AUTOPSY SERVICES

NOTICE
The County of Westmoreland is requesting proposals for the provision of Autopsy Services,
for the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office, located at 2503 South Grande Boulevard,
Greensburg PA 15601. Proposal specifications are available in the Office of County Controller,
Two North Main Street, Suite 111, Greensburg PA 15601; Telephone (724) 830-3137.
Sealed proposals will be received in the office of the Westmoreland County Controller until
2:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and publicly opened approximately 15 minutes later in the
Commissioners' Conference Room #101 in the offices of the Westmoreland County
Commissioners. Late proposals will NOT be accepted or considered. The County Commissioners
reserve the right to reject, in whole or in part, any or all proposals received, and further reserve the
right to negotiate the final contract terms, including cost, subsequent to the submission of sealed
proposals.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
I. INTRODUCTION:
The County of Westmoreland is requesting Proposals for the provision of Autopsy Services,
for the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office, located at 2503 South Grande Boulevard,
Greensburg PA 15601.
The purpose of this RFP is to obtain autopsy, forensic autopsy, and pathology services to
assist the Westmoreland County Coroner in determining the cause and manner of death in cases
of death falling under the jurisdiction of the Westmoreland County Coroner. Westmoreland
County is a third class county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with a population of
approximately 354,663 in 2020.
Services are to be provided on site at the Westmoreland County Forensic Center located
at 2503 South Grande Boulevard, Greensburg, PA 15601.
II. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS:
A. Proposals Due:
Sealed Proposals will be received in the Office of County Controller, Two North Main
Street, Suite 111, Greensburg PA 15601, until 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 27, 2026. LATE
PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR CONSIDERED. Proposals must be submitted
in a sealed package, with the Proposer's name and address on the outside of the package, along with
the designation: "PROPOSAL FOR AUTOPSY SERVICES - WESTMORELAND COUNTY
CORONER." One original signature master copy shall be included in the package along with four
(4) duplicate copies.
B. Questions Regarding the RFP:
Questions about the RFP may be submitted by email to John Ackerman, Coroner, and
Michael Noel, Chief Deputy, of the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office, at
coroners@westmorelandcountypa.gov and must be received not later than noon on October 16,
2026 to be considered for answer and possible inclusion in an addendum.

C. Withdrawal of Proposals:
Proposals may be withdrawn by a Proposer at any time up to the deadline for submission.
After said deadline, Proposals must remain firm (subject to negotiation of terms as provided for in
these specifications) and cannot be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days.
D. Familiarity With Proposed Work
The Proposer certifies that Proposer has carefully considered the work proposed and the
terms of the RFP to determine for itself the difficulties and requirements incidental to the
prosecution of the work, and that the submission of a Proposal is considered conclusive evidence of
such examination.
III. PROCEDURES FOR AWARD OF CONTRACT:
A. Proposal Review:
1. Proposals received shall be evaluated and reviewed by representatives from
the Coroner's Office. Following evaluations of written proposals, some Proposers may be
selected for interview in order to determine the proposer deemed best qualified.
2. Proposals that do not meet the mandatory requirements will be considered
non-compliant.
3. The County reserves the right to waive technicalities and to reject any or all
proposals in the best interest of the County.
4. After review of proposals and conducting interviews (if any), County staff
may be authorized to commence negotiation for a contract with the Proposer recommended
for the award. The Commissioners will be the signatories on any contract entered into as a
result of this RFP.
5. The County expressly reserves the right, in its sole judgment, to accept or
reject any or all proposals, with or without cause, modify, alter, waive any technicalities
or provisions, or to accept the proposal which, in its sole judgment, is determined to be

the best evaluated offer resulting from negotiation.
6. The County reserves the right to withdraw the RFP in whole or in part, at
any time and for any reason. Submission of a proposal confers no rights upon the
Proposer nor obligates the County in any manner. The County reserves the right to award
no contract and to solicit additional offers at a later date.
B. Contract Negotiations:
1. Upon determination of the Proposer deemed to be best qualified and
authorization by the County, the County's representatives shall enter into negotiation of
contract terms for the required services. If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated with
the Proposer deemed most qualified within a reasonable period of time as determined solely
by the County, negotiations with that proposer will be suspended, and negotiations shall be
undertaken with the Proposer ranked second most qualified. Should a satisfactory contract
not be negotiated, additional Proposers may be selected in order of their qualifications as
established by proposal review and/or interview, and negotiations entered into as outlined
above. The County reserves the right to cancel or re-issue the Request for Proposal.
2. The Proposer agrees to negotiate in good faith with the County to enter into a
formal contract with the County, with such contract substantially incorporating the terms
and conditions in the RFP. The Contract will incorporate, in order of precedence, the
following:
a. The Contract.
b. The terms and conditions contained in this RFP document.
c. The proposal submitted by the Proposer.
C. Contract Award:
1. Based on the proposal, interview, and any other information which may be
obtained by the County, the County may prepare and offer a contract for a one (1) year term,
with the County having the right to terminate upon advance written notice. After the initial

contract term, the County reserves the right to extend the contract for two additional terms
of one year on the same terms and conditions.
2. The successful Proposer shall commence services only after the transmittal
of a fully executed Contract and all required insurance certificates. The successful Proposer
will perform all services indicated in the proposal in compliance with the negotiated
Contract.
3. The award will be made to the Proposer who is considered to provide the
best overall proposal that meets the needs, considering the relevant experience of the
Proposer, the financial proposal, the proposed solution, options offered and overall benefit.
4. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in
part received by reason of this RFP. The County will not pay for any information herein
requested, nor is it liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer.
IV. GENERAL CONDITIONS:
A. Proposer agrees that upon execution of a contract for the services called for in this
RFP, Proposer shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the County of Westmoreland, the
Westmoreland County Coroner and their agents, officers and employees from all claims, actions,
lawsuits, damages, judgments or liabilities (including attorneys fees and costs of legal and
administrative proceedings) arising out of the services carried out by the Proposer under the
contract, and/or resulting from any act or omission by the Proposer, its officers, employees, agents
and contracted service providers in performance of any responsibility or service relating to the
contract.
B. By submission of a proposal, the Proposer acknowledges and agrees that the County
is subject to state and local public disclosure laws, and, as such, is legally obligated to disclose any
public documents, including proposals, to the extent required thereunder. The County's legal
obligation shall not be limited or expanded in any way by a Proposer's assertion of confidentiality
and/or proprietary data.

V. REQUIRED CONTENTS AND FORMAT OF PROPOSALS:
All prospective Proposers must submit a complete response to the RFP in the following
format and order:
A. Transmittal Letter:
This is to be a brief letter on the Proposer's letterhead, addressed to the County of
Westmoreland, which provides the following information:
1. Correct legal name and address of the Proposer.
2. Name, title, telephone, e-mail address and fax number of the contact person
for the Proposer.
3. A statement that the proposal is in response to this RFP and that the Proposer
agrees to accept all the requirements of the RFP. Any exceptions to RFP
requirements should be clearly identified.
4. The signature, along with the typed name and title of the individual who
must be authorized to commit the Proposer to the proposal. The signature must be
an original manual signature, not a facsimile
B. Technical Proposal:
This portion of the proposal must address each item listed below:
1. Introduction & Profile:
a. Experience in providing autopsy services for a County the size of
Westmoreland.
b. Number of years providing autopsy services.
c. Facilities in which you have provided autopsy services.
d. Provide a minimum of 5 professional references.
e. Provide a list of lawsuits filed or threatened against your company,
and/or its physicians, that allege negligence, malpractice, denial of
civil rights, breach of contract to provide services, and any other
lawsuits of any kind whatsoever, including any settlements made
(with or without filing a lawsuit) within the last five (5) years.

Include the court name, case caption, and docket number.
f. Please state whether your company's, or those of its physicians,
licenses or certificates have ever been limited, restricted, suspended
or revoked. If so, please provide the details.
g. Please state whether your company, and/or its physicians, have at
any time been under investigation by any state or federal licensing or
regulatory agency. If yes, please explain.
h. Provide current licensure to practice medicine in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania for each physician who is to provide autopsy
services.
i. Provide proof that the physician is a board-certified pathologist with
at least two years of forensic pathology work experience beyond
forensic pathology residency/fellowship training.
j. Please set forth whether the physician has testified in the field of
forensic pathology as an expert witness. If so, how often within
the last five years.
k. Please provide a curriculum vitae for each physician who is to
provide autopsy services.
l. As part of your proposal, please include a fee structure that includes
the following:
i. a price for the performance of a complete medical-legal
autopsy, including gross and microscopic diagnosis and a
typed post-mortem protocol/report. The payment shall
include the services of a technician selected by the successful
Proposer for assistance at any autopsy. The successful
Proposer shall be responsible for making payment to the
technician for his/her services, and for handling all tax related
matters regarding such payment (e.g.: IRS Form 1099 or
Form W-2 and all related tax withholding).
ii. DNA spot card.
iii. Special supply fees such as a sexual assault kit or a gunshot
wound/suspicious case evidence collection.
iv. Complex case fee.
v. Quick tox testing kits.
Mobile x-rays, specialty histology e.g. IHC stains,
microbiology and virology, and neuropathology exams will
continue to be billed at cost upon receipt of the vendor
invoice.

m. As part of the proposal, please include a price for the giving of
testimony at any Coroner's inquest, including pre-inquest
conferences with the Coroner's Solicitor by phone or in person.
2. Insurance:
The successful Proposer shall provide certificates of insurance made out to
the County of Westmoreland, indicating that the below listed insurance
requirements are in force:
a. General Liability: Limits of $1,000,000.00 per
occurrence/$2,000,000.00 aggregate at a minimum.
b. Worker's Compensation: Statutory benefits; employer's liability.
$500,000.00 one accident and aggregate disease. The Proposer's carrier will
waive all rights of subrogation against the County.
c. Automobile Liability: $1,000,000.00 per occurrence combined
single limit for bodily injury (including death) and property damage liability,
covering owner, non-owned and hired vehicles.
d. Professional Liability Insurance - Claims-based medical malpractice
$1,000,000.00 per occurrence/$3,000,000.00 aggregate at a minimum.
e. Excess coverage insurance in the minimum of $2,000,000.00 shall be
required covering general liability, automobile liability and employer's
liability policies.
. e. Westmoreland County, the Westmoreland County Coroner and their
officers and employees must be named as additional insured parties on all
liability policies. Coverage for occurrences happening during the
performance of services required under the agreement must be maintained in
full force and effect under the policy.
f. Thirty (30) days notice of cancellation or threatened notice of
cancellation.

g. Each physician, pathologist nurse, and other professional who will
perform autopsies must either be covered under Proposer's insurance policy
for professional liability or provide the County with evidence of separate
policies of professional liability insurance with policy limits of
$1,000,000.00 per occurrence and $300,000.00 in the aggregate. The
insurance requirements shall also apply to interns or 1099 contractors of
Proposer.
h. Proof of insurance coverage shall be submitted with the Proposal.
C. The Proposer must demonstrate that it has a history of successfully performing its
contractual obligations without default, without imposition of fines or penalties for failure to
perform as promised and in accordance with law and regulations, and without excessive litigation
involving claims of negligence, civil rights violations, or breach of contract.
D. The Proposer shall certify that it is not currently under suspension or debarment by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or federal government. If the proposer cannot so certify,
then it shall submit a written explanation of why such certification cannot be made.
VI. SCOPE OF WORK:
Proposers must demonstrate that they have the resources and capability to provide the services as
described herein. All proposals must be made on the basis of, and either meet or exceed, the
requirements contained herein. Proposers shall:
a. Provide complete medical-legal autopsies, including gross and microscopic
diagnosis autopsy services, for the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office
onsite at the Westmoreland County Forensic Center in accordance with the
highest scientific, professional, and ethical standards of his/her profession.
b. Provide his/her own transportation.
c. Provide his own surgical instruments and personal protective equipment.

d. Provide for the removal of biochemical and biohazard waste at its own expense.
e. Perform autopsies within 24-32 hours upon notification by Coroner; extended
time can be requested by Proposer and granted at the Coroner's sole discretion.
f. Postmortem reports are to be finalized within thirty (30) days of receipt of all
results and/or reports for ancillary laboratory analysis or examination performed
by others, or additional law enforcement information.
g. The reports shall be a complete, typed, final report, which is free of grammatical
and spelling errors, and contain the following information at a minimum:
1. The name of the individual, age, sex, other vital statistics, and applicable
Coroner case number.
2. The date and time of autopsy.
3. A description of examination of individual/records.
4. A description of the internal examination, noting the weight and condition
of specific organs and condition of internal body systems. As applicable, the
report shall include significant positive findings and relevant negative
findings; list of gross diagnoses; microscopic examination; summary of
laboratory tastings; mechanism of death; diagrams of injuries (with photos as
appropriate); and any other information considered pertinent by the successful
Proposer.
5. Summary of relevant historical and scene information, as appropriate,
results/findings from examination performed and determination of cause of
death.
6. Any other information required by applicable state/federal laws or
regulations.