Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Cassius Lockett, Director, Public Health, Policy and Planning
Subject: BioFire Diagnostics, LLC Test Kits for the FilmArray Instrument
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Authorizing the Purchasing Agent to spend up to $450,000 for the term of May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2022, for BioFire Diagnostics, LLC test kits that are compatible with FilmArray Instruments and are consistent with the vendor agreement; and
B) Authorizing the Purchasing Agent to add new reagents and test supplies to the vendor agreement as necessary; and
C) Waiving the competitive bid process.
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BACKGROUND:
In 2013, the County Office of Emergency Services purchased two BioFire FilmArray instruments for the County’s Public Health Laboratory (PHL), which is run by the Public Health, Policy and Planning (PHPP) division. The instruments support multiple molecular test panels that rapidly detect for respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) pathogens, as well as biothreat agents. Results for these molecular panels are available in roughly one hour and require approximately five minutes of operator set-up time. Using these FilmArray Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) panels significantly reduces the turnaround time for pathogen detection, when compared to other conventional or molecular methods.
PHL will soon offer the FilmArray PCR panels for GI and Meningitis/Encephalitis, per the County’s Public Health Communicable Disease Program request.
DISCUSSION:
BioFire Diagnostics, LLC (BioFire) is the sole source provider of kits and reagents that are compatible with BioFire FilmArray instruments. County Purchasing currently has a vendor agreement with BioFire through which it purchases supplies for the BioFire FilmArray instruments. Every year, BioFire provides the County with a proprietary fixed-price quote on various products. PHL then orders supplies consistent with that fixed-price on an as-needed basis.
PHPP is requesting that your Board authorize the Purchasing Agent to spend up to $450,000 over the fixed three-year time period, allowing the Purchasing Agent to order test kits that are compatible with the BioFire FilmArray instruments. Your Board’s authorization is necessary because PHPP anticipates spending more than $100,000 annually for test kits. PHPP is also requesting that your Board waive the competitive bid process for test kits as BioFire is a sole source for this product.
The resolution has been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form. The County Manager has granted a waiver of the Equal Benefits Ordinance based on BioFire being a sole source provider.
Approval of this agreement contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Healthy Community by providing rapid and accurate results for a variety of communicable diseases. The rapid identification of these diseases is a critical component in minimizing their impact on the safety of the public. PHL projects that 900 tests will be performed during FY 2018-2019 with approval of this agreement.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2017-2018 Actual |
FY 2018-2019 Projected |
|
Number of tests performed |
1,945 tests |
900 tests* |
*This number is expected to decrease due to the decision of 2 major external PHL clients, Mills Peninsula Medical Center and El Camino Hospital, to stop ordering FilmArray Respiratory panels from the PHL.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the proprietary quote from BioFire Diagnostics is three years, May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2022, for the purchase of BioFire FilmArray kits and reagents. PHPP will reorder supplies as needed pursuant to the proprietary quote, not to exceed $450,000. Of that amount, $150,000 is included in the PHPP FY 2018-2019 Adopted Budget. Similar arrangements will be made for future budget years. The PHL has applied a cost-based testing fee schedule, which covers 95% of the cost of reagents for test orders. The remaining $7,500 (5%) will be covered by Net County Cost.