REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 27, 2024
FROM
WILLIAM L. GILBERT, Director, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreement with Linet Americas for Preventative Maintenance and Repair of Hospital Beds
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 22-40 with Linet Americas for hospital bed and stretcher maintenance and repair services, to increase the contract amount by $300,831, from $1,067,908 to an amount not-to-exceed $1,368,739, and extend the term for one additional year, for a total contract period of March 1, 2021 through February 28, 2025.
(Presenter: William L. Gilbert, Director, 580-6150)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of $300,831 is funded by State Medi-Cal, Federal Medicare, private insurances, and other departmental revenue. Funding sources may change in the future pending any legislative activity related to the repeal and/or replacement of the Affordable Care Act. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) 2023-24 budget and will be included in 2024-25 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amendment No. 3 (Amendment) to Agreement No. 22-40 (Agreement) will allow ARMC to continue to utilize the maintenance and repair services currently provided by Linet Americas (Linet) that include repairs to the hospital’s beds for excessive wear and tear and repairs beyond the extended warranty coverage. Extending the term of the Agreement by one year will allow additional time for a competitive solicitation process to be completed to include bed management.
The hospital currently has 456 beds to provide medical treatment to County residents. Both scheduled preventative maintenance and unexpected repair services are needed to ensure the maximum number of beds remain operational at all times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was critical to move beds from one area of the hospital to another with more frequency, which led to an increased need for maintenance and repair resulting in excessive wear and tear and damage to the hospital’s beds.
The Purchasing Agent executed the Agreement with Linet for preventative maintenance and extended warranty services in an amount not-to-exceed $403,184 on January 27, 2021. However, Linet did not deem the contract effective until March 1, 2021, when it started to provide services under the Agreement. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in excessive wear and tear and damage to the hospital’s beds outside the scope of the extended warranty coverage.
Therefore, on January 25, 2022 (Item No. 9), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Amendment No. 1 with Linet, to expand the scope of repair services for hospital beds, increase the contract amount by $346,816, from $403,184 to an amount not-to-exceed $750,000, and to affirm the contract period of March 1, 2021 through February 29, 2024.
On October 25, 2022 (Item No. 15), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 with Linet to expand the scope of preventative maintenance and repair services to include 123 stretchers, and to increase the contract amount by $317,908, from $750,000 to an amount not to exceed $1,067,908, with no change to the contract period of March 1, 2021 through February 29, 2024.
On December 15, 2023, Request for Proposal (RFP) No. ARMC124-ARMC-5217 was released and posted on the County’s Electronic Procurement Network to procure maintenance and repair services for ARMC’s hospital beds. In order to improve patient care and bed availability, bed optimization is required through bed management. Bed management provides preventative maintenance, inspections, tracking and transporting of beds, reporting, staffing and program management. Bed management was added to the scope of work to meet the needs of ARMC, and as a result the RFP was canceled. The Recommendation will allow Linet to continue these services and provide ARMC time to undertake the RFP process to establish a new five-year contract.
ARMC recommends approval of the Amendment as the continued maintenance and repair of hospital beds and stretchers will provide for the safety and health needs of County residents as they undergo surgeries or receive various patient care services at the hospital and allow for the completion of a RFP with a comprehensive scope of work that will include bed management.
PROCUREMENT
The Purchasing department continues to support this non-competitive procurement based on the existing Agreement with Linet to provide both maintenance and repair services required to ensure an adequate supply of stretchers and hospital beds are available for use throughout the various hospital departments for patient transport. An RFP will be completed prior to the expiration of this extended term.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by (Bonnie Uphold, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 26, 2024; Purchasing (Veronica Pedace, Buyer III, 387-2198) on January 29, 2024; ARMC Finance (Chen Wu, Budget and Finance Officer, 580-3165) on February 2, 2024; Finance (Jenny Yang, Administrative Analyst, 387-4884) on February 7, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on February 8, 2024.