Air Evac Ems, Inc.

Air Evac Ems, Inc., doing business as Air Evac Lifeteam, is a for-profit emergency air medical transportation provider based in O'Fallon, Missouri, that competes as a prime contractor (100% of awards) in full-and-open competitive procurements with the federal correctional system, with no small business set-asides across its federal footprint.

The vendor's federal work centers on emergency air ambulance and medical flight services for the Bureau of Prisons, delivering helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, and life flight vehicle transportation for inmate medical evacuations and transfers between correctional facilities and external hospitals. Recent representative work includes a $98 thousand firm fixed-price purchase order from United States Penitentiary Big Sandy (July 2026) for FY26 air ambulance services; a $78 thousand order from Federal Correctional Institution Greenville (July 2026) for emergency medical flight transport of an inmate from Holy Family Hospital to St. Joseph's Hospital in Springfield; and a $166 thousand order from United States Penitentiary Marion (March 2024) for FY24 air evacuation services. All awards are structured as purchase orders under firm fixed-price terms with performance locations at West Plains, Missouri, and O'Fallon, Missouri.

Customer concentration is extreme and narrow. The Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons accounts for 88% of awards (30 of 34 awards) and 92% of combined potential value. Within DOJ-BOP, five facilities dominate: United States Penitentiary Big Sandy anchors the portfolio with 13 awards totaling $918 thousand; United States Penitentiary Marion (5 awards, $467 thousand); Federal Correctional Institution Greenville (8 awards, $452 thousand); Federal Correctional Institution Big Spring (2 awards, $165 thousand); and Federal Correctional Complex Forrest City (2 awards, $90 thousand). The remaining four customer agencies (U.S. Marshals Service and three other DOJ facilities) collectively account for 12% of awards and 8% of dollars.

Activity has accelerated in recent years. The vendor won two awards in 2022, five in 2023, ten in 2024, six in 2025, and six in 2026 (as of late August). Combined potential value across all 34 awards totals $2.3 million, with 100% of that amount obligated; awards are small-dollar purchase orders averaging approximately $68 thousand per contract.

Air Evac Lifeteam operates as a pure prime contractor with no subcontract footprint in the federal award record. The vendor does not sit on multi-award vehicles, GWACs, or agency-wide IDIQs; all work flows through individual purchase orders issued by correctional facilities on an as-needed basis for emergency medical transport. Work is classified under NAICS 621910 (Ambulance Services), with secondary classifications under 481211 (Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation) and medical equipment supply codes. PSC coding reflects air passenger transportation (15 awards) and ambulance services (13 awards).

The business model is specialized, transactional, and facility-dependent — the vendor maintains no framework agreements or standing orders and competes for individual emergency lifts on a full-and-open basis without set-aside protection. Recompete risk is distributed across multiple small-dollar orders rather than concentrated in a few large vehicles; the portfolio is resilient to individual facility losses but vulnerable to system-wide policy changes in Bureau of Prisons medical transport sourcing.