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Commissioners court names Acadian highest-ranked proposer for county ambulance services
Summary
After evaluating proposals, the court accepted the evaluation committee's recommendation to negotiate with Acadian Ambulance Service for emergency ambulance coverage in unincorporated Liberty County; commissioners and city representatives discussed mutual-aid and contract transition details.
Liberty County Commissioners Court voted on Sept. 9 to accept the evaluation committee’s recommendation and move to negotiate a contract with Acadian Ambulance Service for emergency ambulance services in unincorporated areas of the county.
The evaluation committee reviewed four proposals and rated Acadian the highest overall. County staff told the court the current county contract with Allegiance (the incumbent) does not expire until March 2026, and the recommendation to negotiate with Acadian is intended to allow time to finalize contract terms and transition planning if the court proceeds.
During the discussion, commissioners and city representatives raised questions about how the county contract would interact with city-run ambulance services and existing municipal contracts. County staff and the fire marshal said mutual-aid arrangements would remain possible and that Acadian indicated it could establish an operational presence in the county quickly if needed. “They could have boots on the ground within 6 hours,” a county official said reporting the proposer’s timeline.
Some commissioners expressed concern about the relative weighting of price versus service quality in the evaluation. County counsel and the procurement committee explained the solicitation was a qualifications-based request for proposals (RFP) where service capability, response times and quality were primary evaluation criteria and price was one factor the committee could negotiate after selecting the highest-ranked proposer.
Commissioner Bruce moved to accept the committee recommendation and negotiate with Acadian; Commissioner Greg seconded the motion. The court approved the motion by voice vote.
County staff said that if the court decides to finalize an Acadian contract and Allegiance terminates or does not renew before the March 2026 expiration, the county could enter interlocal agreements with cities to preserve mutual-aid coverage until a county contract is fully in place.
