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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-21-2010 - 4iORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 21, 2010 Action Agenda Item No. ~-~- - j SUBJECT: Bid Award: Ambulances for Emergency Services DEPARTMENT: Asset Management and PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Purchasing Services (AMPS) & Emergency Services ATTACHMENT(S): Emergency Services Reserve Capital Project Ordinance INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Jones, AMPS, 919-245-2652 David Cannell, AMPS, 919-245-2651 Frank Montes de Oca, Emergency Services, 919-245 -6100 Clint Osborn, Emergency Services, 919- 245-6100 Clarence Grier, Financial Services, 919- 245-2453 PURPOSE: To consider awarding a bid for the purchase of three ambulances to Excellance Incorporated of Madison, Alabama and to purchase additional safety and patient care equipment. BACKGROUND: Between 2004 and 2006, Emergency Services upgraded the entire ambulance fleet with eight F-450 Ford Ambulances. One ambulance has been permanently removed from the fleet due to a collision. Five of the remaining seven have reached the end of their expected useful life as frontline response units. While certain changes, such as the move to a larger chassis and the addition of the dual power climate control systems have been very beneficial, none of these vehicles were able to utilize the bio-diesel fuel mixture as expected in 2004 due to critical fuel system issues that caused ongoing problems. In addition, the 6.OL Ford engines have been plagued with mechanical issues increasing repair cost and time out of service. The Ford 6.OL engine problems are affecting EMS systems nationwide with Orange County currently participating in a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer. In 2008 after a series of occasions whereby the ambulance fleet could not sustain the workload, Emergency Services staff approached Public Works Fleet Management to develop a long term solution. Following a series of meetings Emergency Services and Public Works agreed that a medium duty chassis and drive train (engine and transmission) is critical to compensate for increasing call volume, mileage, and corresponding on-scene idling during calls. At the same time, the County Manager directed Emergency Services to initiate a regular replacement cycle starting with three new ambulances in the first year (FY 2009-2010) followed 2 by an annual purchase of two ambulances every year. The goal is to maintain a frontline and backup fleet consisting of nine ambulances allowing for an effective rotating replacement cycle. Working together, Emergency Services and Public Works identified the following key decision points: • All ambulance purchases would conform to 2010 emissions standards leading to decreased green house gas emissions; and • Ambulances will be purchased with medium duty chassis and drivetrain to increase in service uptime. Medium Duty drivetrains are more capable of handling on-scene idling, have stronger braking, cooling and suspension components, and are critical for a system such as Orange County with increasing call volume; and • Purchases will demonstrate a continued focus on crew and patient safety; and • The new ambulances would be capable of operating on a diesel fuel blend of up to twenty- percent biodiesel (B-20). EMS systems require one front-line ambulance for every crew and 1 back-up (reserve) ambulance for every 3 front-line units to maintain a reliable system. In addition, Orange County Emergency Services routinely provides special events coverage requiring the use of additional ambulances. This results in a need for nine ambulances in the fleet. Further efficiencies related to fleet management are related to future system response using AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locators), which allows E911 telecommunicators to dispatch the closest unit resulting in decreased response times, reduced fuel consumption and improved service delivery. Staff has identified a vendor that has a demonstrated history of successfully remounting its patient care module onto a new chassis. In the future this allows the option to recycle the module at the end of the chassis' useful life, which is intended to reduce fleet costs. Emergency Services staff began research by contacting and interviewing eleven EMS fleet managers from various systems along the east coast including seven from North Carolina. Staff identified two preferred chassis styles all featuring medium duty drive trains. Based on those findings, Public Works determined the optimal drive train from an emissions and serviceability perspective. Staff undertook a process to identify a vendor who could provide the drive train combination package. Emergency Services staff identified the vendor who best met these criteria and who also had a strong reputation for providing successful remounts to its ambulances. North Carolina General Statute 143-129 allows local governments to make purchases without a separate bidding procedure. This type of acquisition can be made from any contractor that has, within the past 12 months, contracted to furnish the item to: (1) the federal government or any federal agency; (2) the State of North Carolina or any agency or political subdivision of the state; or (3) any other state or agency or political subdivision of that state, if the contractor is willing to extend the same or more favorable price and other terms to the local government. This process is called "piggy-backing" a bid. Staff proposes to "piggy back" on the Florida Sheriff's Association bid that was awarded to Excellance, Inc. of Madison, Alabama on December 10, 2009 for Type I ambulances mounted 3 on Freightliner M2 cab & chassis at a cost of $214,090.68 each. The statute that authorizes "piggy-back" bids requires that the entity advertise its intentions ten (10) days prior to a meeting in which the matter is to be considered. Orange County has fulfilled that requirement. Some of the jurisdictions currently utilizing Excellance ambulances include: • Mecklenburg County, North Carolina • Parkwood Fire Department, North Carolina • Brunswick County, North Carolina • Mint Hill, North Carolina • Lexington Fire, Kentucky • Osceola County Fire, Florida. • Little Rock, Arkansas • Greenwood County, South Carolina The goal of this purchase is to create aturn-key solution so that the ambulance arrives ready to go into service. These purchases include key pieces of equipment in addition to the ambulance. The radio systems are purchased, programmed, and drop-shipped to the ambulance manufacturer. Stretchers and stair-chairs are both critical equipment for lifting and moving patients over varied terrain and in different types of structures. This type of equipment is critical to the proper movement of patients to prevent injury to both patient and crew and reduces injury time and cost. While some of the equipment included in this purchase is already available on the existing ambulances, some of the safety equipment and patient care equipment is new to the fleet - most notably the medical freezers, fluid warmers and equipment mounting. An additional package of equipment must be purchased to bring the existing seven ambulances up to the new configuration. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Funds for the purchase of the first three ambulances will come from the $1.2 million 911 funds that the Board approved setting aside in an Emergency Services Reserve Capital Project for equipment, vehicles, and capital maintenance. At its November 17, 2009 meeting, the Board approved $50,000 from this reserve to refurbish the Revere Road facility as an EMS station, so $1,150,000 is currently available. Initial cost of this action, if approved by the Board, is approximately $670,000 to purchase the first three ambulances (including radios) plus $50,000 to purchase the patient care and safety equipment for the existing ambulances. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: 1. Approve the ongoing plan as proposed by Emergency Services and Fleet Management to strategically replace ambulances; and 2. Award the bid to Excellance, Inc. and authorize Emergency Services and Asset Management and Purchasing Services to proceed with the immediate plan to purchase the three ambulances from Excellance, Inc.; and 3. Approve funds up to $750,000 from the Emergency Services Reserve Capital Project, allocate this amount to the Emergency Services Department's capital budget section within the General Fund for the purchase, and approve the attached Capital Project Ordinance. o~~-aolb- ova 4 Emergency Services Reserve Capital Project Ordinance Be it ordained by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners that pursuant to Section 13.2 of Chapter 159 of the General Statutes of North Carolina, the following capital project is hereby adopted. Section 1. The project authorized reserves monies for Emergency Services related equipment, vehicles and capital maintenance. Proceeds from the use of Emergency Telephone funds as authorized by the General Assembly in FY 2008-09 finance this project. Section 2. The officers of the County are hereby directed to proceed with the project within the budget contained herein. Section 3. The following revenue is anticipated to complete this project: Through FY 2008-09 FY 2009-10 Through FY 2009-10 Sales Tax $0 $0 $0 2001 Bonds $0 $0 $0 2004 Two-Thirds Net Debt $0 $0 $0 From E911 funds $0 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 Other $0 $0 $0 Total Funding $0 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 Section 4. The following amount is appropriated for this project: Through FY 2008-09 FY 2009-10 Through FY 2009-10 Land/Buildin $0 $0 $0 Planning/Architect/Engineering $0 $0 $0 Reserve $0 $400,000 $400,000 Transfer to General Fund (Vehicle Purchases - FY 2009-10) $0 $750,000 $750,000 Transfer to General Fund (Revere Road EMS Station - FY 2009-10) $0 $50,000 $50,000 Total Costs $0 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 Section 5. This ordinance shall remain in effect until the Board of County Commissioners takes action to amend the ordinance or close the project ordinance upon completion of the project. Adopted this 21st day of January 2010.