COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION No. 901006
SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS
for
FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY TESTING SERVICES
NETWORKING/BIDDERS CONFERENCES
at
10:00 a.m.on
August 6, 2012
at
General Services Agency
1401 Lakeside Drive
Room 1107, 11th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612 / 2:00 p.m.
on
August 7, 2012
at
Fremont Library
2450 Stevenson Blvd.,
Administration Building, Conference Rm. 3
Fremont, CA 94538
Additional Information: Please allow enough time for parking at metered street parking or public parking lot and entry into secure building. / Additional Information: Free parking available at on-site parking lot, enter from the rear entrance.
For complete information regarding this project, see RFQ posted at http://www.acgov.org/gsa_app/gsa/purchasing/bid_content/contractopportunities.jsp
or contact the person listed below. Thank you for your interest!
Contact Person: Jeannise Gonzalez, Contracts Specialist II
Phone Number: (510) 208-9612
E-mail Address:
RESPONSE DUE
by
2:00 p.m.
on
September 11, 2012
at
Alameda County, GSA–Purchasing
1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 907
Oakland, CA 94612
COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION No. 901006
SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS
for
FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY TESTING SERVICES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 1 of 2
Page
I. ACRONYM AND TERM GLOSSARY 4
II. STATEMENT OF WORK
A. Intent 4
B. Scope 5
C. Vendor Qualifications 5
D. Specific Requirements 5
E. Debarment / Suspension Policy 9
III. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
F. County Contacts 10
G. Calendar of Events 10
H. Networking / Bidders Conferences 11
I. Submittal of Bids 12
J. Response Format 14
K. Notice of Intent to Award 14
L. Bid Protest / Appeals Process 14
IV. TERMS AND CONDITIONS
M. Term / Termination / Renewal 16
N. Brand Names and Approved Equivalents 17
O. Quantities 17
P. Pricing 17
Q. Award 18
R. Method of Ordering 19
S. Invoicing 19
T. County Provisions 20
U. Online Contract Compliance System 23
V. Compliance Information and Records 24
W. Account Manager / Support Staff 24
X. General Requirements 25
COUNTY OF ALAMEDA
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION No. 901006
SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS
for
FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY TESTING SERVICES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 2 of 2
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit A – Acknowledgement
Exhibit B – B-3 – Bid Forms
Exhibit C – Insurance Requirements
Exhibit D1 – Current References
Exhibit D2 – Former References
Exhibit E – SLEB Certification Application Package
Exhibit F – Small Local Emerging Business (SLEB) Partnering Information Sheet
Exhibit G – Request for Bid Preference
Exhibit H – First Source Agreement
Exhibit I – Exceptions, Clarifications, Amendments
Exhibit J – Standard Services Agreement Template
Exhibit K – Intentionally Omitted
Exhibit L – RFQ Vendor Bid List
Exhibit M – Response Content and Submittals Completeness Checklist
Exhibit N – Debarment and Suspension Certification
Exhibit O – The Iran Contracting Act (ICA) of 2010
Specifications, Terms & Conditions
for Forensic Toxicology Testing Services
I. ACRONYM AND TERM GLOSSARY
Unless otherwise noted, the terms below may be upper or lower case. Acronyms will always be uppercase.
ABFT / American Board of Forensic ToxicologyACSO / Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
Bid / Shall mean the bidders’/contractors’ response to this Request
Bidder / Shall mean the specific person or entity responding to this RFQ
Board / Shall refer to the County of Alameda Board of Supervisors
Contractor / When capitalized, shall refer to selected bidder that is awarded a contract
County / When capitalized, shall refer to the County of Alameda
EPA / United States Environmental Protection Agency
Federal / Refers to United States Federal Government, its departments and/or agencies
F.O.B. / Shall mean without charge for delivery to destination and placing on board a carrier at a specified point (Free On Board)
Labor Code / Refers to California Labor Code
OSHA / Refers to California Occupational Safety and Health Administrations
PO / Shall refer to Purchase Order(s)
Quotation / Shall mean bidder’s response to this RFQ
Request for Quotation / Shall mean this document, which is the County of Alameda’s request for contractors’/bidders’ proposal to provide the goods and/or services being solicited herein; also referred herein as RFQ
Response / Shall refer to bidder’s proposal or quotation submitted in reply to RFQ
RFQ / Request for Quotation
SLEB / Small Local Emerging Business
SOFT / Society of Forensic Toxicology
State / Refers to State of California, its departments and/or agencies
II. STATEMENT OF WORK
A. INTENT
It is the intent of these specifications, terms and conditions to describe the forensic toxicology testing services required by the Coroner’s Bureau and Criminalistics Laboratory of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
The County intends to award a three (3) year contract (with option to renew) to the bidder selected as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder meeting the County’s requirements.
B. SCOPE
The ACSO Coroner’s Bureau requires forensic toxicology testing services in order to determine the cause, manner and circumstances of death. Toxicology testing services are performed to detect potential toxicants, such as chemicals, drugs and poisons in decedents. Testing shall consist of screening appropriate bodily fluids (e.g., blood, urine, bile, vitreous, gastric contents) and tissues (e.g., liver, brain, spleen, and muscle) for the presence of illicit chemicals, drugs or poisons.
The ACSO Criminalistics Laboratory requires forensic toxicology testing services for law enforcement purposes, which include identification and quantitative analysis of drugs and alcohol from blood, urine and evidence specimens.
The County requires a vendor which can provide all of the services listed above.
C. VENDOR QUALIFICATIONS
1. Vendor shall have been regularly and continuously engaged in the business of providing forensic toxicology testing services for at least five (5) years.
2. Vendor shall maintain documentation of adherence to forensic alcohol testing requirements of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.
3. Bidder shall possess all permits, licenses and professional credentials necessary to supply product and perform services as specified under this RFQ.
D. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
1. Sheriff’s Coroner Forensic Toxicology Testing Requirements:
a. Contractor shall test bodily fluids (e.g., blood, saliva, urine, bile vitreous, gastric contents) and tissues (e.g., liver, brain, spleen, muscle, etc.) for the presence or absence of drugs.
b. Contractor shall provide various containers and sealers required by the Coroner to preserve and identify samples submitted.
c. Contractor shall maintain a strict chain of custody which clearly documents the name, date and time that laboratory personnel handle, inspect, analyze, store or transport biological samples or evidence which are under the Contractor’s control from the time biological samples are removed from the Coroner until they are returned to the Coroner.
d. Contractor shall provide a signed laboratory report on all samples submitted for analysis within the following time frame:
(1) Blood Alcohol – five (5) days from receipt of sample;
(2) Drugs of Abuse Screen– ten (10) days from receipt of specimen;
(3) General Drug Screen – twenty (20) days from receipt of specimen.
Laboratory results shall be easy to read and understand.
2. Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory Forensic Toxicology Testing Requirements:
a. Laboratory shall test blood and urine samples for alcohol and/or drugs and provide related services as requested by County on a nonexclusive basis.
b. Contractor shall provide sufficient quantities of blood and urine specimen collection kits to the Criminalistics Laboratory and to designated medical facilities to preserve and identify the samples submitted ensuring a strict chain of custody.
c. Laboratory shall report negative test results within five (5) days of receiving the blood or urine samples; confirm and report positive test results within fifteen (15) working days. Laboratory results shall be easy to read and understand.
d. Provide a signed laboratory report on all samples submitted for analysis within the following time frame:
(1) Blood Alcohol – five (5) days from receipt of sample;
(2) Drugs of Abuse Screen – ten (10) days from receipt of specimen;
(3) General Drug Screen – twenty (20) days from receipt of specimen.
Laboratory results shall be easy to read and understand.
e. Laboratory shall preserve specimens tested for a minimum of five (5) years or as requested by the Alameda County District Attorney. Samples shall be stored appropriately to ensure against loss, contamination or deleterious change.
f. Contractor shall provide transportation services of specimens to and from the locations listed below. Upon the award of contract, a pickup and delivery schedule shall be created in coordination with the awarded vendor and approved by a County Representative. For all samples or items to be tested or inspected by Contractor, pick up will be required at the following locations:
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
15001 Foothill Blvd.
San Leandro, CA. 945678
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Coroner’s Bureau
480 – 4th St.
Oakland, CA. 94601
Glenn Dyer Jail
550 6th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Santa Rita Jail
5325 Broder Boulevard
Dublin, CA 94568
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office - Crime Lab/ Coroner’s Bureau
2901 Peralta Oaks Ct.,
Oakland, CA 94605
(Potential new address)
3. Laboratory Requirements
a. Laboratory shall be regularly and continuously engaged in the business of providing forensic toxicology testing services for the past five (5) years.
b. Laboratory shall be in compliance with the State regulations for blood and urine alcohol analysis.
c. Laboratory shall be directed by a person who is qualified by reason of appropriate education and experience to assume the required professional, organizational, education, managerial and administrative responsibilities. Laboratory director shall be certified as a Diplomate by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology. For details on Certification as a Diplomate by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, please see: http://www.abft.org/Diplomate.asp .
Laboratory Director who is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry is acceptable. The County requires that the Laboratory Director’s credentials follow the Forensic Toxicology Guidelines set forth by the Society of Forensic Toxicology. These guidelines can be viewed at http://www.soft-tox.org/files/Guidelines_2006_Final.pdf.
d. The laboratory shall participate in an external proficiency testing program which includes, at a minimum, a proficiency testing program for alcohol in blood or serum, and for drugs in at least one type of specimen; the program shall realistically monitor the laboratory’s quantitative capability.
e. Laboratory shall provide examination of samples on stat basis and provide live consultation or telephone conversations services at no cost to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory and Coroner’s Bureau.
f. Laboratory shall have the ability to handle an extremely high caseload of approximately four hundred ninety (490) cases monthly. The Criminalistics Laboratory expects approximately four hundred (400) cases per month and the Coroner expects ninety (90) cases monthly.
g. Laboratory shall have the ability to test for chemicals or biological agents.
h. Laboratory shall have the capability of developing methods for the testing of newly abused drugs such as Ecstasy, Rohypnol and GHB.
i. Laboratory shall complete all the specified tests within their own laboratory with the understanding that some esoteric test may be need to be outsourced.
j. Laboratory shall provide services on a retail level for families that may want to pay for tests of specimens of decedents that the Sheriff determined were not necessary for its purposes. For example, the Sheriff will not normally conduct toxicology exams on an obvious gunshot suicide, but the family may want to pay for a drug screen for their own purposes.
k. Laboratory shall not charge County for false-positives. A false-positive shall be defined as when the Forensic Toxicology Services laboratory identifies a sample as containing a particular drug, reports this to the County and subsequently information surfaces that the analysis was wrong, the County shall not be charged for that test.
l. The laboratory will provide a report for each test conducted. The report shall include:
(1) Subject Name
(2) Agency
(3) Agency Case Number
(4) Specimen Description
(5) Chain of custody information
(6) The requested testing
(7) Requesting Agency contract information
(8) Test Results
(9) Certification of test results statement
(10) Analyst signature
(11) Date of test and/or date of report
- Other Requirements
a. Prices for testing not ordinarily performed or not listed in Exhibit B, Bid Forms, must be agreed upon by an authorized ACSO representative at time of request.
b. A maximum fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500) shall be charged when the individual case test fees are in excess of Five Hundred Dollars ($500). If an individual test is going to cost more than $500, the County requires that the requesting Agency is contacted by the vendor and informed of the estimated cost above and beyond $500. Testing will only be performed when authorized by a Criminalistics Laboratory or Coroner’s Bureau representative.
E. DEBARMENT / SUSPENSION POLICY
1. In order to prohibit the procurement of any goods or services ultimately funded by Federal awards from debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded parties, each bidder will be screened at the time of RFQ response to ensure bidder, its principal and their named subcontractors are not debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded by the United States Government in compliance with the requirements of 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3016.35, 28 CFR 66.35, 29 CFR 97.35, 34 CFR 80.35, 45 CFR 92.35 and Executive Order 12549.
a. The County will verify bidder, its principal and their named subcontractors are not on the Federal debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded list of vendors located at www.epls.gov; and
b. Bidders are to complete a Debarment and Suspension Certification form, Exhibit N attached, certifying bidder, its principal and their named subcontractors are not debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded by the United States Government.
III. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS
F. COUNTY CONTACTS
GSA–Purchasing is managing the competitive process for this project on behalf of the County. All contact during the competitive process is to be through the GSA–Purchasing Department only.
The evaluation phase of the competitive process shall begin upon receipt of sealed bids until a contract has been awarded.
All questions regarding these specifications, terms and conditions are to be submitted in writing, preferably via e-mail by 5:00 p.m. on August 7, 2012 to:
Jeannise Gonzalez, Contracts Specialist II