Date Issued: January 4, 2023

INMATE PHARMACY SERVICES

The intent of these bid specifications is to search for a qualified contract to provide prescription and over the counter medications for inmate patients in the Tuscaloosa County Jail (TCSO).  The Statement of Work Requirements details the exact services required.  You should indicate if your proposal includes or excludes these services. 

Bids shall be accepted until: Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 9:00am local time, at which point they will be opened and publicly read at the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, 714 ½ Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

The undersigned certifies that he/she has the authority to bind this company in an agreement/contract to supply the commodity or service in accordance with all terms, conditions, and pricing specified.  By signing and submitting this bid, the Vendor acknowledges that they have read, understand and agree to all aspects of the specification and bid requirements as presented without reservation or alteration.  This Bid, if accepted, will constitute an Agreement and Contract with Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, upon approval of Tuscaloosa County Commission.  Prices are firm during this agreement term, unless agreed upon in writing by the County.

Company Name                                                                      Authorized Agent (Print)

Signature                                                                     Title

Address                                                                                   City/State/Zip Code

E-mail Address                                                                       Phone Number

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Jail Division

Request for Proposal for Prescription, Non-Prescription Drugs and Supplies

BID SPECIFICATIONS

Bid No: Inmate Pharmaceutical

1. Scope:  Tuscaloosa County Commission is seeking a qualified provider for the Inmate Pharmaceuticals for its Tuscaloosa County Jail facility.  Bids should be from qualified providers with the capabilities to deliver a full range of pharmacy services to the inmate population serviced by Tuscaloosa County Jail. The selected vendor will be required to be properly licensed in the State of Alabama.
2. Point of Contact:  The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Contract Administrator for this proposal will be Chief Deputy Loyd Baker, (205) 469-0800, LBaker@tcsoal.org. All questions concerning this proposal and all questions arising during the term of the proposal award hereunder should be addressed to the Contract Administrator.
3. Bid Submission: All bid submissions must include the signed Invitation for Bid. Bids will be accepted at the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, 714 ½ Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 until: Tuesday, February 21 AT 9:00am local time.  Bids must be submitted in sealed envelopes with the words Sealed Bid for INMATE PHARMACY SERVICES, prominently displayed on the front of the envelope.  Respondents shall include one (1) original and two (2) copies of the entire bid response.
4. Late Submittal and Late Modifications: Submittals received after the due date and time will not be considered. Modifications received after the opening date will not be considered. Tuscaloosa County Commission assumes no responsibility for the premature opening of a proposal not properly addressed and identified, and/or delivered to an improper designation.
5. Rejection or Cancellation of Bids:  Tuscaloosa County Commission reserves the right to act in its best interest in this determinations process, to waive all technicalities, and to select the most responsible and responsive bidder. Tuscaloosa County Commission shall be the sole judge of the bidder’s ability to meet the requirements set forth.  Its decision in determining responsible and responsive bidder(s) will be final. 
6. Minimum Acceptance Period: Bids shall be valid and may not be withdrawn for a period of 120 days from the date specified for receipt of bids. All expenses involved with the preparation and submission of the bid to Tuscaloosa County Government, or any work performed in connection therewith, is the responsibility of the bidder(s).
7. Designated Contact:  The awarded Vendor shall appoint a person or persons to act as a primary contact with the County.  This person or back-up shall be readily available during normal work hours by phone or in person and shall be knowledgeable of the terms and procedures involved. 
8. Taxes: Tuscaloosa County Commission is tax exempt.  It is understood that prices quoted are to be exclusive of Federal taxes (Tuscaloosa County will furnish an exemption certificate as required.) but inclusive of other applicable taxes and fees.  The selected vendor will be responsible for payment of any all taxes and for obtaining any necessary and required licenses/permits required by Federal, State, and local laws regarding pharmacy services.
9. Open Records Act:  All materials submitted in connection with this bid will be public documents and subject to the Open Records Act and all other laws of the State of Alabama, the United States of America, and the open records policies of Tuscaloosa County Government.  All such materials shall remain the property of Tuscaloosa County and will not be returned to the respondent.
10. Addendums to Bid:   In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of these Bid Specifications; any potential bidder who requested the bid specifications will be provided any and all addendums to bid information.
11. Bid Evaluation:  Any potential bidder or interested party may attend bid opening, committee meeting and/or fiscal court meeting in which bid evaluations take place and selections are completed.  
12. Timeline:  

Issue Date                                                             1/4/23

Questions Due to County from Bidders:              1/17/23

Answers due to Bidders from County:                  1/27/23

Bids Due                                                                2/21/23 at 9:00am

Bids Opened                                                          2/21/23 at 9:00am

Anticipated Resolution to Commission                 Upon next Commission Meeting

13. Insurance Requirements:  The Vendor/Contractor shall purchase and maintain insurance with an insurance company licensed to do business in the State of Alabama, at all times during the term of any contract with the County, in full force and effect. Vendor/Contractor shall provide said insurance at its own expense. Such insurance shall be provided and will protect the Vendor/Contractor from claims which may arise out of or result from the Vendor/Contractor’s execution of the work, whether such execution be by himself, his employees, agents, or by anyone for whose acts any of them may be liable. All policies must name the County as an additional insured.  Where applicable, the Tuscaloosa County requires a current and valid certificate or binder showing required insurance coverage as follows:

• One hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) in employee dishonesty coverage including coverage against theft and misappropriation
• One million dollars ($1,000,000) in general liability & error and omissions coverage to protect the financial interests of Tuscaloosa County Commission from theft, misappropriation, errors, or omissions by Vendor/Contractor in the performance of these Bid Specifications, Terms and Condition

14. Bidder Information Session:  Upon the close of the due date, Tuscaloosa County may request a meeting of selected vendors to better understand proposed services.
15. Minimum Qualifications of Bidder:  Bidders must meet the following minimum qualifications to submit a proposal for services:
    1. Vendor must be in good standing and licensed in the state by all applicable authority to perform pharmacy services.
    2. Vendor must have adequate experience, legal status, finance and credit, to service this account satisfactorily.
    3. Vendor must have been in business for a minimum of 5 years or more, and shall have experience in the provision of pharmaceutical services for an institution such as a correctional facility, nursing home or similar facilities that include the operation of a fully automated pharmacy.
    4. Vendor must be an FDA Repackager or use the services of an FDA Repackager in order to ensure compliance with federal regulations for Correctional Health stock medications.
16. Background Information:  Tuscaloosa County Jail provides on-site inmate healthcare services to an approximate population of 700 lives per month.  Our average daily population is approximately 700.  The County is looking for a cost effective, correctional based pharmacy to manage pharmaceuticals services which include but not be limited to fill orders, shipping, STAT pharmacy management, therapeutic and generic substitution, reporting and financial performance.

Tuscaloosa County Jail medical services are contracted and staffed with nursing staff 24/7 and a Physician/Provider through Southern Health Partners. You will DIRECTLY CONTRACT with Tuscaloosa County Jail (TCSO) and not through Southern Health Partners.

17. Key Terms:  Tuscaloosa County Jail uses the following definitions of Key Terms:
    1. Acquisition Cost - The term "Acquisition Cost" or shall mean the Vendor’s Acquisition Cost from their wholesale vendor.
    2. Brand Drug - Single or multisource brand drugs which are classified as a brand drugs, based upon indicators provided by Medi-Span’s National Drug Data File, and denoted in the Multi-Source Code field as “M”, “N”, and “O”.
    3. Generic Drug - A multisource prescription drug, which are classified as generic drugs, whether identified by its chemical, proprietary, or nonproprietary name provided by Medi-Span’s National Drug Data File and denoted in the Multi-Source Code field as “Y”.
    4. Specialty Drugs - Biological products include a wide range of products such as vaccines, blood and blood components, allergenics, somatic cells, gene therapy, tissues, and recombinant therapeutic proteins. Biologics can be composed of sugars, proteins, or nucleic acids or complex combinations of these substances, or may be living entities such as cells and tissues. Biologics are isolated from a variety of natural sources—human, animal, or microorganism.  There are no brand or generic specialty drugs.
    5. Order – An order is a specific request and related dispensing for medication for either a 7, 15 or 30-day supply for each patient inmate.
    6. Over the Counter Drugs – The term “over the counter” drugs shall be all dispensed drugs that are available in the United States and labeled by Medi-Span as an over-the-counter drug and that does not require a prescription but must, under this program, be prescribed by a qualified prescriber and obtained through because a prescription order is issued by the prescriber.
18. Financial Arrangements:  Tuscaloosa County Commission will be invoiced monthly.  Electronic Invoices will be required. Tuscaloosa County Commission will receive a Master Invoice on a monthly basis. 
    1. Invoices will include the following data:
       1. Site Name/Location
       2. Patient Name
       3. Tuscaloosa County's Inmate Tracking Number
       4. Prescription Number
       5. Prescriber Name
       6. Prescriber NPI
       7. National Drug Code (NDC)
       8. Drug Name
       9. Strength
       10. Unit Quantity
       11. Days’ Supply
       12. Unit Cost
       13. Average Wholesale Price (AWP) Unit Price
       14. Generic Product Indicator (GPI)
       15. Dispensing Fee
       16. Total Amount due by Site Name
    2. Invoices are to be electronically delivered by the 10th of the month, for the previous month’s service.
    3. For all drugs dispensed, the selected Respondent to this proposal will agree to a financial performance guarantee for brand, generic and specialty drugs.  The definitions of those terms are included in section XIX: Key Terms above.  No later than thirty (30) days after the end of the contract term, and every successive term, Respondent will provide a report to TCSO reconciling all drugs dispensed against the financial performance guarantees. 
    4. Please include your fees on a per prescription or stock piece basis.  Your fees should include all of the services described in this proposal.  You must include the services of a pharmacist who will be responsible for a monthly review of all MARs.  The role of the pharmacist will be to interact with prescribers to obtain the lowest cost medication for the disease state of the patient inmate.

19. Workflow and Procedures: The Tuscaloosa County Jail requests the following workflow and procedures be addressed in bid responses.
    1. The current workflow procedures are as follows:
       1. Upon intake, inmates are asked for any medication history within 24 hours of the intake date.
       2. Verification of current prescriptions is made either through the pharmacy or previous provider indicated by the patient.
       3. Any new medication orders are done on a daily basis, with communication to the pharmacy of the needed medication.  This communication is via fax.
       4. Medications are continued if prescription is valid, current, and in line with current patient disposition (treatment plan).
       5. Certain medications are kept on-site as stock, to be used when prescriptions must be started immediately, and until the specific name meds arrive at the facility. We utilize a local pharmacy for STAT medications as well.
       6. Medications are passed twice per day – AM and PM. Medication pass times are 7:15am and 7:15pm, by Tuscaloosa County medical staff.
       7. Medications are provided in multi-dose, patient specific packages. Deliveries of ordered medication are as needed.
       8. On the Pharmacy Provider side – medication orders are reviewed by the Pharmacist for compliance to condition, any other medicine contraindications, generic substitution, and for refill volume. Any suggested changes to meds (for therapeutic or cost-effective substitution) is faxed to the site for communication to the Provider. Prior to being sent to the site, another check for the right medicine to the right patient is made.
       9. A local back up/STAT pharmacy can be used for immediate need medications and may only fill up to a five-day supply.  These Orders are billed as a pass-through cost.
       10. Medications are stored in the med cart(s) provided by the pharmacy provider (3). Medications brought in by patients are stored in the medication carts.
       11. STAT orders for prescriptions over $500 for a five-day supply must be approved by TCSO . These Orders are billed as a pass-through cost.
    2. Respondents will provide monthly pre-printed Medication Administration Records (MARs) for all new orders and for all re-orders on the following month.
    3. Proposer must give a description of their online ordering system so that all prescriptions including controlled substance medications may be transmitted electronically.
    4. In order to protect the jail’s patient health information from a ransomware attack, multi-factor authentication shall be required for all accounts to access the pharmacy online ordering system.
    5. Proposer must give a description of how TCSO is best served by the Vendor regarding research as to any applicable licensure and/or permits which may be required by TCSO  in the provision of services at the site level. Proposer must be an FDA-registered Repackager, or Proposer must use the services of an FDA-registered Repackager in order to ensure compliance with federal regulations for Correctional Health stock medications.
    6. A designee of Proposer will be available for monthly and/or quarterly utilization meeting and/or discussion call with designated TCSO personnel, if requested.
    7. The Proposer shall:
       1. Furnish a barcode order check-in software system or an acceptable alternative to be approved by TCSO and Medical Director.
       2. Prescription oral dose solid medications shall be delivered in multi-dose, patient specific packages in a seven (7) day supply sorted by date and time of administration, in alphabetical or housing unit order as requested by the facility. Prescription packages must be labeled to meet State and Federal labeling requirements.
       3. Packaging shall minimize the waste of medications.
    8. Generic medications, when available, are to be used except where bioequivalence issues have been documented. Generic medications shall be substituted for brand name unless otherwise indicated by physician on a non-formulary request.  The Pharmacy Provider shall ensure availability of generic substitutes and report reasoning for any unavailability and plan and target dates for provision thereof. Substitution of a brand name medication due to the unavailability of a generic substitute will be at the cost of the Pharmacy Provider.
    1. The Pharmacy Provider shall establish a stock supply of commonly utilized medications (OTC’s, legend and controlled substances) for administration to inmates prior to receipt of their actual offender-specific prescription.  Stock medications shall be managed and maintained in a safe and secure environment with a perpetual inventory tracking system, developed by Pharmacy Provider, to ensure accountability. A listing of stock medications shall be approved by the TCSO .
    10. Proposer shall complete Exhibit A with acquisition cost of medication as well as dispensing fee for the most commonly used medications for our facility. (See Exhibit A below)