Los Alamos County Seeks Licensed Pharmacist to Oversee EMS Drug Handling

Los Alamos County Fire Department posted a formal solicitation last month seeking a licensed pharmacist to conduct quarterly pharmaceutical inspections of its Emergency Medical Services division, signaling a move to establish structured external oversight over the controlled substances stored, distributed, and tracked through county EMS operations.

The solicitation, RFP26-65, opened March 24 on the county's Bonfire procurement portal. Its scope goes well beyond routine inventory: the selected pharmacist or pharmacist-services firm would audit chain-of-custody procedures, identify diversion risks, recommend internal controls, and produce written documentation of any discrepancies found in EMS drug storage and handling. The county also indicated the contractor may provide oversight for other county-run medication storage areas beyond EMS apparatus.

EMS units carry controlled substances to treat patients in the field before hospital arrival. Without formal external review of those drug boxes, inventory errors and diversion go undetected until a regulatory review or an adverse event forces the issue. Quarterly inspections by a licensed pharmacist would create a recurring, auditable record for each controlled substance moving through the county's prehospital care system and provide documentation defensible under state and federal controlled-substance rules.

A virtual pre-proposal meeting is running from 9:00 to 10:00 AM MDT this morning, April 1, giving interested firms a live opportunity to raise technical and contractual questions. Written questions are accepted through April 7 at 2:00 PM MDT, and complete proposals must reach the Bonfire portal no later than April 14 at 2:00 PM MDT.

The county requires respondents to submit a technical proposal, cost worksheet, proof of pharmacist licensure, client references, a proposed staffing plan, and an audit checklist or protocol. Prior experience in EMS or healthcare-related pharmaceutical oversight is specifically requested as part of the evaluation criteria.

Firms interested in submitting must register on the Los Alamos County Bonfire procurement portal to access the full RFP document set, sample agreement, and required submission forms before the two-week window closes.