County Board Approves RFP for Ambulance Services

With the Effingham County Board's contract with Abbott EMS for 911 ambulance service to expire in April, the Board met in special session Monday to request proposals for service once the current contract ends.

The proposal is for a three-year contract, with the option of renewing the contract in each of the following two years. The current contract is a five-year agreement.

The County Board's Ambulance Oversight Committee will review the proposals and make a recommendation to the full Board as to who should get the contract. 

Interested vendors will have until August 6 to submit questions, and answers will be posted on the County website by August 13. The proposal submission due date is September 14 at 3:30pm, and the proposals will be opened at that time. The goal is to award the new contract on October 18.

Again, the proposals will be to provide 911 service. Other ambulance calls will not be covered by the new agreement.

County Board Vice-Chairman Dave Campbell asked why there isn't any provision in the proposal for how many ambulances will be available. Campbell said that's the question about service he hears most frequently. 

County Board Chairman Jim Niemann said, "If the County dictates you have to have so many ambulances, and if we don't have enough, we are on the hook."

Ambulance Oversight Committee Chairman Rob Arnold added that the issue is answered by the penalties included in the proposal for lack of timely service, rather than requiring a certain number of ambulances. In the proposal, the Ambulance Oversight Committee and County Board will review each violation and can levy a penalty. A failure to arrive with a transport capable unit within the required response time will be $500. The penalty goes to $1,000 if a response doesn't occur within five minutes of the deadline, up to $8,000 if the unit doesn't arrive within 20 minutes after the required response time, and $10,000 for failure to respond to a call or if the patient is transported by some other means.

The response time will begin when 911 signals the need for a rig.

The request also asks for the vendors to establish its rate schedule for all services and charges.

There was a question about mutual aid, and what agency would be liable in the event of a lack of service. Niemann said that would be on the vendor, since that is who will be under contract to the County.