To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Amendment to 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, an amendment to purchase order #28636 with Polymedco LLC to increase the payment limit by $500 to a new payment limit of $1,200,500 and execute the related amendment for the purchase of reagents and supplies to perform immunochemical fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) for the Clinical Laboratory at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) with no change to the original term from February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2026.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in an additional $500 in expenditures up to $1,200,500 and will be funded by the Hospital Enterprise Fund I revenues.
BACKGROUND:
Polymedco Cancer Diagnostic Products 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.
On August 1, 2023 the Board of Supervisors approved agenda item C.48 to execute purchase order #28636 with Polymedco in an amount of $1,200,000 and related agreement for the purchase of reagents and supplies to perform iFOBT for the Clinical Laboratory for the period from February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2026.
Instrument Cups are a critical consumable required for the operation of the OC-Sensor Diana and OC-Auto iFOBT analyzers and are not currently included in the existing agreement. The TT-88 series cups are essential for maintaining the functionality of these systems, ensuring reliable calibration and accurate processing of patient samples. Approval of this action will add TT-88 instrument cups to the agreement and purchase order. On July 15, 2025 the Purchasing Agent approved the continued use of Polymedco.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, CCRMC may face disruptions in colorectal cancer screening due to the lack of essential consumables required to operate the OC-Sensor Diana and OC-Auto analyzers.