Where to put a harm reduction vending machine
- Do harm reduction vending machines work?
- Naloxone (Narcan) vending machines — legality, storage and access models.
Talk to us about a naloxone dispensing machine specification
Send your draft specification or tender, the carton dimensions, the sites and their temperature ranges, and the data your funder needs. We will tell you which requirements we meet as written, which need clarifying, and what we would demonstrate.
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