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June 24, 2009

Five companies seeking Whitfield ambulance contract

Jamie Jones

The 10 boxes of bids for Whitfield County’s ambulance service had to be wheeled into Administrative Building No. 2 on Wednesday.

The boxes contained documents from five companies: American Medical Response of Georgia (operating out of LaGrange), Angel Emergency Medical Services (based in Catoosa County), Care Ambulance Service (headquartered in Montgomery, Ala.), Lifeguard Ambulance (based in Pensacola, Fla.) and Whitfield Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which is a part of Hamilton Health Care System.

Earlier this spring, the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners put the county’s ambulance service out to bid for the first time. Whitfield EMS has provided ambulance service for the county since 1986. Bid details were not released.

Jeffrey Putnam, director of the county’s Emergency Management Office, said county staff will make a recommendation to the board of commissioners in about four weeks after reviewing the bids. Commissioners will choose the winning bidder.

“We’ve got a pretty good timeline,” Putnam said.

The county is paying Whitfield EMS $632,220 and providing an $85,000 Type 3 ambulance for the fiscal year from July 2008 through June 30. Commissioners earlier this month lengthened the county’s contract with Whitfield EMS until Sept. 30. The county is paying Whitfield EMS $158,055 for the three-month extension. By bidding the ambulance service, county officials hope to save money on ambulance service while still providing a high level of service.

The proposed contract runs to Dec. 31, 2012, with an option for two additional one-year terms. The winning bidder will provide at least five advanced life support ambulances for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The county owns the eight ambulances Whitfield EMS currently uses.



Five companies have submitted bids to provide ambulance service for Whitfield County. The county is currently paying Whitfield Emergency Medical Services $632,220 and providing an $85,000 Type 3 ambulance for the current fiscal year. Here are the bids, which were opened on Wednesday. Details from each bid were not released:

• American Medical Response of Georgia: $595,000

• Angel Emergency Medical Services : $635,000

• Care Ambulance Service: Option 1 - $720,000; option 2 - $420,000; option 3 - $300,000

• Lifeguard Ambulance: Option 1 - $578,000; option 2 - $250,000

• Whitfield Emergency Medical Services: Option 1 - $1.25 million; option 2 - $975,000; option 3 - $658,800 plus one ambulance

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