Subject:
Title
Award of bid to Premier Care of Florida, Inc. (d/b/a ALifeTribute Funeral Care) for requirements of indigent burial and cremation services.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Reject the bid from Vinson Funeral Home (Vinson) on the basis of being non-responsive for not having the necessary facilities to perform.
Approve the award of bid to Premier Care of Florida, Inc. d/b/a ALifeTribute Funeral Care (ALifeTribute) for requirements of indigent burial and cremation services.
Bid No. 156-0340-B(JA) in an estimated amount of $2,250,000.00 for a sixty (60) month term, on the basis of being the only responsive, responsible bid received meeting specifications.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.2 Be a facilitator, convener, and purchaser of services for those in need
2.3 Provide comprehensive services to connect our veterans and dependents to the benefits they have earned
Summary:
The services provided under this contract are for the disposition of unclaimed bodies as required of the County by Florida Statute (F.S. Chapter 406). The contractor provides all aspects of removal/transport, storage, next of kin due diligence, cremation/burial and other defined services, with statutory requirements for next-of-kin discovery and facilitation of potential claims requiring body storage. Unclaimed veteran burials are coordinated with the National Cemetery for burial with honors.
Two (2) versions of pricing were requested in the invitation to bid (ITB), 1) estimating per cost rate for each service, 2) Combined funeral rites services (deemed packaging/bundling in the bid) for a reduced rate. The combined funeral rites services were priced in three variations of services based on common service needs. While in many instances combining services will be required thus providing the County a discount, there have been numerous instances where only one or two services are required and the combined services would not be appropriate. Additionally, alternate pricing combinations are available within the proposal which can be leveraged when appropriate. With continuous varying needs, it is difficult to estimate the exact number of combined services and/or per cost services that will be utilized.
Background Information:
On May 6, 2016, the Purchasing Department, on behalf of the Human Services Department, released an ITB for indigent burial and cremation services. Two (2) responses were received and reviewed by staff. Vinson’s response was deemed non-responsive as storage capacity is critical to the process and must be in place and maintained to accommodate case volume with varying storage timeframes. Vinson was unable to provide the required body storage as required in the ITB.
The number of cases in FY2016 are estimated to reach eight hundred (800) including cremations, veteran burials, and body removal and storage pending claim transfer.
The FY2016 estimate is down from nine hundred (900) cases in FY2015 with a slight decrease in cremations and storage pending transfer cases.
ALifeTribute is the incumbent provider, formerly known as Anderson-McQueen Company.
Fiscal Impact:
Estimated sixty (60) month expenditure: $2,250,000.00.
The Human Services Department has determined, based upon past experience and budgetary determinations, that the annual amount will be an estimated $450,000.00 per year from the contract start date. In the event the demand increases on this mandatory program, Human Services will seek to make internal budget adjustments. Funding is derived from the Human Services Department’s appropriated General Fund budget.
Staff Member Responsible:
Lourdes Benedict, Director of Human Services
Joe Lauro, Director of Purchasing
Partners:
Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office
Attachments:
Bid tabulation