Title
[Contract] Life Assist Inc. Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies [Published for 10-day Review on 09/17/2026]
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01640
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion: 1) approving the use of the City of Tucson Cooperative Purchase Agreement with Life Assist Inc. (Contract No. 260217-01) for the purchase of pharmaceutical, medical supplies and related services as needed; and 2) authorizing the City Manager or designee to execute the piggyback/cooperative contract (PRC004602) with Life Assist, Inc. for an amount not-to-exceed $7,000,000 until August 13, 2027 with four possible one-year extensions.
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Contact
Contact: Adam McKahan, Assistant Chief, (916) 767-2250, Amckahan@sfd.cityofsacramento.org, Fire Department
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-PRC004602 - Life Assist Inc.
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The Fire Department has an ongoing need to purchase Emergency Medical Services (EMS) pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and related equipment to support daily operations. After evaluating procurement options, staff recommend that the Council approve the purchase of required EMS pharmaceuticals and supplies from Life-Assist Inc., the vendor awarded under the City of Tucson’s cooperative Request for Proposals (RFP) for Basic/Advanced Life Support (BLS/ALS) Pharmaceuticals, Supplies, and Distribution. Using this cooperative/piggyback contract (Contract 260217-01) will allow the Department to obtain essential EMS materials at competitively bid pricing, streamline procurement processes, and ensure continuity of service.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and the Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7, Section E.2.d) mandate that unless waived by a 2/3 vote of the City Council, all labor agreements greater than $1,000,000 shall be made available to the public at least (10) days prior to council action. This item was published for 10-day review on September 17, 2026, in compliance with the City Code.
The recommendations in this report are in accordance with the provisions of the City Code Section 3.56.240, which authorizes the City Manager, where advantageous to the City, to utilize cooperative purchasing agreements approved by the City Council to purchase supplies or nonprofessional services through legal contracts with other governmental jurisdictions or public agencies without separate competitive bidding by the City.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnivironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: Ongoing administrative maintenance activities, such as purchases of supplies, equipment, or materials that are not made for purposes of a public construction project, do not constitute a “project” and are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061(b) (3), 15378(b) (2).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: None.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: None.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The Fire Department must provide staff with reliable access to essential EMS pharmaceuticals and medical supplies throughout the fiscal year to ensure the delivery of safe and effective emergency medical care. The cooperative contract awarded to Life-Assist Inc. through the City of Tucson’s RFP for BLS/ALS Pharmaceuticals, Supplies, and Distribution establishes competitively bid pricing and stringent requirements for product quality, expiration control, inventory tracking, and timely delivery. These measures are necessary to support uninterrupted EMS operations.
After reviewing available procurement options, staff determined that utilizing this cooperative purchase agreement with Life-Assist Inc. represents the most advantageous and responsible strategy. Cooperative purchasing allows the Department to benefit from volume-based pricing, reduce administrative workload, and avoid duplicative processes such as advertising, independent solicitation, evaluation, and contract award. This approach maximizes cost efficiency and staff resources while ensuring the Fire Department maintains consistent access to mission-critical EMS supplies.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Sufficient funding is included in the Fire Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 operation budget under Department 12001471 - ALS logistics. Funding for the subsequent years is subject to funding available in the budget adopted for the applicable fiscal year. Below is an approximate budget per fiscal year for the life of the agreement.
|
FY 2026/27 |
FY 2027/28 |
FY 2028/29 |
FY 2029/30 |
FY 2030/31 |
|
$1,400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
$1,400,000 |
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): The City’s LBE program does not apply to cooperative purchasing agreements resulting from another public agency’s competitive bid process.
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