The Hawaii Department of Health has canceled its procurement of ambulance services for its Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch following a protest by the incumbent service provider.

What You Need To Know

  • The contract for comprehensive emergency medical services for 911 grand ambulance transport for Kauai and Maui Counties was initially awarded to Danish-owned Falck Northwest Corp

  • The contract was previously held by American Medical Response

  • State health director Kenneth Fink determined that a key requirement was not clearly included in its request for proposals that constituted a change in the nature and circumstances of the service being procured

  • According to DOH, the new procurement process will commence in the coming weeks

 

The contract for comprehensive emergency medical services for 911 grand ambulance transport for Kauai and Maui Counties was initially awarded to Danish-owned Falck Northwest Corp. It was previously held by American Medical Response.

State health director Kenneth Fink, who serves as head of the purchasing agency, reviewed the protest and determined that while the EMSIPSB may have intended to maintain the current staffing level for advanced life support ground ambulances, that requirement was not clearly included in its request for proposals.

Fink concluded that this constituted a change in the nature and circumstances of the service being procured, such that a request for information should have been issued. Finding that the RFIs were improperly waived, Fink announced Monday that DOH was canceling both RFPs and directing the procurements to start over, including the issuance of an RFI for the services prior to new RFPs being developed.

“Based upon my review of how the RFPs were written regarding ambulance staffing, RFIs should have been completed,” Fink said in a statement released on Monday. “However, I’d like to reassure the residents of Kauai and Maui Counties that the next RFPs will be clear that the current ambulance staffing level will be maintained. I am accountable for the department, and I apologize for the uncertainty created by the previous RFPs.”

According to DOH, the new procurement process will commence in the coming weeks. Current contracts will be extended while the new procurement process is underway to ensure that Maui and Kauai County residents have uninterrupted access to ambulance services.

The City and County of Honolulu and County of Hawaii operate emergency medical ambulance services within their respective counties. DOH contracts for emergency medical ground ambulance services for counties that do not operate or contract for this service.