Thurston County commissioners to discuss correctional facility medication bids 

A 10-year contract with Omnicare Pharmaceutical, which supplies medications to the Thurston County Correctional Facility, is going to expire at the end of 2025.

As a result, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office  has submitted a Request for Proposals (RFP) for new pharmeaceutical contract bids. 

The Thurston County Board of County Comissioners is scheduled to vote on the request at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2. 

The request seeks to secure a contractor to deliver prescriptions, provide blister-packaged doses, conduct consultations and handle billing. 

According to the sheriff’s office, the bid documents have been cleared by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Risk Management. Targeted proposals are due by Sept. 26. 

Board Vice Chair Wayne Fournier raised concerns over divided contracting at a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 26. He urged the county to explore hiring a single vendor to handle both standard prescriptions and opioid treatment programs in order to cut costs and consolidate purchasing. 

“Why can’t we find a vendor or a contractor that can distribute all medications? … Trying to find one RFP where somebody can do all those things would save us money,” he said. 

Undersheriff Ruben Mancillas said the opioid medication program is handled separately under a sole-source purchase agreement, while the RFP covers standard prescriptions only. 

“This is separate of that we had in the other session,” Mancillas said. “This would just be for normal pharmaceutical items and medications.”

Mancillas added bidders on the new solicitation are unlikely to manage both programs. 

County Manager Leonard Hernandez asked the sheriff's office to provide further details to the  board ahead of the Sept. 2 meeting.