REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 10, 2023
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Sunset Funeral Care, LLC to Provide Indigent Disposition Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 19-216 with Sunset Funeral Care, LLC to provide indigent disposition services, exercising the final option to extend the term by a one-year period, for a new total contract term of May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2024, with no change to the total contract amount of $750,000.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-0640)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
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 additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). There are no additional costs associated with this amendment. Sufficient appropriation for the contract has been included in the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s (Department) existing 2022-23 budget (4430001000) and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department is responsible for investigating all deaths that occur within San Bernardino County. This includes determining the cause of death and clarifying circumstances surrounding, or pertaining to, the manner of death of a decedent. Approval of this item allows for the disposition of remains of indigent decedents residing in San Bernardino County, who have no responsible relatives, or whose relatives are indigent as well. As mandated by the California State Health and Safety Code Section 7104, the Department currently provides for the disposition of approximately 375 indigent decedents per year.
PROCUREMENT
On April 16, 2019 (Item No. 43), as result of a competitive procurement process, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 19-216 in a fee per service reimbursement basis, with Sunset Funeral Care, LLC (Sunset) in an amount not to exceed $750,000 for the period of May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2022, with the option to extend the term for two additional one-year periods for the provision of indigent disposition services.
On March 15, 2022 (Item No. 46), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 19-216 with Sunset, exercising the first option to extend the term by a one-year period, for a new total contract term of May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2023, with no change to the total contract amount of $750,000.
On November 4, 2022, the Department received Sunset’s agreement to extend the contract term for the provision of indigent disposition services, exercising the final one-year option to extend the contract through April 30, 2024 with no change to the total contract amount of $750,000.
Based on Sunset’s satisfactory performance, the Department recommends approval of the proposed amendment to allow for continued indigent disposition services. Either party may terminate the agreement upon 30-days advance written notice.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Richard D. Luczak, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 22, 2022; Purchasing (Michael Candelaria, Lead Buyer, 387-0321) on November 29, 2022; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on December 20, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on December 20, 2022.