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Sheriff's Office recommending the Board:
1) Make findings that it is appropriate to engage an independent contractor to provide forensic analysis and toxicology services, as Agreement 10044 requires specialty skills and qualifications not expressly identified in County classifications in accordance with County ordinance code 3.13.030(B);
2) Make findings in accordance with Chapter 3.4.4 to exempt Agreement 10044 from the competitive bidding process because the agreement utilizes a competitively bid agreement established by another public agency;
3) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement 10044 with National Medical Services, Inc., for forensic analysis and toxicology services, effective upon execution through December 31, 2026, in the amount of $113,000;
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to approve amendments and increase the Agreement 10044 on an “as-needed” basis during the Agreement term as long as funding is available within the requesting department’s budget; and
5) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to extend the agreement, if Sonoma County elects to extend the original agreement.
FUNDING: General Fund.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
National Medical Services, Inc., provides advanced forensic toxicology, endocrinology, and criminalist laboratory services that are paramount to verifying the cause of death in Coroner cases. Currently, El Dorado County does not have the equipment, tools, or qualified staff to provide these services. It is more economical and feasible to continue to contract out these services. These services are critical for evidence processing, investigative follow-up, and the successful prosecution of criminal cases.
National Medical Services, Inc. has been providing selected forensic analyses and toxicology services for the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Coroner's Division for over 10 years. While there are other vendors that provide forensic toxicology services in the market, we have found National Medical Services, Inc...
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