REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 27, 2026
FROM
JANKI PATEL, Acting Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with The PAW Mission for Spay and Neuter Veterinary Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Contract with The PAW Mission to provide spay and neuter and other mobile veterinary services, both mobile and at several physical locations, in the amount not-to-exceed $500,000 annually, for the period of February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2028, with the option to extend for three additional one-year periods.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health to execute and submit any subsequent non-substantive amendments to this contract on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to transmit all non-substantive amendments to The PAW Mission contract to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Janki Patel, Acting Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Department of Public Health (DPH) will pay on a fee-for-services basis using existing ongoing Discretionary General Funds for the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return Community Cat (TNVR) program and animal care sheltering. DPH contract costs will increase from $200,000 to $500,000 annually, for a two-year aggregate cost of $1,000,000, with the option to extend three additional one-year periods. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The DPH provides animal care services to residents in the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. This includes the TNVR program, which humanely reduces free-roaming cat populations by providing spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and other general veterinary services before returning the cats to their original locations, reducing overpopulation, improving animal health, limiting disease transmission, decreasing shelter intake, euthanasia, and long-term animal care costs.
On July 1, 2025, the Purchasing Department approved Contract No. 440029342 with The PAW Mission, in the amount of $199,000 for the period of July 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026, to provide TNVR services.
Under the recommended contract, The PAW Mission will expand its TNVR service capacity and also provide non-TNVR program shelter-based veterinary services for adoptable cats and dogs housed at the County’s Devore and Big Bear animal shelters, ensuring animals are healthy, vaccinated, sterilized, and ready for adoption. These services support increased shelter intake following the termination of the Apple Valley Animal Shelter contract and help reduce overcrowding.
This contract supersedes SAP Contract No. 440029342 and will be effective February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2028, with the option to extend three additional one-year periods. The contract may be terminated without cause by the County by serving a written notice to Contractor thirty days in advance of termination.
PROCUREMENT
During the last four years, the County has made multiple attempts to competitively procure mobile veterinary services. Two informal Request for Applications were released to professional agencies on September 18 and October 16, 2023, and a formal Request for Proposals released on December 1, 2023 (No. DPHE24-ACC-5182) all received no responses.
Due to a lack of responses with past procurements for veterinary services, DPH contacted The PAW Mission, a non-profit organization willing to provide shelter services and support the TNVR Community Cat program. The Purchasing Department supports this non-competitive procurement to ensure ongoing spay and neuter, vaccination, and other general veterinary services are available to animals in DPH’s shelters and unincorporated areas.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Daniel Pasek, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 12, 2026; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on January 12, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on January 9, 2026.