TestNebraska contractor says senators’ criticism unfounded

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Utah company that agreed to provide Nebraska with 540,000 coronavirus tests defended its work Tuesday after four state senators called on Gov. Pete Ricketts to cancel the state’s $27 million contract with the firm.

Nomi Health said in a statement that the company has delivered more than 200,000 FDA-approved tests to the state ahead of schedule, launched the state’s TestNebraska website, set up a lab to process them and helped mobilize testing sites in four Nebraska cities.

“TestNebraska is an incredible collaboration between this state’s public and private sectors,” the company said in a statement.

Company officials also disputed the senators’ allegation that the company hasn’t delivered the contractually required number of tests within 48 hours. The contract only requires the company to provide testing materials, hardware and technology for the TestNebraska program, but doesn’t hold the company responsible for testing turnaround times.