EMS Air Medical Program

Escambia County, Florida is seeking proposals for an EMS Air Medical Program through RFP #PD 24-25.109, with the goal of procuring comprehensive critical care medical transportation services. The county requires a provider capable of delivering advanced air medical services including 911 scene responses and interfacility transfers, with the ability to deploy two critical care level providers to patient locations. Required medical capabilities include specialized mechanical ventilation, blood product administration, advanced pharmacology, advanced airway management, and rapid sequence intubation (RSI). The procurement aims to reduce patient morbidity and mortality through expedited transport. The evaluation process will award a total of 100 points across six categories: Qualifications & Experience (20 points), Methodology - Operations (25 points), Fleet (10 points), Training (10 points), Financial Capacity (10 points), and Financial Proposal (25 points). Key procurement dates include a question submission deadline of July 2, 2025, and a proposal response deadline of July 11, 2025 at 10:30 am. Minimum qualifications for proposers include FAA certification, aircraft medical transport certification, and accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS).

The procurement appears open to all qualified medical transportation providers meeting the specified requirements, with no specific set-aside designations mentioned. The contract term is three years with two potential one-year renewal options, potentially extending to a maximum of five years. The county will provide four full-time paramedics and one relief paramedic, while the successful provider must supply a helicopter pilot, an emergency medicine nurse, and critical care personnel. The financial proposal includes a complex revenue-sharing model with a monthly medical director fee, projected minimum air transport flights, and per-flight fees that vary based on transport volume. Providers must propose an annual fee/cost increase percentage with a minimum of 2%. While a specific budget range is not explicitly stated, the proposal suggests a financially collaborative approach where the county will receive compensation based on the number and type of medical transport flights. The program serves Escambia County, which has approximately 325,000 residents and receives around 2.5 million visitors annually, indicating a potentially significant operational scope for the selected provider.