To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Purchase Order with Clear Labs, Inc.
☒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 Clear Labs, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $201,268, and related purchase agreement for the purchase of an equipment upgrade to the existing Clear Labs Dx instrument and five-year service plan effective on the date of installation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in expenditures of up to $201,268 and will be funded by the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant.
BACKGROUND:
Contra Costa County Public Health Laboratory currently provides next generation sequencing for viral COVID-19 lineage surveillance, bacterial drug-resistance in retail meats (National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System), and soon, antimicrobial drug-resistance for Contra Costa’s current Strengthening HAI/AR Program Capacity (SHARP) grant. Per the CDC, healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR) “rely upon the same fundamental IPC and epidemiologic surveillance approaches that are used to detect, monitor, mitigate, and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Moreover, the prevention of AR pathogens and improving the appropriate use of antibiotics helps to protect COVID patients from complications and potential comorbidities.” During the pandemic, the Clear Labs Dx was purchased to detect the different circulating COVID-19 virus lineages in our community, such as Alpha, Delta and Omicron. The requested upgrade/extension of the Clear Labs Dx permits a quicker and more streamlined workflow for sequencing bacterial species. Current workflows require similar species to be analyzed in one assay run. Additionally, to reduce assay waste, the run is not started until all sample locations are full. This causes potential delays in result delivery to stakeholders including the California Department of Public Health, CDC, and the FDA. The Clear Labs upgrade would permit laboratory staff to run multiple species, such as Salmonella, Pseudomonas, and Tuberculosis at the same time.
Clear Labs is the only manufacturer and authorized supplier of the Clear DX full automated, intelligent library prep and next generation sequencing platform for whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 AND Bacterial Isolates (Microbial Surveillance). The purchase agreement includes Clear Labs, Inc., Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Inc. and Illumina, Inc. terms and conditions agreeing to indemnify, defend, and hold them, their licensors, suppliers and authorized representatives, harmless.
Approval of this action will allow the Public Health Laboratory to upgrade their existing Clear Labs diagnostic instrument for improvement of generational sequencing flexibility and efficiency.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the Contra Costa Public Health Laboratory will have to continue with less efficient workflows for genetic sequencing of bacteria.