S12-E26100 - Approve the sole source purchase for a Syndromic Surveillance System from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC in the total amount of $95,000.00 for Houston Health Department.
Specific Explanation:
The Director of the Houston Health Department and the Chief Procurement Officer recommend that City Council approve the sole source purchase for a syndromic surveillance system, ESSENCE (Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics) in the total amount of $95,000.00 and that authorization be given to issue purchase orders to Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC for a term of 12 months.
Houston Health Department (HHD) is rebuilding and expanding its existing syndromic surveillance network using ESSENCE software developed Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC (JH/APL). Syndromic surveillance is the monitoring of health care provider admissions data for trends in symptoms or syndromes that could give early warning of biological or chemical terrorist attack. By contracting for services with JH/APL and using this software, HHD will accomplish three (3) critical objectives:
- Alignment with the other syndromic surveillance programs in Texas. HHD and Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) are working with Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to develop a statewide syndromic surveillance network. All three agencies (HHD, TCPH, and DSHS) will be using ESSENCE to deliver syndromic surveillance information to local health departments across the state.
- Alignment with US federal guidelines regarding Meaningful Use and Health Level 7 (HL-7) ADT messaging standards. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has established Meaningful Use (MU) standards for U.S. health care providers regarding the retention and transmission of health data https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html.
- Enhanced Biosecurity for the Gulf Coast Region. HHD has provided syndromic surveillance capabilities for the City of Houston since 2003. The capacity of syndromic surveillance to detect bioterror activity before clinician diagnoses or laboratory testing is accomplished through the real time receipt, hourly analysis, and automated reporting of indicator data, the type of which precedes routine hospital laboratory or clinical diagnosis. These data types include emergency room admissions chief complaint data, school absenteeism data or over the counter medication sales.
Hire Houston First:
This procurement is exempt from the City's Hire Houston First Ordinance. B ids/proposals were not solicited because the department is utilizing a sole source contractor for this purchase
Fiscal Note:
Funding for this item is included in the FY2017 Adopted Budget. Therefore, no Fiscal Note is required as stated in the Financial Policy Ordinance No.: 2014-1078.
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John J. Gillespie, Chief Procurement Officer Department Approval Authority Signature
Finance/Strategic Procurement Division