SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO AM) - An administrative hearing judge has ruled in favor of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process used by the City of Sioux Falls to award a contract for a local ambulance service provider. This ruling allows City officials to continue a negotiation process that will culminate in a contract with Paramedics Plus to provide ground ambulance transport services to Sioux Falls.
“This ruling recognizes the objective processes used by the City, as well as the hard work done by many people throughout our RFP process,” says Public Health Director Jill Franken. “We are excited to work with Paramedics Plus and look forward to the improvements in our Emergency Medical Services System that will result from the RFP process and these contract negotiations. Our goal continues to be a successful transition in ambulance service providers this spring.”
Paramedics Plus also operates systems in Texas; Oakland, California; St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida; and Fort Wayne, Indiana. The multiyear selection process involved a review of the current emergency medical system (EMS) design, stakeholder meetings, and issuing a Request for Proposal for a service provider. A selection committee recommended Paramedics Plus after reviewing proposals and hearing oral presentations from each of the four companies that responded to the City’s Request for Proposal. The RFP process began in 2013, and the current ambulance service provider contract expires in May of this year.