State to Terminate PerkinElmer Contract on May 15

Consistent with the California SMARTER Plan, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently announced it has notified PerkinElmer of its intent to terminate its contract for COVID-19 PCR test processing through the Valencia Branch Laboratory (VBL). Effective May 15, 2022, CDPH will transition from a centralized COVID-19 test processing model at VBL to a network of commercial testing laboratory partners throughout the state.

Recall, the Newsom Administration entered into a billion dollar contract with PerkinElmer in August 2020 to support COVID-19 laboratory testing in California. The state has indicated few changes or disruptions in COVID-19 test collection and processing are anticipated as part of the transition from the VBL to the commercial laboratory network.