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Albany County approves purchase of Thermo Fisher drug‑testing analyzer for court programs
Summary
The county approved a capital purchase and service agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific to bring laboratory-grade drug testing in‑house for court-supervised programs; staff said it will improve accuracy and could reduce per‑test costs over time.
Albany County commissioners approved a purchase agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific for a drug‑testing analyzer intended for court‑supervised treatment programs.
County program staff said the analyzer will provide more reliable and quantitative results compared with the current presumptive‑cup tests and will include company setup and two to three days of onsite training. "This analyzer will give us significantly more reliable results, compared to the presumptive cups that we are running now," the presenting staff member said.
Why it matters: Staff said in‑house analysis will reduce the number of confirmation tests the county currently mails to outside labs (about $30 per confirmation) and provide quantitative substance levels and validity markers immediately. The county projects the first year's capital purchase and reagent plan will approximate last year's testing budget and that reagent costs thereafter could fall between $15,000 and $24,000 annually depending on volume.
Details and operations: The approved agreement covers the analyzer, company setup, training and a one‑year warranty; staff said an annual maintenance/warranty cost of about $7,800 would apply after the first year. The analyzer uses reagents that have shelf lives and require refrigerated storage; staff said they will purchase a dedicated refrigeration unit and order reagents in batches to manage expiration dates. Staff also noted proprietary assay and calibration issues across vendors and said they will maintain a stock of current cups for contingencies.
Funding: Staff said funds for the purchase were identified through matching funds and some SOAR grant funds. Commissioners discussed the potential for the testing service to become a revenue source later by offering testing to other agencies or programs.
Formal action: The board moved and approved the purchase agreement; the motion passed by voice vote. Staff will proceed with procurement, training, and implementation planning.
