The entrance to One Montgomery Plaza in Norristown, where many county offices are housed.
Montgomery County Commissioners closed out 2023 by authorizing a slate of contracts totaling more than $43.8 million.
A 37-agreement package was brought before the trio of elected officials on Dec. 14, the final meeting of the year. Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. and Commissioner Joe Gale cast their votes for the last time as outgoing commissioners.
The lion’s share of contract items went toward human resources for benefits for the county’s nearly 2,800 employees.
The highest awards consisted of a more than $30.2 million agreement with Independence Blue Cross, of Philadelphia, which covered medical insurance premiums, an approximately $1.97 million agreement with Aetna Inc., of Hartford, Connecticut, which covered dental insurance premiums and a $210,000 agreement with the Hartford Life Insurance Co., of Hartford, covered life insurance premiums, according to contract documents. The same company was also awarded a $183,000 contract for long-term disability insurance premiums.
Several other benefit-related agreements were also included in the insurance package, including $201,000 with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for unemployment compensation, $20,000 with Talx Corporation for unemployment claims administration services, and $2,100 with Eyemed Vision Care for vision insurance premiums, according to contract documents.
Two contracts with Health Advocate Inc., of Plymouth Meeting, totaling $62,000, were also authorized during Thursday’s meeting, according to contract documents, for health advocacy and employment services.
Another $4 million agreement with Independence Blue Cross provided for administrative services related to "claims, processing and billing for the county’s self-insured medical and prescription employee benefit plan.” The three-year agreement was funded through the county’s general-operational budget, according to contract documents.
Additionally, the county’s human resources department entered into a one-year contract with BCS Financial Corporation, of Oak Terrace, Illinois, for stop-loss insurance. Included within the county’s health plan, the service "protects the plan against individual catastrophic health claims over $350,000.”
County human resources representatives recommended the Illinois-based firm because the proposal "provided the best overall economic benefit to the county,” the contract states. Funding was also derived through the county’s general-operational budget.
In other business, awarded contracts covered services related to several county departments, including courts, health and human services, information and technology, and public safety.
A $990,000 agreement with National Medical Services, of Willow Grove, covered drug testing and forensic toxicology services for the Montgomery County District Attorney and Coroner’s offices. Broken down, the contract provides $800,000 worth of services for the district attorney’s office and $190,000 for the coroner’s office. The one-year agreement includes four optional annual renewal terms and was funded through the county’s general-operational and forfeiture budgets.
A $510,551 agreement between the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety and Ward Apparatus LLC of Horseheads, New York, covered a custom fire foam tender vehicle. The equipment was funded through the capital budget by way of reimbursement from the HazMat Fund, according to the contract.
A $500,000 agreement with Thomson Reuters West of Carol Stream, Illinois, covered "access of Westlaw online and print legal research resources” for the county’s courts, district attorney, public defender, and solicitor’s offices. The one-year contract was funded through the county’s general-operational budget.
A $441,630 agreement with Tyler Technologies Inc., of Moraine, Ohio, covered iasWorld software services for 2024 for the Montgomery County Department of Information and Technology Solutions. Funded through the county’s general-operational budget, the contract states that "maintenance and hosting” of the software "allows for remote entry of assessment and tax data.”
A $155,500 agreement between the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health covered consulting services to address opioid-related overdoses.
The one-year contract and state-mandated initiative is in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the contract, which aims to address the following issues:
"The initiative will further expand and strengthen the collection, analysis, and use of data to drive actions that reduce overdose morbidity and mortality in communities, with a specific focus on addressing health disparities impacting populations and communities in the county that are at highest risk for overdose resulting from opioid, stimulant, and polysubstance use,” the contract states.
The contract also includes four optional annual renewal terms and was secured through grant funds.
The next Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 11 on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St., Norristown. Those interested in attending the meeting can also do so virally. Visit montgomerycountypa.gov for more information.
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