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Cole County Commission approves sole-source purchase of Knox med vaults for ambulances
Summary
The commission approved a sole-source purchase of Knox Company med-vaults to replace failing controlled-substance safes in ambulances; the $50,720 purchase will come from the county's capital funds, and commissioners approved signing the sole-source request.
An agency official told the Cole County Commission on July 21 that the county needs to replace aging safes used to store controlled substances in ambulances and asked the commission to approve a sole-source purchase from Knox Company.
"This is a very timely subject. It's very highly, regulated with the DEA," the agency official said, describing repeated malfunctions with the current safes and the need for compatible, supported hardware that integrates with EMS vehicles and the county's IT infrastructure.
The official said Knox Company is a long-established vendor in this space and that the purchase would be paid from the county's capital line. A commissioner moved to sign the Knox Company sole-source request and to approve the purchase, the motion was seconded, and the commission voiced its assent.
Why it matters: the safes hold controlled medications subject to DEA oversight; staff said failures have required breaking into safes to access supplies, creating operational and regulatory risk. County staff emphasized the purchase is intended to restore reliable, auditable storage and access.
Next steps: staff will sign the sole-source request and complete the purchase, which the requester said will be charged to capital funds. The commission moved on to other agenda items without further debate.
Provenance: The request and the approval appear in the meeting transcript beginning with the bids-and-contracts agenda discussion and concluding with the vote to approve the Knox sole-source request.
