To: Board of Supervisors
From: David O. Livingston, Sheriff-Coroner
Report Title: Qiagen, 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 Sheriff-Coroner, a purchase order with Qiagen, LLC, in an amount not to exceed $62,558 to provide MISeq FGx Sequencing System instruments for forensic genetic genealogy services used by the Office of the Sheriff Forensic Services Division the period January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this request will result in up to $62,558 in contractual service expenditures over a one year period and will be funded 100% by the General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
Qiagen, LLC manufacturers the MiSeq FGx Sequencing System which is the first and only instrument to interrogate up to 96 combined single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and short tandem repeat (STR) libraries in a single run. Qiagen owns the GEDmatch database, a genetic genealogy website with over 1.4 million users, which is used to search for potential relatives during Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG). The MiSeq FGx instrument will allow the Biology Unit to implement SNP testing which is necessary to perform FGG. FGG will assist the Office of the Sheriff Forensic Services Division with developing investigative leads in cold cases where traditional forensic DNA methods have not been successful.
The Terms & Conditions include limitation of liability and indemnification from the County to Qiagen, LLC.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board does not approve, the Office of the Sheriff Forensic Division will not be able to acquire the sequencing system which will result in the inability to provide forensic genetic genealogy services to law enforcement agencies in Contra Costa County.