TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Oscar Ortiz, Sheriff-Coroner
REPORT BY: Erin Corry, Staff Services Analyst II
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 240103B with National Medical Services
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Amendment No. 2 of Agreement No. 240103B with National Medical Services for forensic toxicology services and to increase the contract maximum from $50,000 to $65,000. (Fiscal Impact: $15,000 Expense; General Fund; Budget; Discretionary)
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BACKGROUND
The Sheriff’s Office primarily utilizes forensic toxicology services for coroner death investigations to determine cause of death, assistance in child welfare or criminal investigations involving suspected drug exposure, and for evidentiary and court purposes for patrol related investigations.
On July 1, 2023, Sheriff’s Office entered into Agreement No. 240103C, signed by the Purchasing Agent, with National Medical Services (NMS) for postmortem forensic toxicology testing services for applicable coroner cases.
On July 1, 2025, the Purchasing Agent signed Amendment No. 1, for the Sheriff’s Office to add additional toxicology testing services for postmortem cases and add testing for hair samples for child drug exposure screening.
The Sheriff's Office would now like to amend the contract to extend the term of the agreement through to June 30, 2029 and increase the maximum annual compensation rate from $50,000 to $65,000 due to an increase in the individual investigative testing rates.
Requested Action:
Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 240103B with National Medical Services to extend the agreement through June 30, 2029, and revise the compensation rates and maximum annual compensation.
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Sheriff’s Coroner Budget (Org 1361000) |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
There is no mandate to utilize this toxicology service. However, these services are essential in helping determine cause of death in coroner cases and drug exposure of children in investigation cases. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Appropriations will be budgeted accordingly in future fiscal years. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
If not approved, the Sheriff’s Office would not amend the agreement. However, outside forensic toxicology services would still be needed to support coroner investigations, criminal investigations, and child welfare cases. Therefore, the Sheriff’s Office would need to obtain services from an alternate provider. |
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Additional Information: |
Strategic Initiative: Build Healthy, Connected Communities. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.