GENESEE COUNTY PURCHASING A Division of the Genesee County Controller s Office COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BLDG 1101 BEACH STREET, ROOM 343, FLINT, MICHIGAN 48502 Phone: (810) 257 3030 Fax (810)257 3380 www.gc4me.com October 21, 2016 ADDENDUM #1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) #16-100 PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES FOR THE GENESEE VALLEY REGIONAL CENTER 1. Please include the following questions and answers, as part of the above mentioned RFP: Question 1 SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK on page 7 of the RFP states, Genesee County is soliciting proposals for PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES FOR THE GENESEE VALLEY REGIONAL CENTER. Services shall consist of providing and delivering of bulk prescriptions and/or individual prescriptions to GVRC. Our understanding is that current Michigan Law does not allow the use of floor stock (bulk medications) but does have provisions for a facility emergency medication box or a physician prescribing box only after a physician or dentist have obtained a Drug Control License. How are bulk prescriptions stored at the GVRC? Answer: The medications are stored in a locked storage area in the facility clinic. Do your physicians hold the required licenses? Answer: Yes Question 2 SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK, BACKGROUND section on page 7 of the RFP states, Individual prescriptions cost GVRC approximately $27,000 annually which is estimated to be about 30% of the total cost of individual prescriptions. This statement seems to contradict itself. What constitutes the other 70% of individual prescription costs? I am changing the $27,000 to $7,000 and 12 prescriptions a week, I still need the rest of the question addressed. Answer: The 30% refers to the out of pocket cost to the facility. This cost is mostly insurance copays and the occasional prescription cost when a youth doesn t have insurance or Medicaid. Question 3 What percentage of all medications is currently billed to Michigan Medicaid or private insurance? Answer: Roughly 70% of prescriptions are covered by insurance or Medicaid. Attachment A has two months of prescription order forms to show what and how many medications were ordered in the last two months Question 4 What company is your current pharmacy services provider? Answer: Kirk s Family Pharmacy Question 5 In most, if not all public procurements, cost is not considered proprietary and would be readily available without submitting public records request. Is your current contract rate for pharmacy services: A discount to average wholesale price (AWP)? If so, what is the current discount percentage to AWP? Is there also a dispensing fee? Acquisition cost plus a dispensing fee? If so, what is the current dispensing fee? Answer: Yes, $10.00 If other, please describe or explain how the current pricing is structured and the current rates. RFP #16-100 Addendum #1 1
Question 6 SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK, Return Policy section on page 8 of the RFP states, Return Policy, accept returns of items within six months of expiration date and up to one year after expiration date with guaranteed return of any items and payment by check for any debit balance that results from said return. Michigan Public Health Code policy is specific regarding medication returns. One requirement is that expired medications may not be credited. The Code also states that damaged medications may not be credited, deteriorated medications may not be credited, contaminated medications may not be credited, keep-onperson medications may not be credited, and previously reissued medication may not be credited. Will Genesee County amend this specification to state that returns can be issued in compliance with Michigan Public Health Code? Answer: Yes, this can be changed. If you currently receive credit for returned medications: Are you charged a processing fee? Answer: No Are your returns subject to a minimum value per returned item? Answer: No Are you receiving credit on all returned medications or only on those where each individual bubble of the blister cards is labeled with the medication name and strength, lot number, expiration date, and manufacturer s name? Answer: All returned medications. We do not receive tear off blister cards, just solid cards with no perforations so no need to individually label. Question 7 SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK, Delivery section on page 8 of the RFP states, Delivery, all prescriptions are to be delivered by 4:30 p.m. same day if ordered before 11 30 a.m. Prescriptions called in after that tine may be delivered the next day. This requirement will limit competition to a local vendor that can make a same-day delivery to the GVRC but cannot offer many of the technological advances available specific to the juvenile correctional industry. Such technologies include free electronic ordering software, free electronic medication pass software (along with free training and a laptop), free online reporting, free electronic order reconciliation, and free return processing software. To promote offers from out-of-state providers and ensure Genesee County taxpayers a fair and competitive bid process, if a bidder can provide these technologies customized for the GVRC, significant cost savings over other bidders, an emergency medication kit, and coordination of all emergency prescriptions through a contracted local backup pharmacy (which is standard practice in the juvenile correctional pharmacy industry), would you consider repealing this requirement and modifying your delivery requirement to state, All orders received by the designated cutoff time must be delivered the next business day Monday through Saturday.? Answer: No, we want to maintain the language as specified. Question 8 Could you provide your current medication formulary as an addendum so bidders can review it for possible modifications or recommendations? Answer: Yes see Attachment B Question 9 Knowledge of utilization is important for bidders to determine a final and accurate bid rate in their responses to your solicitation. This information would be readily available from your current vendor or from a recent billing statement. The provision of this information would provide actual utilization to bidders. Failure to provide this information to all bidders would result in an unfair competitive advantage to your incumbent provider that already has this information. Providing this information to all bidders (not just your incumbent provider) would allow them use these actual dispensing figures to establish their bid rates more accurately and intelligently, which is in the best interests of your facility the County s taxpayers. Could you provide copies of your two most recent monthly pharmacy invoices or a two-month utilization report that includes actual pharmacy utilization data (with patient names redacted)? Answer: Yes, see Attachment A Question 10 Do you currently receive inspections of the medication areas at your facility? If so, how frequently? Answer: Yes, Annually RFP #16-100 Addendum #1 2
Question 11 SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK, Order Placement section on page 7 of the RFP states, Order Placement, orders are typically placed via fax, information provided for alternate ordering methods will be considered. Does your facility currently use any type of electronic prescription order entry and emar system that is provided to you by your pharmacy vendor? Answer: No. Question 12 Does your facility currently use a barcode electronic order reconciliation and medication return management system that is provided at no cost by your pharmacy vendor? If not, would you consider issuing an addendum to your current solicitation with this requirement, as manual daily order check-in and return processing time could be decreased by up to 75% and the diversion of medications also could be greatly reduced? Answer: Not interested in doing this. Question 13 Does your facility currently have access to a web-based online reporting dashboard provided at no cost by your current pharmacy provider for you to access meaningful and accurate reporting 24/7/365? If not, would you consider issuing an addendum to your current solicitation with this requirement, so your staff could analyze costs and prescriber ordering trends to better manage facility operations through accessible reporting? Answer: Not interested in this. Question 14 Reviewing numerous and often extensive proposals submitted in response to your solicitation will require a tremendous amount of time and commitment from your evaluation team. The procurement process is timeconsuming for your staff and for bidders who are preparing their best possible offers for Genesee County. Numerous times, we have seen an evaluator s slight misinterpretation of a bidder s technical and/or cost proposal cause a deserving bidder to be passed over for an award. Before finalizing the contract award, will you email all bidders that respond to your solicitation your intent to award and your evaluators scoring summaries to allow them to clarify any possible misinterpretation? Answer: No. However if there is a reason for clarification the proposer will be contacted prior to award being recommended. 2. In SECTION 5-SCOPE OF WORK on Page 7 of the RFP includes information in BACKGROUND the correct information is as follows: Weekly individual prescriptions tend to be about 12 per week. Individual prescriptions cost GVRC approximately $7,000 annually Indicate on the Signature Page item #6 and on the exterior of the envelope containing your proposal: ADDENDUM #1 RECEIVED ALL PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED AT: GENESEE COUNTY PURCHASING DEPARTMENT 1101 BEACH STREET, ROOM 343 FLINT, MI 48502 Cindy Carnes, Purchasing Manager G:/bid2/2016/16-100add1 RFP #16-100 Addendum #1 3
Keflex 500mg Drixoral Doxycycline 100mg Zithromaz 1gm Motrin 600mg Amoxicillin 500mg Attachment B Genesee Valley Regional Center COMMONALY ORDERED BULK PRESCRIPTIONS These drugs are ordered in bulk quantities; usually enough to treat eight patients. For example eight (three times a day, for ten day treatment regimen) blister packs. Zithromax is ordered in one dose packets in a quantity of six packets. These medications are dispensed out of our clinic per doctor s prescription. These medications may be delivered per normal shipping timeframes. Trileptal Risperdal Seroquel Depakote Abilify Adderall Concerta Strattera Prozac Celexa Clonidine Zoloft Ritalin Bactrim DS Advair Inhaler Albuterol Inhaler Flagyl COMMONALY ORDERED INDIVIDUAL PRESCRIPTIONS Medications are to be packaged in blister packs. One a day prescriptions must be packaged with each day of the week indicated. If the specific medication is to be dispensed more than one time a day, there must be a separate blister pack for each time the medication is to be dispensed. An example would be that a medication to be given at 8:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m. would have three blister packs with the dispensing time noted on each pack. In this example morning, afternoon, and evening would be appropriate labels for the respective packs.