Sheriff’s office requests RFP for correctional facility pharmaceuticals; commissioners ask for follow-up details
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Summary
Thurston County staff asked commissioners to authorize an RFP for pharmaceutical services at the county correctional facility and said the existing Omnicare contract runs through Dec. 31, 2025.
An item on the Aug. 26 agenda-setting meeting requested authority to issue an RFP for pharmaceutical services for the Thurston County Correctional Facility and to authorize the sheriff or a designee to execute a contract with the successful bidder.
Staff summarized the contract history and scope: according to the description read into the record, the county has contracted with Omnicare Pharmaceutical for pharmaceutical services since Jan. 1, 2015, and that contract is set to expire Dec. 31, 2025. The services described include filling prescription orders daily, consulting services, daily delivery of prescriptions to the facility, use of blister packs for filling prescriptions, and operational and billing requirements. The RFP submission deadline recorded in the materials is Sept. 26, 2025.
Commissioners asked why the county would issue a separate solicitation for opioid-treatment medications versus general pharmaceuticals. An undersheriff participating in the meeting explained that the opioid-treatment medications discussed in a closed session were being handled under a sole-source procurement, and the RFP before the board on Aug. 26 would cover non-opioid medications.
“I guess my question...why can't we find a vendor or contractor that can distribute all medications?” one commissioner said during the discussion. The undersheriff responded that it might be possible to find a vendor that provides both services but that the opioid-treatment contract had been pursued as a sole-source item, which limited the ability to combine both scopes without additional review.
Commissioners asked the undersheriff and staff to follow up with more information before the board's Sept. 2 meeting. Staff said the undersheriff could email details to the clerk for distribution or report back at the Tuesday meeting. The Aug. 26 transcript records the request and the board’s direction to flag the item for follow-up; no final contract award or vendor selection occurred in the agenda-setting meeting.
