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DeKalb hears five-year ambulance contract proposal from AMR; committee defers decision
Summary
Staff recommended awarding a multi-year emergency ambulance services contract to Metro Ambulance Services Inc. d/b/a American Medical Response (AMR) and presented performance data, unit-hour minimums, a subsidy mechanism and proposed service enhancements (nurse navigator, whole-blood capability, posting technology). Commissioners requested more comparative bidder detail and deferred the award to a future meeting (recorded motion set for November 4).
The committee reviewed a recommended award for multi-year emergency ambulance services to Metro Ambulance Services Inc., d/b/a American Medical Response (AMR). Staff and the fire chief presented a feasibility study covering 2019'2023, system performance metrics, the terms of an existing extension and a proposed five-year contract with unit-hour minimums, performance credits and specified enhancements.
Staff said the extension includes a daily minimum of unit hours (a unit hour = one ambulance on duty for one hour), performance credits ($150 to $200 per hour) if the vendor fails to meet the minimum, and a subsidy to support ambulance availability. The chief described persistent system issues the RFP is intended to address: hospital offload/wall time, high utilization rates (previously near 80 percent) and the need to measure quality outcomes. The chief emphasized response time and quality-of-care metrics and said the current nurse-navigator program has diverted thousands of calls to non-emergency dispositions.
AMR'proposed enhancements described in the presentation include a nurse navigator program, a whole-blood carriage program for prehospital hemorrhage care (already piloted on two units), a commitment to short shift-change handoffs (15 minutes), additional posting locations to reduce travel and integration of posting/optimization technology. Staff also described workforce-development work and the RFP's billing assumptions (a set billing rate, capped out-of-pocket exposure, and a subsidy request tied to unit-hour levels).
Several commissioners asked for comparative proposal materials, evaluation summaries and per-jurisdiction performance breakdowns (for cities such as Dunwoody and Brookhaven). Procurement staff said evaluation comments were in the agenda packet and that full proposals can be provided to commissioners under procurement rules. Given the volume of technical material and outstanding questions, the committee voted to defer the award decision to a subsequent meeting so commissioners could review bidder proposals, comparative analyses and supplemental information.
