RFP _ Clinch County EMS 2026 FINAL.pdf

Clinch County RFP ||

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

RFP No. 04062026

FOR

ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT – PARAMEDIC LEVEL

EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICES

CLINCH COUNTY, GEORGIA

CLINCH COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Henry Moylan, Chairman

Chad Brown

Debra Thomas

Bob Johnson

Tanya O’Berry

Jaclyn James, County Administrator

Pam Welch, County Clerk

Chad Corlee, County Attorney

COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OPENING

DATE: April 6, 2026

PLACE: Clinch County Commission Office

Clinch County

22 Court Square, Suite B

Homerville, GA 31634

TIME: 6:00 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ...................................................................... SECTION 1

INSTRUCTIONS AND CONDITIONS ............................................................ SECTION 2

PROPOSAL CONTENT AND RESPONSE .................................................... SECTION 3

GENERAL INFORMATION ............................................................................ SECTION 4

SCOPE OF WORK ........................................................................................ SECTION 5

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS .............................................................. SECTION 6

EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA ................................................. SECTION 7

GENERAL CONDITIONS .............................................................................. SECTION 8

STANDARD STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS ............................................... SECTION 9

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ............................................................................... APPENDIX 1

REQUIRED RELEASE FORMS ................................................................... APPENDIX 2

PRICING INFORMATION ............................................................................ APPENDIX 3

AGREEMENT FOR EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICES…………….. APPENDIX 4

SECTION 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Emergency Ambulance Services

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Clinch County Board of Commissioners will receive proposals to provide Emergency

Ambulance Service within the unincorporated areas of the County and the municipalities located within the County, as specified in this Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposals must be received by 4:00 PM on April 1, 2026. Late proposals will not be considered or returned.

Proposal packets will be available at Clinch County Board of Commissioners Office, 22 Court

Square, Suite B Homerville, Georgia 31516, 912-487-2667 and on Clinch County’s website at www.clinchcountyga.gov. Sealed proposals are to be sent to Clinch County Board of

Commissioners, Attn: Jaclyn James at 22 Court Square, Suite B Homerville, GA 31634.

Proposals will be opened in the Board of Commissioners Conference Room on April 6, 2026 at

6:00 PM.

The Clinch County Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all proposals not in compliance with all prescribed public proposal procedures and requirements, reject any and all proposals upon the finding that it is in the public interest to do so, and waive any and all informalities.

http://www.clinchcountyga.gov/

SECTION 2

INSTRUCTIONS AND CONDITIONS

INSTRUCTIONS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 GENERAL:

Proposers must study carefully and conform to these "Instructions and Conditions" so that their proposals will be regular, complete and acceptable.

2.2 PROPOSALS:

All proposals must be signed in ink in the blank spaces provided herein (Section 3). If the proposal is made by a firm or partnership, the name and address of the firm or partnership shall be shown together with the names and addresses of the members. If the proposal is made by a limited liability company, corporation or similar entity, it must be signed in the name of such entity by an official who is authorized to bind the contract and proof of such authority shall be supplied.

2.3 SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS:

Sealed proposals must be submitted bearing on the outside the name and address of the proposer, the name of the project for which the proposal is submitted and the time and date of the proposal opening. If the proposal is forwarded by mail the proposal, must be enclosed in a package addressed to Clinch County Board of Commissioners, Attn: Jaclyn

James, 22 Court Square, Suite B Homerville, GA 31634

2.4 RECEIPT AND OPENING OF PROPOSALS:

Proposals shall be submitted prior to the closing time for receipt of proposals fixed in the advertisement for proposals. Proposals received after the closing time so designated will be considered late proposals and will be returned unopened.

No responsibility will be attached to any official of the County for the premature opening of, or the failure to open, a proposal not properly addressed and identified.

At the time fixed for the opening, the proposals may be opened so as to avoid disclosure of contents to competing proposers during the process of negotiation.

A register of proposals shall be prepared and shall be open for public inspection after contract award. Once the opening time and date arrive, the names of the proposers submitting proposals are read publicly. Other information may be disclosed as deemed advantageous by the Commission.

2.5 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS:

Proposals may be withdrawn by written or electronic request received from the contractors prior to the time fixed for opening. Negligence on the part of the vendor in preparing the proposal confers no right for the withdrawal of the proposal after it has been opened. The proposal will be irrevocable until the County Board of Commissioners:

1. Specifically rejects the proposal, or

2. Awards a contract and said contract is properly executed.

Contractors' proposals must be valid for at least 120 days after the date fixed for the opening of the proposals.

2.6 MODIFICATIONS:

Any contractor may modify his/her proposal by registered communication at any time prior to the scheduled closing time for receipt of proposals, provided such communication is received prior to the closing time. The communication should not reveal the proposal price but should provide that the final price or terms will not be known until the sealed proposal is opened.

2.7 ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF PROPOSALS:

In the award of the contract, the Clinch County Board of Commissioners will accept the proposal or proposals that in their estimation will best serve the interests of Clinch County and reserves the right to award the contract to the contractor whose proposal shall be best for the public good. The Clinch County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any proposal that is incomplete, obscure or irregular may be rejected. Only one proposal will be accepted from any one firm or association. Where multiple options are requested in the proposal response, this shall constitute a single proposal. Any evidence of collusion between proposers may constitute a cause for rejection of any proposals so affected.

2.8 NEGOTIATIONS WITH PROPOSERS:

The Clinch County Board of Commissioners reserves the right to negotiate all elements of the proposals, including but not limited to price, scope of services, and contract terms.

The Clinch County Board of Commissioners may enter into negotiations with the top-ranked proposer. If a contract cannot be finalized, the Clinch County Board of

Commissioners may move to the next highest-ranked proposal.

The Clinch County Board of Commissioners may, at its discretion, request the best and final offer from one or more proposers. Proposers are advised that it is possible that an award may be made without discussion or any contact concerning the proposals received.

Neither the Clinch County Board of Commissioners nor any proposer will be bound unless and until a written contract mutually accepted by both parties is negotiated as to its terms and conditions and is signed by the Clinch County Board of Commissioners and a proposer containing such terms and conditions as are negotiated between those parties.

The Agreement For Emergency Ambulance Services is attached as APPENDIX 4 that the

Clinch County Board of Commissioners expects the winning proposer to execute, but the right to negotiate changes to the Agreement For Emergency Ambulance Services is reserved. The final executed Agreement For Emergency Ambulance Services shall supersede all negotiations.

2.9 ADDENDA AND INTERPRETATIONS:

No oral interpretations shall be made to any proposer as to the meaning of any of the contract documents or be effective to modify any of the provisions of the contract documents. All requests for an interpretation shall be made electronically and emailed to the County Administrator and, to be given consideration, must be received no later than

March 25, 2026. Any and all such interpretations will be sent electronically not later than

March 30, 2026. Failure of any proposer to receive any such addendum or interpretation shall not relieve such proposer from any obligation under this proposal as submitted. All addenda so issued shall become as much a part of the contract documents as if bound herein.

2.10 NONDISCRIMINATION:

The successful contractor agrees that, in performing the work called for by this proposal and in securing and supplying materials, the contractor will not discriminate against any person based on protected classes specified in federal, state, or local law.

2.11 FAILURE TO SUBMIT PROPOSAL:

If no proposal is to be submitted, do not return the RFP. Failure of the recipient to make a proposal, or to notify the issuing office that future solicitations are desired, will not result in removal of the name of such recipient from the mailing list for the type of supplies or services covered by the solicitation.

2.12 PREPARATION OF PROPOSALS:

Proposers are expected to examine the specifications, schedules and all instructions.

Each proposer shall furnish the information required by the solicitation. Proposers shall sign the solicitation and print or type their name on other submitted exhibits and each continuation sheet thereof on which an entry is made. Erasures or other changes must be initialed by the person signing the proposal. Proposals signed by an manager, member, officer, or agent are to be accompanied by evidence of his/her authority unless such evidence has been previously furnished.

Proposers shall state a definite time for delivery of supplies or for performance of services.

Time, if stated as number of days, will include Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

2.13 SPECIFICATIONS LIMITING COMPETITION:

Proposers may comment on any specification or requirement contained within this RFP, which they feel limits competition in the selection of a proposer to perform the services herein defined. Protests shall detail the reasons and any proposed changes to the specifications. Such comments shall be formal in writing and are to be addressed and emailed to:

Clinch County Board of Commissioners

Attention: Jaclyn James

Specification Protest: Ambulance Services

Clinch County

22 Court Square, Suite B

Homerville, Georgia 31634 jjames@clinchcountyga.gov

Such comments shall be submitted to Clinch County no later than April 6, 2026. No comments will be accepted after that time. Any substitutions for items specified will not be accepted without prior written approval of the County Administrator.

2.14 EXCEPTIONS:

Responding proposers taking exception to any requirement of this RFP Document shall indicate such exception(s) on a separate page of their proposal. Proposers failing to indicate any exceptions shall be interpreted so that the responding vendor intends to fully comply with all RFP requirement(s) as written and subsequent agreement terms as stated.

Explanation must be made for each item for which exception is taken, giving in detail the extent of the exception, and the reason(s) for which it is taken, for consideration to be given to the vendor.

2.15 EMPLOYEES NOT TO BENEFIT:

No employee or elected official of Clinch County shall be admitted to any share or part of this contract or to any benefit that may arise therefrom; but this provision shall not be construed to extend to this contract if made with a corporation for its general benefit.

2.16 COUNTY FURNISHED PROPERTY:

No material, labor or facilities will be furnished by the County unless otherwise provided for in the Request for Proposals.

SECTION 3

PROPOSAL CONTENTS AND RESPONSE

PROPOSAL CONTENTS AND RESPONSE

3.1 GENERAL:

The proposal should contain the required elements as stated in Section 3.2. Detailed

Submittal Requirements. The County reserves the right to solicit additional information or proposal clarification from the firms, or any one firm submitting proposals, should the

County deem such information necessary. Any proposer supplied material that is to be considered confidential, to the extent allowed under Georgia Public Records Law, must be so marked with statutory exemption asserted.

3.1.1 The proposals shall be submitted by April 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM to Clinch County

Board of Commissioners, Attn: Jaclyn James, 22 Court Square, Suite B

Homerville, Georgia 31634

3.1.2 One (1) signed original and five (5) copies of the proposal shall be submitted, along with one electronic copy in PDF format.

3.1.3 Clinch County reserves the right to solicit additional information or proposal clarification from proposers, or any one proposer, should the County deem such information necessary.

3.1.4 This Request for Proposals (RFP) and all supplemental information in response to this RFP will be a binding part of the final contract entered into by the selected vendor and Clinch County.

3.1.5 Any Proposer supplied material that may be considered confidential, to the extent allowed under Georgia Public Records Law, must be so marked with statutory exemption asserted.

3.1.6 Clinch County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to accept the proposal deemed most advantageous to the County.

3.1.7 All costs associated with participation in this procurement process shall be borne by the proposer. The County will not be responsible for any costs incurred by any party because of participation in this process. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

3.1.8 The proposer shall submit executed notarized “investigative authorization forms” for the company(s) whose credentials are submitted for review and for all owners, officers and key personnel. Publicly held companies need only submit the company release and those for the managers and key personnel who would be involved in the fulfillment of the contract or in the preparation of the proposal.

Copies of the required release forms are provided as Appendix 2, Investigative

Releases.

3.1.9 The County specifically makes no representations or warranties regarding the number of requests for ambulance service, ambulance transports, quantities or length of long-distance transports, or frequency of special events coverage that may be associated with this procurement. Any and all historical data related to past volumes of emergency response activity within the Clinch County EMS system are provided to illustrate the historical level of emergency activity only, and not to guarantee future business volume.

3.1.10 Proposers are cautioned that all inquiries must be made to the Clinch County

Administrator at the following address:

Clinch County Board of Commissioners

Attn: Jaclyn James

22 Court Square, Suite B

Homerville, Georgia 31634 jjames@clinchcountyga.gov

Requests for clarification of the RFP specifications must be made electronically.

Answers to questions, if any, raised by any proposer will be sent electronically to every potential proposer who has properly registered with the County. Any information obtained by proposers from any source other than electronic communication from the County should be considered unofficial and possibly in error.

3.1.11 The Commission reserves the right to amend or clarify this RFP by addenda.

Addenda may be issued no later than ten days prior to the due date of the proposals. All addenda issued will become part of the original or modified RFP document. The addenda will be posted to under “Bid & RFP Announcements” on the Commission’s web site.

3.2 DETAILED SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROPOSAL CONTENTS

To ensure that the evaluation of proposals is as equitable as possible, all proposals must be submitted in the following format. Order and numbering conventions should be consistent with the required Table of Contents.

I. Letter of Transmittal

II. Introduction

A. Description of Proposed Organization

III. Credentials

A. Analogous Experience

B. Demonstration of Sound Financial Position

C. Documentation of Regulatory Compliance and Litigation

IV. Clinical Performance

A. Methods to Ensure Sound Clinical Performance

B. Medical Oversight and Direction

V. Community Service and Education

VI. Control Center Operations

A. Proposed Dispatch Equipment and CAD System

B. Proposed Methods of Providing High Quality Dispatch Services.

VII. Human Resources

A. Compensation and Benefits

B. Health and Safety Programs

C. Recruitment and Retention Strategies

VIII. First Responder Program Support

A. First Responder Equipment and Supply Replenishment

B. Training Support for First Responder Program

C. Creative Proposals to Enhance Provider / First Responder Partnership

IX. Fleet and Equipment Issues

A. Proposed Vehicles and Equipment

X. Administrative

A. Provision of Insurance

XIII. Pricing Information

The Proposer will address each item in this section. Programs and offerings will be compared to other proposals. Any proposer whose response fails to incorporate or utilize the minimum standards shall be non-responsive.

3.3 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The successful proposer must be an Equal Opportunity Employer and have a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, consistent with federal, state and local law. A statement attesting to this must be included.

PROPOSAL RESPONSE

Submitted by:

Address:

Date:

Phone number:

Email: _________________________________________________________________

The undersigned, through the formal submittal of this proposal response, declares that he/she has examined all related proposal documents and read the instruction and conditions, and hereby proposes to supply materials and services for EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICES FOR

CLINCH COUNTY as specified, in accordance with the proposal documents herein.

The Proposer, by his signature below, hereby represents as follows:

(a) That no Commissioner, officer, agency or employee of Clinch County is personally interested directly or indirectly in this contract or the compensation to be paid hereunder, and that no representation, statement or statements, oral or in writing, of the County, its Commissioners, officers, agents, or employees had induced him to enter into this contract and the papers made a part hereof by its terms;

(b) That this proposal is made without connection with any person, firm or corporation making a proposal for the same material, and is in all respects, fair and without collusion or fraud.

(c) The proposer agrees to accept as full payment for the services specified herein, the amount as shown in his/her proposal.

(d) Proposers shall use recyclable products to the maximum extent economically feasible in the performance of the contract work set forth in this document.

(e) The County is conducting a competitive RFP process for the contract, which must be free from improper influence or lobbying. Proposers are authorized to contact only the County

Administrator with comments or questions related to this RFP. No Proposer, including anyone directly or indirectly on behalf of such Proposer, shall attempt to influence any part of the process. From the time the RFP is issued until the Board of Commissioners approves a final contract award (the “Pre-execution Period”), proposers directly, or indirectly through others, agree not to attempt to influence in any manner the decision-making process, including, but not limited to, contacting or lobbying the Board of Commissioners or County Administrator;

contacting RFP evaluators; or answer questions regarding the RFP or their Proposals. Violation of this provision during the Pre-execution Period may subject the Proposal or the Proposer to be rejected from the process.

The names of the principal officers of the corporation submitting this proposal, or of the partnership, or of all persons interested in this proposal as principals are as follows:

Name Title

(If Sole Proprietor or Partnership)

In witness hereto, the undersigned has set his (its) hand this ___ day of______, 2026.

Name of Firm

Signature of Proposer

(If Corporation or Limited Liability Company)

In witness, whereof the undersigned corporation has caused this instrument to be executed by its duly authorized officers this __ day of ______, 2026.

Name of Corporation/LLC

By

Title

SECTION 4

GENERAL INFORMATION

GENERAL INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

Clinch County, Georgia, announces an invitation for qualified proposers to submit proposals for the provision of exclusive emergency ambulance services. The successful proposer will be granted an exclusive contract subject to Clinch County Commission approval for an initial period of one (1) year, beginning immediately and will have the opportunity to earn up to four, 1-year extensions based on performance. The contractor is responsible for the collection of patient transport revenues from appropriate sources other than the County.

A. Overview of System Design

Clinch County was created in 1850, and is the third largest county land-wise in the state, with 809 square miles of area. The City of Homerville is the County Seat. Clinch County’s population estimate for 2026 is approximately 6,749.

The County currently maintains advanced life support emergency ambulance services in the Clinch County 911 Ambulance Zone through an emergency medical service contract with Gold Star EMS, LLC. The current level of effort maintains the minimum provision of

3 Advanced Life Support Ambulances, 1 units staffed 24-7. The County provides funding through the General Operating Fund as approved in the annual budget by the Clinch

County Board of Commissioners. There are approximately 1,000 emergency requests for service each year. In addition, to the ambulance service provider, multiple first responders within Clinch County respond to emergency medical calls. The Homerville-Clinch FD, staffed with career personnel operates within the jurisdictional limits of Clinch County and the City of Homerville, the Argyle FD, similarly staffed, responds to emergency calls within the City of Argyle, the Dupont FD, similarly staffed, responds to emergency calls within the jurisdictional limits of the City of Dupont, and the Fargo FD, similarly staffed, responds to emergency calls within the jurisdictional limits of the City of Fargo. Clinch County operates multiple fire station facilities throughout the unincorporated areas of Clinch

County utilizing volunteer staff.

The County is responsible for providing no less than one (1) Advanced Life Support ambulance crews at any given time.

III. Service Area Summary, Demographics and Background

A. Service Area

The service area is Clinch County, Georgia. Clinch County is the licensed zone provider of ambulance services within Clinch County as prescribed under OCGA 290-5-30-04.

B. Demographics

Demographic data is provided in Appendix 1.

SECTION 5

SCOPE OF WORK

SCOPE OF WORK

A. General Contractor Relationship

Through this procurement, Clinch County intends to hire a single contractor to provide the services specified within this RFP. Should a proposer intend to utilize one or more subcontractors to provide any of the contractor’s primary responsibilities, including, but not limited to, ambulance response, medical transportation, staffing, training, communications, call center management, accounts receivable management, collection activity, fleet or equipment maintenance, or any similar services, the proposer must include detailed information about the subcontractor and its relationship to the proposer to allow the County to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the subcontractor’s proposed role. County will look only to the primary, general contractor to deliver contracted performance.

B. Scope of Service

The contractor will provide all emergency ground ambulance service for the entire population of Clinch County. The County will permit the Clinch County contractor to compete in the non-emergency segment of the ambulance market using resources that are also used to provide emergency service so long as it does not interfere with the efficient and economical delivery of emergency ambulance service within the County.

All ambulance services will be provided at the advanced life support (ALS) with a minimum of one (1) person with a Georgia Paramedic license on-board . Additionally, the contractor will furnish additional standby coverage for special events, as well as reasonable mutual aid services.

The EMS Station will be provided by the county.

The contractor may seek outside obligations, the contractor may use any of the Clinch

County EMS system infrastructure or factors of production to provide service for any other purpose not covered by the contract, however under no circumstances will such outside obligations interfere with the contractor meeting its obligations to Clinch County.

C. Reporting Requirements

The contractor will provide, by the tenth day of each calendar month, reports detailing its performance during the preceding month as it relates to each of the performance requirements stipulated herein.

D. Equipment Furnished/Infrastructure Available

To provide an integrated response and improve cost effectiveness of the system the

County will provide for the contractor’s use of a radio system owned by the County.

The Tri-County E-911 Authority currently operates a 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch System, which is owned and maintained by Atkinson County, Clinch County, and Lanier County.

The Contractor will fund any modifications, additions or custom programming to the existing CAD that may be required to meet the requirements of this contract.

E. Contractor Provided Equipment

Each proposer must specify in their proposal what vehicles and equipment it proposes for this system.

Ambulance Fleet and Clinical Equipment:

Proposers must provide a detailed plan for the provision and management of the ambulance fleet, support vehicles and equipment. At a minimum, this plan should provide detailed specifications that describe the vehicles and equipment to be used.

Contractor will provide (1) fully operational ambulance units dedicated to specific use for the County and one (1) reserve unit.

The County requires that the specified ambulances meet the State of Georgia minimum standards for vehicles and equipment.

F. Supplies for Basic and Advanced Life Support Services

It will be the contractor’s responsibility to provide all supplies and equipment necessary and/or required to provide basic and advanced life support ambulance services consistent with Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-9-2-.02.

G. Integration of First Responders

Currently, fire agency based first response is available throughout most of the County.

The local fire agency having jurisdiction has the responsibility for overall scene safety and management. The contractor shall be included in standard operating procedures within the command system and may, according to the agreement reached, be provided command responsibilities prior to the arrival of the fire agency. Once the fire agency arrives on scene, the command responsibility is transferred to the ranking fire officer.

Authority and responsibility for patient care will be the responsibility of the senior paramedic, regardless of rank or agency, on the first arriving first response or ambulance vehicle.

Contractor’s support of the first responder program shall include:

1. First Responder Equipment and Supply Replenishment

The contractor shall develop mechanisms to exchange re-usable orthopedic appliances, and re-stock or reimburse disposable and ALS medical supplies used by first responders when first responder personnel have provided treatment. Whenever possible equipment exchange should be accomplished on scene.

Proposers are encouraged to detail their proposed support to the first responder program including access to proposer’s group purchasing programs and other benefits.

2. Support of First Responder In-Service Training

The proposer will detail its proposal to support in-service training for first responders, which will benefit the EMS system as a whole. This training should, at a minimum facilitate on-scene interactions with contractor’s personnel by offering joint EMS training and provide access to the contractor’s educational programs needed for the continued certification of first responders. The proposer will provide a detailed description of its proposed support and funding for first responder training.

H. Communications System Management

The Tri-County E-911 Authority System is responsible for the dispatch of ambulances to 9-1-1 requests for emergency services. Upon the dispatch of the ambulance, callers are transferred to the contractor’s communications center for further instruction and caller communications. The contractor shall furnish and manage its emergency communications center from which it can communicate with the ambulance and personnel responding to emergency calls in Clinch County.

Contractor and the Tri-County E-911 Authority’s supervisory personnel will cooperate in the resolution of problems and disputes. Contractor’s personnel will comply with normal Communications Center standard operating procedures. Contractor and the

Tri-County E-911 Authority’s supervisory personnel will cooperate in the resolution of problems and disputes.

5. Call Screening

The County does not allow the concept of “call screening.” It shall be a major breach of this contract for the contractor to fail to respond to a call or to transport or to render emergency medical patient assessment and treatment, as appropriate, or to otherwise refuse or fail to provide any ambulance services to any location within the regulated service area because of the patient’s perceived, demonstrated or stated inability to pay for such services, or because of an unavailability status or the location of any ambulance unit at the time of the request.

I. Data and Reporting Requirements

The long-term success of an EMS system is predicated upon its ability to both measure and manage its affairs. Therefore, the County will require its contractor to provide detailed operations, clinical and administrative data in a manner that facilitates its retrospective analysis.

1. Communication Center Data Capabilities

The contractor’s electronic data system must be capable of producing reports to be utilized by the County in measuring clinical, operational, and financial performance.

2. Quality Improvement and Medical Control

The contractor’s electronic data system must be capable of capturing and reporting common data elements used within the EMS system. In addition, it is anticipated that the data system will be capable of reporting adherence to medical dispatch protocols, and provision of pre-arrival instruction.

3. Records

It is understood that the data collection system shall include, but not be limited to, the following generally described sources. It is also understood that the contractor shall make these records available upon request of Clinch County.

a. A uniform patient care form.

b. Equipment maintenance and inventory control schedules.

c. Continuing education and certification records documenting training and compliance with the Medical Director’s requirements.

A patient care form is required to be completed for all patients for whom care is rendered at the scene, regardless of whether the patient is transported.

4. Monthly Reports Required

Contractor shall provide, by the fifteenth day of each calendar month, reports detailing its performance during the preceding month as related to the clinical, operational and financial performance stipulated herein. The format of such reports shall be subject to the County’s approval.

5. Financial Statements

Annual income statements for the contractor’s operation under the County contract shall be provided to the County within 90 days of the end of each calendar year. The income statements shall be in the format acceptable to the County and shall be certified by a certified public accountant that has direct responsibility for financial aspects of the contractor’s operations under the County contract. Contractor shall also comply with such other miscellaneous reporting requirements as may be specified by the County.

J. Internal Risk Management/Loss Control Program Required

The County believes that education and aggressive prevention of conditions in which accidents occur is the best mechanism to avoid injuries to patients and the contractor’s staff. Therefore, the County requires the contractor to develop and implement an aggressive loss control program including, at a minimum, physical pre-screening of potential employees (including drug testing), initial and on-going driver training monitoring of driving performance, safety restraints for patients and caregivers, infectious/communicable disease training, lifting technique training, hazard reduction training, as well as involvement of employees in planning and executing its safety program.

K. Stand-By and Special Events Coverage

Upon request by law enforcement and fire department dispatchers, the contractor shall furnish courtesy stand-by coverage at emergency incidents involving a potential danger to the personnel of the requesting agency or the general public.

Other community service-oriented entities may request stand-by coverage from the contractor. The contractor is encouraged to provide such non-dedicated standby coverage to events if possible. If the contractor is requested to provide such services with a dedicated ambulance, then the contractor may provide such services for a charge.

Contractor may also make a paramedic available for pre-scheduled stand-by and special events coverage at an hourly rate. Proposers should provide a plan for the development of a joint special events team utilizing resources provided by the first response agencies that choose to participate, as well as the contractor. Revenues from special events may be used to fund the plan.

L. Community Education Requirements

The County desires that its contractor take significant steps to improve access to the 9-1-

1 system and participate in community education programs emphasizing preventative health care. These programs are to be made available to schools and community groups.

It is the County expectation that the contractor will plan such programs working collaboratively with local fire agencies and other public safety-related groups.

M. Mutual Aid

The contractor shall, at a minimum, provide mutual aid as required by O.C.G.A. § 31-11-

1 et seq. Additionally, the provider may enter into mutual aid agreements with other agencies which will utilize the other provider’s units to occasionally respond to calls within

Clinch County, provided that the level of service is substantially equal to that provided by the contractor and the agreement is approved by the County. Mutual aid may be utilized to augment, but not replace, the services that the County is requiring from the contractor.

In every case, the contractor will be held accountable for the performance, including response times, of any mutual aid provider used in the County.

The contractor will keep records of mutual and regional aid received and given, including the County or other governing entity and EMS provider that provided or received aid. The county may periodically request that the contractor submit a report detailing all mutual and regional aid responses given and received.

N. Disaster Assistance and Response

The contractor shall be actively involved in planning for and responding to any declared disaster in the County. Both a mass casualty incident plan and an emergency disaster plan following incident command system guideline have been developed.

O. Clinical and Employee Provisions

A. Medical Oversight

The Contractor shall furnish medical control services, including the services of a Medical

Director.

1. Medical Protocols

Contractor shall comply with EMS System medical protocols and policies and other requirements of the system standard of care as established by the Medical

Director.

B. Minimum Clinical Levels and Staffing Requirements

All ambulances rendering services shall be staffed and equipped to render paramedic care. Each ambulance crew will include a minimum of one (1) person with a Georgia

Paramedic license and one (1) person with a Georgia EMT - Emergency Medical

Technician license or higher, meaning either an EMT - Emergency Medical Technician, or an EMT-I - Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate or an AEMT – Advanced

Emergency Medical Technician. An EMT-R - Emergency Medical Technician – Responder may count towards the staffing requirement of one (1) person with a Georgia EMT -

Emergency Medical Technician license in the event of an emergency if approved by the

Medical Director.

C. Demonstrable Progressive Clinical Quality Improvement Required

The County desires that its contractor develop and implement a comprehensive quality improvement process for the EMS system. That process shall include, at a minimum, transport personnel, and should provide for integration of all responders and caregivers for each patient care situation. Ideally, the QI process should include all patient contacts and interventions, including: bystander action, AED or other first responders, including law enforcement, 911 call-taking and EMD, multiple agency dispatchers, Fire first responders, Ambulance personnel, online medical advisors, off-line medical advisors and receiving facilities. Quality improvement processes shall be utilized to improve outcome-oriented patient care and facilitate continuing education.

The contractor shall provide in-house or sub-contracted in-service training programs designed to meet employee certification requirements that will be offered at no cost to employees. While the specific compensation strategy utilized by each proposer to attract and retain quality employees is properly left to the expertise of the proposers, the County would like to see the employees compensated for time spent in required training. Such compensation, whether in the form of hourly pay, training bonuses, differential pay or other form should be specifically identified in the proposal.

The contractor shall budget a specific amount each year to be used for non-mandatory clinical upgrades. It is the County’s intent to encourage and require its contractor to anticipate increasing internal standards and the funding needs of these enhancements in addition to those that may be externally mandated. Each Proposer will be required to propose a cumulative annual reserve for these upgrades for each year of the contract.

E. Character Competence and Professionalism of Personnel

The County expects and requires professional and courteous conduct and appearance at all times from the contractor’s field personnel, medical communications personnel, middle managers and top executives.

F. Personnel

The contractor will be expected to furnish the personnel necessary to provide the services identified in the proposal throughout the term of the contract. The contractor is expected to furnish the same personnel or replacement personnel with equal or superior qualifications. Additionally, the proposer is required to provide a proposed organization chart that describes the reporting relationships in each of the positions providing service to Clinch County.

G. Discrimination Not Allowed

During the performance of this contract, the proposer agrees that it will comply with all applicable provisions of federal, state and local laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination. Specifically, the proposer warrants that it shall:

Not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment as articulated in federal, state, or local regulation. This shall include, but not limited to the following:

employment; upgrading; demotion; transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

Employee Affairs – An Employer Matter

The proposers are expected to employ reasonable work schedules and other conditions to ensure the highest level of safety, competence, and longevity.

The County expects that to attract and retain outstanding personnel, the contractor must offer reasonable compensation. Average salary levels, which may be proposed, at a minimum, shall be equal to or exceed current salary levels. The County in no way intends to restrict the ingenuity of the contractor and its employees from working out new and creative compensation (salary and benefits) programs.

The County emphasizes that the contractor is responsible for conducting the affairs with its employees, including managing personnel and resources safely, fairly, and effectively.

The County will not otherwise involve itself in contractor/management/employee relationships.

I. Contractor Recruitment and Retention Strategies

The contractor shall propose creative strategies to recruit and retain employees that meet the goal of minimizing employee turnover.

SECTION 6

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

II. Minimum Qualifications & Documentation of Credentials

A. Overview

This section describes the minimum qualifications that a proposer must meet to be eligible for contract award. This process will require the submission of a single proposal document containing both the proposer’s credentials statement and detailed service proposal.

Credentials statements will be evaluated to establish ability of each proposer in the areas of analogous experience, financial depth and stability, and documentation of regulatory compliance. Proposers are cautioned about submitting incomplete or unresponsive credentials statements or proposals. Incomplete or unresponsive credentials or proposals will not be considered.

The County will conduct a verification of the credentials and qualifications of the proposer receiving the best score in the evaluation process. If the County finds any substantial misrepresentation of qualifications or is unable to verify a proposer’s credentials, the proposer will not be selected.

B. Standard Method for Qualifications

Proposers must provide detailed information and supporting materials to enable the

County to fully evaluate their qualifications. Proposers having multiple sites may use information from any site to establish qualifications.

1. Analogous Experience

Each proposer shall provide the following:

a. Documentation clearly demonstrating that the proposer has experience managing an ambulance service in a community with a population of at least 7,000 persons.

Information should include a list of communities in which the service is operated, name(s), address(es) and phone number(s) of the Medical Director(s) and contract officer(s) or designated public official(s) with oversight responsibility.

b. Documentation of existing sophisticated internal emergency services management systems and personnel that can facilitate its transition to managing such a service.

Proposer shall provide information and documentation of existing management and supervisory strength, including senior management and management bench strength, to demonstrate the organization’s ability to manage such a program. The information provided should be in the form of names and resumes of existing management and supervisory personnel who will be directly responsible and accountable for providing services under this RFP.

2. Demonstration of Sound Financial Position

Proposer shall provide evidence that clearly documents the financial history of the organization. All financial information should be reported for the operational unit responsible for the proposal. If the organization is a multi-site operator or subsidiary operation, it may report consolidated financial information provided that a letter guaranteeing the proposer’s performance with the full faith and credit of the parent organization is included with the financial data. The proposer will also provide and document the following:

a. Access to sufficient capital to provide for implementation and start-up of the contract.

b. Financial reserves or net worth sufficient to sustain the operation in case the proposer has incorrectly estimated expenses or profits from the operation.

c. Any issue or potential event that may have a material bearing on the financial condition, solvency, or credit worthiness of the organization. These should include any material contingent liabilities or uninsured potential losses.

d. Copies of audited financial statements for the last 2 years. If no audited financial statements are available, the company must provide other convincing evidence of financial capability and stability such as financial statements and personal or institutional guarantees of the company’s obligations and performance. The burden of proof of financial stability is upon the proposer.

e. Evidence of the ability to secure insurance coverage required under this procurement. This may be in the form of certificates of insurance or a letter from an appropriate insurance company documenting that coverage will be provided.

3. Documentation of Regulatory Compliance and Litigation

a. Evidence of a compliance program with Federal payers (Medicare & Medicaid) and third-party payer billing and documentation compliance program. Proposer should identify its program, methods, documentation guidelines, and implementation procedures.

b. The proposer shall detail all regulatory investigations, findings, actions, complaints and their respective resolutions. Proposer will specifically include details about all emergency (911) contract terminations within the last two years. Additionally, the proposer will detail the circumstances and resolution of any contract disputes or notices of non-compliance.

c. Specifically, the proposer will provide a description and documentation of the results of any ambulance license termination or federal programs (Medicare, Medicaid or similar programs) compliance investigations of any of their owned or related organizations.

d. The proposer will provide a detailed list of all litigation with an anticipated or reserved exposure of $200,000 or more in which the proposer is involved.

SECTION 7

EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA

A. General Submission Information

1. Procurement Time Frames

The schedule for the Clinch County procurement is outlined in the Schedule found on page 4.

2. Cost of Participation

All costs associated with participation in this procurement process shall be borne by the proposer. The County will not be responsible for any costs incurred by any party because of participation in this process. The County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

3. County to Investigate Credential and Proposal Submissions

The proposer shall submit executed notarized “investigative authorization forms” for the company(s) whose credentials are submitted for review and for all owners, officers and key personnel. Publicly held companies need only submit the company release.

Copies of the required release forms are provided in Appendix 2, Investigative

Releases.

4. Own Expertise and Judgment Required

Each proposer is specifically advised to use its own expertise and professional judgment in deciding upon the methods to be employed to achieve and maintain the level of effort required under the contract. The County recognizes that different proposers may employ different methods with equal success.

5. Estimated Business Volumes

The County specifically makes no representations or warranties regarding the number of requests for ambulance service, ambulance transports, quantities or length of long-distance transports, or frequency of special events coverage that may be associated with this procurement. Historical data related to past volumes of business within the

Clinch County EMS system are provided to illustrate the historical level of performance only, and not to guarantee future business volume.

B. Evaluation of Proposals

The Clinch County Board of Commissioners will evaluate proposals with the assistance of the County Administrator and County Attorney.

Investigations of proposers’ submissions and services may be conducted as deemed necessary by the County. Such investigations may include a site visit.

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following methodology:

• Compliance with the RFP

Proposals determined to be non-compliant with the RFP will be eliminated.

Compliance means that a proposal meets the minimum credentialing criteria, that the proposal was received prior to the deadline for submission, the mandatory table of contents was followed, ordering and numbering conventions are consistent with the required table of contents, programs and offerings described in the proposal meet the prescribed minimum standards, and format stipulated in the RFP.

• Review of Credentials

Credentials statements submitted by all proposers will be evaluated and scored. Then, each proposal will be evaluated and scored. Points accumulated as a result of the credentials review will be included in the final scoring of the proposals.

Credentials scoring will be accomplished by assigning the maximum number of points in each category to the proposer documenting the strongest qualifications. Other proposers will receive proportionately fewer points based on the Selection

Committee’s evaluation of the relative qualifications of each proposer. Submissions failing to demonstrate minimum qualifications in any category will receive a “0” score for that category and be disqualified.

Points awarded because of credentials review will be added to the proposal points in the final compilation process so that, in the event two or more Proposers receive close scores, the more experienced or qualified firm will receive an…