Ambulance Transport Billing and Collection Services

Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners is requesting competitive sealed proposals for ambulance transport billing and collection services for the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Department (HCFR) under RFP 9-RFP-26-00324, with proposals due August 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time through the County's Euna Procurement electronic bidding system. Questions must be submitted within 14 calendar days of solicitation issuance.

The scope encompasses a fully automated billing system, staff training, technical support, and administrative services for HCFR ambulance transport and Fire Marshal inspection billing. HCFR transported approximately 66,000 patients by ambulance in Fiscal Year 2025. The contractor must maintain a minimum 50% collection success rate on Fire Rescue billing and 95% on Fire Marshal inspection fees. Pricing for Medicaid accounts must follow a flat-rate structure under Florida Statutes 409.913(10); fees for all other services shall be a percentage of actual dollars collected monthly, invoiced by the 10th of the following month. The contractor is responsible for all billing operations including mail handling, patient contact, insurance filing, payment processing, and daily bank deposits. No subcontracting is permitted.

The estimated contract value is $9.36 million over a five-year term. The contractor must submit audited financial statements demonstrating financial stability, a System Security Plan, and a Disaster Recovery Plan. A Business Associate Agreement governs Protected Health Information (PHI) handling under HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules; the contractor must report unauthorized PHI access or disclosure to the Privacy Officer within two business days and security incidents within 24 hours. The contractor must assume full financial responsibility for breach notification costs. All production and disaster recovery data centers and support services must be located exclusively in the continental United States, with no transmission of County data to third parties except as authorized in writing. The contractor must maintain cybersecurity certifications, conduct annual third-party security audits, comply with NIST SP 800-53 standards, and integrate with Hillsborough County's Azure Identity Management system. A Cone of Silence restricts communication with County employees and Board members throughout procurement. During contract termination, the contractor must continue collection services for 180 days and return all records in Excel format. Contractors must certify compliance with drug-free workplace requirements, provide a W-9, and submit an Affidavit of Compliance denying business with foreign countries of concern.