To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with Polymedco LLC
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, to execute on behalf of the Health Services Director, a purchase order with Polymedco LLC, in the amount of $800,000 and a related agreement to purchase reagents and supplies to perform immunochemical fecal occult blood testing (iFOBT) for the Clinical Laboratory at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC), for the period from February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2029.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in expenditures of up to $800,000 over a three-year period and will be funded by Hospital Enterprise Fund I revenues.
BACKGROUND:
Polymedco LLC’s OC-Auto Sensor Diana with FOBT-CHEK is an automated immunochemical fecal occult blood testing (iFOBT) system that detects human hemoglobin with high specificity, without interference from red meat, turnips, melons, aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, or vitamin C. This advancement enhances the ability to accurately identify patients who require colonoscopy, leading to earlier detection of polyps and colorectal cancer. The increased sensitivity and specificity of this test compared to traditional methods are expected to significantly improve the identification of early-stage colon cancer, which remains the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., accounting for approximately 30%. Furthermore, the higher specificity reduces false positives, minimizing unnecessary and costly colonoscopies. Implementing this test as a primary screening tool in place of sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy can lead to substantial cost savings for CCRMC while improving patient outcomes.
Since the department relies heavily on the utilization of the OC-Auto Sensor Diana analyzer, for not only all the hospital testing needs but the annual birthday mailers that are sent to our community county members under the health plan, it is necessary to procure great amounts of reagents and supplies for the OC-Diana, to continue performing immunochemical fecal occult blood testing at the CCRMC Clinical Laboratory.
Delays were encountered due to extended negotiations with the vendor. On August 12, 2025 the Purchasing Agent approved the continued use of Polymedco LLC.
On October 7, 2025 the Board of Supervisors approved agenda item C.76 to execute an amendment to purchase order #28636 with Polymedco LLC to increase to a new amount of $1,200,500 and related amendment for the purchase of reagents and supplies to perform iFOBT for the Clinical Laboratory at CCRMC with no change to the original term of February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2026.
Under the Polymedco Analyzer and Reagent Purchase Agreement, the General Terms and Conditions contains mutual indemnification from and against all losses damages, liabilities, deficiencies, claims, actions, judgements, settlements, interest, awards, penalties, fines, costs, or expenses arising out of intentional misconduct, fraud, negligence, breach of representation, warranty, covenant or obligation under the agreement, and any third-party actions against the County related to false negative or false positive results using the Reagents or the Analyzer, except that the Indemnitor will have no obligations under this section if Action is related to defects in the design or manufacture of Indemnitee’s products or negligence. Additionally Polymedco is not liable for damages or lost profits and their liability is further limited to the aggregate amount actually received by Polymedco in connection with the agreement in the twelve months preceding the incident.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the Clinical Lab will not have the ability to procure the necessary supplies and reagents from Polymedco LLC and will be unable to support testing needs for the hospital. This will have a significant negative impact on patient care, as early detection is a key tool for patients to identify potential issues, allowing them to seek treatment earlier, helping to maintain their overall good health. Further, the lab would need to send patient samples out to reference laboratories, which will result in an increase in the cost per test and additional courier fees.