To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Amendment Purchase Order #23253 with Abbott Laboratories
☒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 #23253 with Abbott Laboratories to increase the payment limit by $300,000 to a new amount not to exceed $600,000 to purchase additional lactic acid cartridges as required by the Clinical Laboratory at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC), with no change to the original term from September 1, 2021 through November 18, 2027.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this action will result in additional expenditures of up to $300,000 through November 18, 2027 and will be funded by Hospital Enterprise Fund I revenues.
BACKGROUND:
Abbott Laboratories has served as CCRMC’s primary supplier for the cartridges for point of care lactic acid and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) testing. Abbott Laboratories is also the sole manufacturer and distributor of the I-Stat Alinity Analyzer reagents used for TBI testing. Lactic acid testing is a critical clinical tool for the early identification of sepsis, which is a mandatory indicator required by The Joint Commission and California Department of Public Health.
On August 31, 2021, the Purchasing Agent executed purchase order #23253 with Abbott Laboratories in the amount of $150,000 for the purchase of lactic acid testing cartridges for the period from September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2024.
On October 22, 2024 the Board of Supervisors approved agenda item C.98 to execute an amendment to purchase order #23253 to increase the amount by $150,000 to a new payment limit of $300,000 and extend the term through November 18, 2027 to purchase reagents and supplies needed for the I-Stat and I-Stat Alinity Handheld Analyzers. On May 18, 2026 the Purchasing Agent approved the continued use of Abbott Laboratories.
Patient testing volumes for lactic acid have increased substantially, driving a corresponding increase in cartridge consumption and associated costs. Point-of-care TBI testing was recently implemented at CCRMC and the expanded screening for TBI, combined with rising lactic acid testing volumes, has exceeded the funding projected under the current purchase order. Because no other vendor manufactures or is authorized to distribute these proprietary reagents and supplies, the Clinical Laboratory is requesting additional funding to ensure uninterrupted delivery of these critical diagnostic services in the Emergency Department.
Approval of this action will allow CCRMC Clinical Laboratory to purchase additional lactic acid cartridges from Abbott Laboratories through November 18, 2027.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the Clinical Laboratory will be unable to report whole blood lactic acid tests or diagnose TBI, significantly impacting CCRMC’s capacity to deliver rapid triage care. Furthermore, the CCRMC Clinical Laboratory will be unable to acquire I-STAT reagents, leading to delays in patient care.