Alameda County officials outline RFP timeline to replace Santa Rita Jail medical services contractor

Alameda County officials told a joint meeting of the Public Protection and Health Committees that work must start now to replace the contractor that runs medical services at Santa Rita Jail so a new provider can be in place before the current contract ends in September 2027.

Director Kimberly Gassaway of the county's General Services Agency outlined the procurement steps and timetable, saying spec development typically begins with the sheriff's office and then moves to GSA to package the RFP and selection materials. "Spec development has several elements," she said, listing intent and objectives, background, bidder qualifications, specific staffing and service requirements, and reporting deliverables.

Gassaway told supervisors GSA allocates two months for initial specification drafting but cautioned that complex procurements often take longer, especially if the county hires consultants or receives appeals. She described the mandatory bidders'conference, security clearance requirements for site visits, evaluation scoring that prioritizes qualifications over price in some procurements, and the county's rules for selection committees, including limits on who may serve and confidentiality of committee membership.

County counsel Kathy Lee and Gassaway also explained the protest process. After the county notifies recommended awardees, disappointed bidders may file protests to GSA; if protesters are denied, they may appeal to the county auditor'controller's office, which can lengthen the calendar. "While this says 14 months, it may sometimes take longer," Gassaway said, referring to the overall procurement timeline when protests and appeals occur.

Supervisors pressed for clarity about board involvement and past procurement history. Supervisor Miley said the board normally receives full procurement materials only when a contract comes to the Board of Supervisors, and asked whether new evidence could be presented to the board in a protest. County counsel confirmed the board ultimately awards services contracts and retains discretion to approve or reject awards.

Lieutenant Joseph Atienza, who oversees contracted vendors at Santa Rita Jail for the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, told the committee the current Wellpath contract was approved Oct. 1, 2022, and expires Sept. 30, 2027. He said the sheriff's office will coordinate closely with GSA and Alameda County Health as the county develops specifications and forms the selection committee.

Chair Supervisor Marquez signaled that she will seek more frequent oversight touchpoints, proposing quarterly updates to the committee and announcing a plan to reconvene a joint health and public protection meeting in September and to hold a public listening session with Sheriff Sarah Sanchez in July. No final action was taken at the meeting because the item was agendized as informational only.

What happens next: county staff said a reasonable near-term goal is to begin specification work now so bidders can prepare; GSA and the sheriff's office will provide further timeline details and materials to the committees as the RFP process proceeds. If a protest or appeal occurs, supervisors were warned that the award and implementation timeline could extend past the 14-month estimate.

Provenance: The county's GSA presentation and related Q&A opened with the GSA director and county counsel and ran from the GSA introduction through supervisor questioning and staff clarifications (Director Kimberly Gassaway presentation; topic instances began SEG 103 and continued through SEG 295).