Tuolumne County Ambulance Services

Tuolumne County, through its Health and Human Services Agency's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency, is seeking a qualified organization to provide personnel and management for the Tuolumne County Ambulance Service (TCAS). The RFP solicits a comprehensive ground ambulance service provider to operate across 2,235 square miles serving 55,620 residents, delivering approximately 8,200 annual calls. The service requires operating five 24/7 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances, two 12/7 ALS ambulances, and one 10/7 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance, totaling 55,167 unit hours annually. Proposers must demonstrate five years of experience managing ALS ambulance services for populations over 40,000 and have expertise in both 911 and interfacility transport services. The proposal evaluation will assess credentials (17%), incumbent workforce (10%), training programs (6%), response times (5%), fiscal strength (4%), billing integration (5%), system status (10%), EMS stakeholder integration (15%), system commitment (13%), and clinical quality (15%). Key dates include a mandatory Letter of Intent due January 19, 2026, a pre-bidders conference on January 5, 2026, proposal submissions due February 13, 2026, optional interviews on February 23, 2026, and anticipated contract award on February 27, 2026.

The contract includes specific employment restrictions preventing CalPERS retirees from participating if their proposed work is similar to previous employment and prohibiting current County employees from responding while maintaining active employment status. The County will provide ambulances, EMS equipment, disposable supplies, ambulance stations, 911 dispatch, office space, IT infrastructure, insurance, billing services, and communication equipment at no cost to the contractor. The incumbent contractor currently employs approximately 60 full-time and part-time paramedics and EMTs, with proposals required to maintain at least 51% full-time field staff. The contract term is five years, with an option for mutual extension up to an additional five years, and either party may terminate with one year's written notice. The County will compensate the contractor monthly based on actual unit hours deployed, with compensation determined by the detailed cost proposal submitted by bidders. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the pricing proposal spreadsheet suggests comprehensive financial modeling across personnel, operational expenses, and requested margin calculations for each contract year.