Laboratory Drug Screening, KLEC

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, through the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council (KLEC) and administered by the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT), is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure laboratory drug screening services for police officer, court security officer, and public safety dispatcher applicants. The contractor will receive split-screen urine specimens collected by KLEC staff at various locations throughout Kentucky and must conduct comprehensive testing using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) methodology in accordance with federal workplace drug testing guidelines and specified drug panel cutoff levels. Key deliverables include HIPAA-compliant web-based access to test results within 48 hours for negative results and seven calendar days for positive results, provision of prepaid shipping materials and labels, maintenance of chain of custody documentation, and optional Medical Review Officer (MRO) services for positive result confirmation. Mandatory qualifications include SAMHSA certification, ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and/or American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) accreditation, and employment of a full-time, board-certified toxicologist. The contractor must assume responsibility for legal challenges related to testing results and may not outsource testing to third parties without written authorization. The estimated annual volume is 1,500 to 1,700 specimens with approximately 36 to 60 positive results annually, though no minimum volume is guaranteed. Proposals will be evaluated on technical criteria (600 points), cost proposal (300 points), and oral presentations if required (200 points), for a maximum of 1,100 points. The RFP was released on February 28, 2024, with written questions due by March 6, 2024, and proposals due by March 26, 2024, at 2:00 PM EST.

The RFP contains no identified set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions limiting organizational type eligibility; however, vendors must be registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State and comply with all applicable federal and state laws governing conflict of interest, campaign finance, and nondiscrimination. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is specified in the RFP documentation. The cost proposal structure requires bidders to submit two distinct fee structures: a per-panel screening fee that includes all supplies, packaging, and shipping materials, and a separate fee for positive result confirmation processing. Cost proposals submitted within technical proposal documentation will be deemed non-responsive, and bidders must certify that pricing was developed independently without collusion or conflicts of interest. The initial contract term runs from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026, with the Commonwealth retaining the right to renew for up to two additional two-year periods pending Finance and Administration Cabinet approval and Legislative Research Commission filing. No specific award value or budget range is identified in the RFP; compensation will be negotiated on a fee-for-service basis dependent on actual testing volume and service demand.