Agenda Item AGENDA STAFF REPORT ASR Control 23-000730
MEETING DATE:	12/19/23
legal entity taking action:	Board of Supervisors
board of supervisors district(s):	All Districts
SUBMITTING Agency/Department:	Sheriff-Coroner (Approved)
Department contact person(s):	Andrew Stephens (714) 647-1833
	Brad Olsen (714) 647-7440

Subject: Approve Amendment Number Four to the Juguilon Medical Corporation Contract

ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

Concur

Approved Agreement to Form

Discussion

3 Votes Board Majority

Budgeted: Yes

Current Year Cost: $1,501,500

Annual Cost: FY 2024-25 $2,102,100

Staffing Impact:

# of Positions:

Sole Source: No

Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

Funding Source: GF: 54%, State: 38% (Proposition 172), Other: 8% (Charges for Services)	County Audit in last 3 years: No
Levine Act Review Completed: Yes

Prior Board Action: 11/29/2022 #23, 8/24/2021 #13, 1/12/2021 #23, 12/18/2018 #16

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Amendment Number Four to the Juguilon Medical Corporation contract for Forensic Pathology/Autopsy Services, for the term of February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025, increasing the contract amount of $3,432,000 by $171,600 for a new not to exceed amount of $3,603,600 for a cumulative contract not to exceed amount of $18,222,600, renewable for four additional one-year terms.

SUMMARY:

Approval of Amendment Number Four to the Juguilon Medical Corporation Contract will allow the Sheriff-Coroner Department to continue to provide forensic pathology and autopsy services to be conducted by a licensed forensic pathologist as required under Government Code Section 27491.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Government Code Section 27491 places the duty of medicolegal death investigation under the Coroner’s jurisdiction and authority. The Coroner is charged with determining the circumstances, cause and manner of all deaths described in this statute. Coroner forensic autopsy examinations are an integral part of the death investigation. Medicolegal autopsies must be conducted by forensic pathologists. Forensic pathology is a highly specialized field of medicine requiring extensive training and experience. Forensic pathologists are licensed medical doctors with a specialty in pathology who have continued their education and training to include a further subspecialty in forensic medicine. The requirement for Coroner autopsies to be conducted by forensic pathologists is a nationally recognized standard in the industry and has been practiced by the County of Orange for over 40 years.

The Sheriff-Coroner Department's (Sheriff) Coroner Division is responsible for conducting, on average, nearly 2,700 autopsies per year to establish the circumstances, cause and manner of death. These deaths range from homicides to natural conditions where the decedent did not have a pre-existing medical condition or the physician was unable to state the cause of death. Autopsies provide evidence of criminal activity and assist in safeguarding public health through identification of deaths related to contagious disease.

Following a competitive bid process for forensic pathology/autopsy services, Juguilon Medical Corporation (Juguilon) was selected. Recent contract history with Juguilon is noted in the table below:

Board of Supervisors (Board) Approved	Amendment Number or Contract	Contract Term	Contract Amount	Comments
12/18/18	Contract	2/1/19 - 1/31/21	$5.3 million	New contract issued pursuant to County's 2018 Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-102.
1/12/21	1	2/1/21 - 1/31/22	$2.9 million	Contract renewed pursuant to County's 2019 Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-102.
8/24/21	2	2/1/22 - 1/31/23	$2.987 million	Contract increased by $87,000 needed for additional staff as well as the rise in cost of living pursuant to County's 2021 Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-102.
11/29/22	3	2/1/23 - 1/31/24	$3.432 million	Contract renewed and increased by $445,000 needed for additional staff as well as the rise in cost of living pursuant to County's 2021 Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-102.

Sheriff now requests the Board approve Amendment Number Four to renew the contract with Juguilon for the one-year term of February 1, 2024, through January 31, 2025, as noted in the Recommended Action.

Note that Juguilon's justification for the increase is to provide a cost of living adjustment for six staff physicians, forensic technicians and office staff with an increase of $171,600 from the previous contract amount of $3,432,000, million to $3,603,600.

The Contractor's performance has been confirmed as at least satisfactory. The Department has verified there are no concerns that must be addressed with respect to Contractor's ownership/name, litigation status or conflicts with County interests. The Orange County Preference Policy is not applicable to this contract amendment.

This contract does not currently include subcontractors or pass through to other providers. See Attachment D for the Contract Summary.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

Appropriations for this contract are included in the Sheriff-Coroner's FY 2023-24 Budget for Budget Control 060, and will be included in the budgeting process for future years. This contract contains language allowing the Sheriff-Coroner Department to terminate the contract or reduce the level of services without penalty with cause or without cause in the event that funding is reduced and/or not available to continue funding the contract.

STAFFING IMPACT:

N/A

ATTACHMENT(S):

Attachment A - Amendment Number Four to Contract MA-060-19010442
Attachment B - Redline of Previous Amendment
Attachment C - Government Code Section 27491
Attachment D - Contract Summary Form