Single Source Procurement: End of AIDS - Hepatitis C Mono-Infected Care & Treatment Program

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible.

On June 29, 2014, Governor Cuomo made an important announcement, in which he detailed a three-point plan to "Bend the Curve" and move us closer to the end of the AIDS epidemic in New York State. The goal is to reduce the number of new HIV infections to just 750 (from an estimated 3,000) by 2020.

The three-point plan includes:

  1. Identifying persons with HIV who remain undiagnosed and linking them to health care;
  2. Linking and retaining persons diagnosed with HIV in health care and maintaining them on antiretroviral therapy to maximize HIV viral load suppression so they remain healthy and to prevent further transmission; and
  3. Facilitating access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for high-risk HIV negative persons.

The AIDS Institute is requesting to amend the current five Hepatitis C (HCV) mono-infected contracts to allow for a one-time increase in capacity for HCV care and treatment. Additional one time finding will be used to enhance current services. HIV and HCV are both transmitted through high risk behaviors, such as injection drug use (IDU). Up to one-third of people infected with HIV are co-infected with HCV. Making people aware of their HCV status will also assist in eliminating HIV.

HCV is a serious public health problem. Chronic HCV is a major cause of liver disease. An estimated 2.7 million Americans and 200,000 New Yorkers are chronically infected with HCV. As a result of the NYS HCV Testing Law and the new and more effective treatments, the demand for HCV care and treatment has increased significantly. HCV is a curable condition with treatment. This additional funding will increase the number of individuals getting HCV care and treatment.

Procurement / Program Name End of AIDS - Hepatitis C Mono-Infected Care & Treatment
Contractor Name(s) Multiple – Please see attached.
Contract Period 4/1/2014 – 3/31/2015
Contract Number(s) C026551 – C026555