$2.8M in COVID contracts approved
Expenses deal with vaccination sites and transportation
NORRISTOWN >> Montgomery County leaders authorized a series of contracts and contract amendments last Thursday totaling more than $2.8 million relating to the ongoing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 10-item package presented before the trio of elected officials during the March 18 meeting, the most expensive contract came in at $1,389,600. The seven-figure agreement with Safeware Inc., of Lanham, Maryland, which was obtained by way of an OMNIA cooperative contract, covers “syringes and lock caps for vaccine injections.”
The Montgomery County Office of Health and Human Services entered into a $68,800 agreement with the Maryland-based firm to procure disposable gloves for the health department. The supplies were covered by another OMNIA cooperative contract.
As the county’s vaccination campaign continues, a $25,229.87 contract with U-Line Inc., of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, secured several “logistic supplies required to set up the Willow Grove vaccination site,” including the following items: “electrical cording, crowd control signage, crowd control posts, chairs for staff and shelving.”
An agreement was reached between the county’s health and human services department and Total Rental, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, for the “rental of chairs, pipe and draping” at the same vaccination site.
According to the contract, pipe and draping costs $45 per unit and the chairs, including setup and breakdown services costs $5.20 per unit.
With respect to the county’s ongoing vaccination efforts, an existing contract was amended to provide staffing at area clinics. While there’s no set dollar amount on the agreement with
PeopleShare LLC., of Collegeville, a county spokesperson said the rates are an average of $20 to $25 per hour.
A contract was also approved between county’s health and human services department and GoGo Technologies, Inc., of San Francisco, to provide transportation to eligible persons with vaccination appointments to and from county vaccination sites. Under the contract, subsidiary GoGo Grandparent will provide a rideshare service for adults ages 65 and older or those with qualifying medical conditions who have vaccination appointments at a county-run site. Cost to the county includes an initial $1,000 startup cost, with rides costing 27 cents per minute. There would also be an additional $10 per month management fee required.
Officials also approved a number of contracts pertaining to consulting on emergency management.
Another big ticket item was a $1.3 million contract with Witt O’Brien’s LLC., of Washington, D.C. The firm provided emergency management consulting services for “federal cost recovery and reimbursement relating to the COVID-19 emergency,” and the agreement was amended to “provide for an additional five call centers for a total of 15 agents.”
Additionally a $40,000 agreement with ESI Solutions Inc., of Philadelphia, covered emergency management consulting services with respect to using federal funding in the county’s ongoing economic revitalization efforts.
“The study will review and assess the impact of County recovery investments to date, to understand what remains available for investment of existing funds, and to look to potential future opportunities forthcoming from federal, state and county investments,” the contract states.
A $20,000 contract with The Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall Colleges of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offered a similar advisory service as it relates to the county’s MontcoStrong grant program.
Specifically, the contract provides for a survey for businesses in Montgomery County who received funds, which were made available through the county’s allocation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, according to the contract.
“The study is expected to identify and evaluate the short and long term effects of CARES Act funding on both local businesses and the local economy,” the agreement states.