RFP for the Provision of Ambulance Services in Richland County, WI

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
For the Provision of Full-time 24/7/365
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES (EMS) SYSTEM
9-1-1 AMBULANCE RESPONSE
In order to maintain a
Viable and sustainable EMS System
within
Richland County, Wisconsin

SECTION 1
Summary, Deadline, Notice to Proposers and Definitions
A. Summary. Richland County, WI (population 17,220) is seeking proposals for the
provision of 9-1-1 ALS Transporting Ambulance Services that will provide Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) on a full-time basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a
year, for about 60% of the geographical area of Richland County.
B. Ambulance Services are currently being provided as follows:
Richland County currently operates a 9-1-1 AEMT level service, which covers about
60% of the county. The other areas of the county are covered by local EMS level
services. Richland County EMS has mutual aid agreements with three of the
neighboring services.
The service has 6 full-time crew members who work one 48 hour shift each week.
There is currently an interim service director in place along with a 32 hour a week
administrative assistant. The service also has casual employees to fill shifts along with
on call employees.
C. Deadlines. Important events and dates for a Proposer's consideration:
Request for Proposals issued: April 17, 2026
Proposals due: May 11, 2026 by noon
Proposals evaluated and Finalists are determined: May 12, 2026
Presentations for Finalists are set: May 26, 2026
Recommended Entity proposed to County Board for approval of contract: June 23, 2026
Anticipated start date of Ambulance Service: January 1, 2027

D. All questions regarding this RFP or Solicitation are to be submitted by email to:
Contact Person: Tricia Clements, Administrator
Mailing Address: 181 W. Seminary Street Richland Center, WI 53581
Telephone: 608-649-3001
Email: tricia.clements@co.richland.wi.us
Any oral communications shall be considered unofficial and non-binding. Only written
responses to written communication shall be considered official and binding.
The County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine appropriate and
adequate responses to the written comments, questions, and requests for clarification. If
an addendum is required, the addendum will be posted on the County website. It is the
proposer's responsibility to check the County website to verify whether any addendums
have been issued before submitting a proposal.
E. Definitions. Commonly used words and terms in this RFP:
"County" means Richland County, Wisconsin
"Contractor" means the entity ultimately selected by Richland County to be

awarded the contract for the services described in this RFP
"Proposer" means the entity responding to this RFP
"Proposal" means the response submitted to the County by the Proposer for this RFP
"RFP" means this Request for Proposal
"RFP Coordinator" means the contact person for this RFP

SECTION II
Introduction and Scope of Services
A. Purpose of RFP
It is the intent of the County to award a minimum of three-year contract, preferably a
5-year contract, for the provision of 9-1-1 Ambulance Service within a geographical
area of the County. A contract may be awarded to the most advantageous Proposer
who presents the best value for the County, and that is the most responsive to the RFP
requirements and preferences.
Components of the response to the RFP should include the following topics:
The Contractor shall provide one (1) Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance,
staffed and equipped, available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per
year, to respond to emergency medical calls throughout the area in Richland
County currently served by Richland County EMS. and a second one available
during peak times.
The Contractor will provide EMD.
The Contractor shall provide Reports to Richland County Supervisors on a
quarterly basis that identify the following items (at a minimum):
a. Number of calls during the previous time period, with a breakdown of calls
providing mutual aid and when mutual aid was required.
b. Breakdown of the types of calls.
c. Report on Community engagement and training events attended.
d. Average response times for emergency calls (Do they satisfy the NFPA
1710 Standard for EMS Turnout Time of 60 seconds or less, 90% of the
time)
* Option: Though this RFP and subsequent contract do not provide exclusive rights,
access, or guarantees to interfacility transfers that may occur from the Hospital,
Interfacility transfers are permissible, and the successful Contractor may work
with the Hospital directly regarding opportunities to perform such transfers.
Total costs to be charged to the County.
Identify the primary location of both ambulances.
Other items for consideration
Ensure that EMS service complies with all applicable industry standards, as well
as state and federal regulations, and operate under established medical control
standards, including a formal Quality Assurance (QA) and Continuous Quality
Improvement (CQI) program.
Manage the implementation and continuation of the Unified Incident Command
System (as it relates to EMS operations) during multi-agency and multi-casualty
incidents.

Research, develop, and implement new programs designed to enhance and
improve EMS services, including but not limited to Mobile Integrated Health
(MIH), Community Paramedicine, Community EMS, Tactical EMS (TEMS),
and other innovative service models.
Attend meetings for Richland County, at a minimum of twice per year, to
provide EMS system updates, recommendations, and information, and to fulfill
requests and directives from the represented entities.
Coordinate community support and educational programs to be offered through
the Service, such as CPR, EMT, "Stop the Bleed", etc.
Replacement Ambulances
The RFP should account for the scheduled replacement of ambulances based on
established lifecycle standards, mileage, maintenance costs, and reliability
benchmarks. Long-term capital planning must be included to ensure fleet
sustainability and uninterrupted service delivery.
Replacement Equipment
The proposal should also factor in the replacement of essential medical and
operational equipment. This includes cardiac monitors, stretchers, power-load
systems, radios, PPE, and other mission-critical tools subject to wear,
technological obsolescence, or regulatory updates.
B. Scope of RFP
This RFP does not commit the County to award a contract, pay costs incurred in the
preparation of a proposal responding to this request, or to procure a contract for service.
The County reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received because
of this request, or to cancel in part, or in its entirety, the RFP process if the County
deems it is in the best interest to do so. This RFP shall not be construed to be a low-bid
process, although price will play a critical role. The contract, if awarded, will be
negotiated with the Proposer who can best meet the County needs as identified in this
RFP.
It is in the Proposer's best interest to submit a complete and accurate Proposal. Where
the Proposer's documentation or response is incomplete or silent, it shall be assumed
that the Proposal is deficient. Further, it is in the Proposer's best interest to submit a
Proposal that meets the stated requirements contained in this RFP. While Proposers may
provide alternatives to the requirements for consideration, failure to comply with all
minimum requirements described in this RFP may disqualify the Proposal.
Any subcontracts for essential services, as described in the RFP, between the Contract-
Holder and separate entities must be identified in writing by, and shall be subject to,
approval by the County during contract negotiations. If subcontractors are used, poor
performance by the subcontractor, regardless of County approval, will remain the
responsibility of the Contractor, who shall be responsible for any performance or

financial implications of that result.
C. County Background Information
a. Description of the County Richland County is a rural county in the
southwestern part of the state. There are 16 towns, 5 villages and one city.
The county seat is Richland Center, and it is centrally located in the county.
The total population of the county is just over 17,000 people and the county
is comprised of a land area consisting of approximately 586.15 square miles.
Richland County is looking for a Contractor to provide Ambulance Service
to approximately 60% of the county, see attached map. Part or all of 12
municipalities would be served, including the city of Richland Center. The
rest of the county is served by other EMS services. There are current mutual
aid agreements in place.
Richland County has one hospital, The Richland Hospital and Clinics. They
are a critical access hospital located in Richland Center.
b. Description of Emergency Communications. 9-1-1 calls are directed from
the Richland County Dispatch Center operated by the Richland County Sheriff's
office.
c. Description of EMS Call Volume
2026 - 1st quarter - 286
2025 - 1386
2024 - 1131
2023 - 1228
2022 - 1192
2021 - 1229
D. Contract Period.
The expected schedule is as follows:
* Request for Proposals issued: April 17, 2026
* Proposals due: May 11, 2026 by Noon
* Proposals evaluated and Finalists are determined: May 12, 2026
* Interviews for Finalists are set: May 26, 2026
* Recommended Entity proposed to County Board for approval of contract: June
23, 2026
* Anticipated start date of Ambulance Service: January 1, 2027
E. Proposal Submission Deadline. Proposals must be submitted no later than the
specified deadline time and date. Proposers must respond to the written RFP and
exhibits, attachments, or amendments in writing. A Proposer's failure to submit a
proposal as required before the deadline shall cause their proposal to be disqualified and
returned to the Proposer upon request. The County will not be held responsible for
unmarked proposals or proposals delivered to the wrong location. Proposals may not be
delivered orally.

Administrative Information
a. RFP Coordinator. The main point-of-contact for this RFP is:
Contact Person: Tricia Clements, Administrator
Mailing Address:181 West Seminary Street Richland Center, WI 53581
Telephone: 608-649-3001
Email: tricia.clements@co.richland.wi.us
b. Communications Regarding the RFP:
Upon release of this RFP, all Proposer communications concerning this
procurement must be directed to the RFP Coordinator in writing. Only written
responses to written communications shall be considered official and binding
upon the County. The County reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to
determine appropriate and adequate responses to the written comments,
questions, and requests for clarification.
c. Proposal Submittal. Proposers must submit their proposals by email to the
contact listed in this RFP. The proposal must be received by the County no
later than 12:00 pm on May 11, 2026.
The County will not accept any amendments, revisions, or alterations to
proposals after the deadline for submittal.
d. Receipt of Proposals. Upon receipt by the RFP Coordinator, all proposals
will be marked with the date and time of receipt. Late proposals will not be
considered. All proposals shall remain firm for at least 180 days from the date
specified for opening the proposals.
e. Awarding Authority. Any award of a contract must be approved by the
County. The County reserves the right to investigate, request clarification of,
and verify any and all proposals, to waive any and all irregularities, and/or to
reject any and all proposals as deemed by the County as necessary and/or in
the best interests of the County.
f. Rejection of Disqualification of Proposals. The County reserves the right,
at its sole discretion, to reject any and all proposals for any reason, including
but not limited to, failure to adhere to the proposed requirements or
inaccuracy of any information supplied within a proposal. The County shall
notify the Proposer of a rejected proposal. Furnishing false or misleading
information during the proposal process may result in the County rejecting
the Proposer's submission.
The County reserves the right to waive any RFP requirement(s) it deems in
the best interest of the County, so long as that requirement is waived for all
proposals. The County reserves the right to waive minor irregularities in
proposals received.

g. Evaluation of Proposals. The County may conduct investigations of
Proposers' submissions and claims, as it deems necessary. Each proposal will
be reviewed to determine if the Proposer can meet the County requirements
as set forth in this RFP. The Proposer must demonstrate that each requirement
is met.
The County may request further clarification or written information from
individual Proposers in the event of incomplete or missing information.
Proposers shall respond in writing to any requests for clarification. The
County reserves the right to continue with the evaluation of the proposals and
may select the proposal that most closely meets the requirements specified in
this RFP.
Proposers may be expected to give presentations and answer questions on their
proposals to County officials, staff, or representatives. Presentations will be
limited to a maximum of one (1) hour, although the proposal itself should
include all elements required and should be able to stand alone without
representation.
The Proposer will be those individual services, companies, or institutions that
have the following qualifications:
1. Experience and expertise in regard to the operations, structure,
staffing and other issues critical to the effective operation of a
modern EMS department to include volunteer, combination, paid-on-
call, and/or career organizations.
2. Bidders with previous experience with similar provisions of 911
Emergency Response Ambulance are preferred.
3. Knowledge of federal and state laws, rules, and regulations and
generally accepted standards for similar communities and EMS
agencies.
4. The ability of the Proposer to meet the County scope of work.
5. Proposed cost to provide the Service to the County.
h. Proposal Withdrawal. A Proposer may withdraw its proposal by submitting
a written request for withdrawal, with such request having the signature of an
authorized entity representative, to the RFP Coordinator, at any time prior to
the submission deadline. The entity may thereafter submit a new proposal
prior to the deadline. Modifications offered after the deadline will not be
considered.
i. Ambiguity, Conflict, or Errors in the RFP. Due care and diligence have

been used in the preparation of this information, and it is believed to be
substantially correct. However, the responsibility for verification of all
information presented herein shall rest solely with the Proposer.
If a Proposer discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or
other error in the RFP, it shall immediately notify the RFP Coordinator of such
error in writing and request modification or clarification of the document. Any
modification made to this RFP will be issued as an addendum and posted on
the County website.
If a Proposer fails to notify the RFP Coordinator prior to the date and time
fixed for submission of offers of an error or ambiguity in the RFP known to
her/him, or an error or ambiguity that reasonably should have been known to
her/him, then she/he shall not be entitled to additional time by reason of the
error/ambiguity or its late resolution.
j. Disclosure of Proposal Content. All submitted proposals become the
property of the County and shall be subject to any applicable open records
statutes and record retention laws. The content of all RFP's submitted shall
remain in effect for a minimum period of 180 days. Proposals, once received
and date stamped, become public documents and can be utilized as the
County sees fit.
All proposal information shall be held in confidence as permitted by law until
a contract is formally executed and/or the RFP is cancelled. Upon award, the
proposals and associated materials shall be open for review by the public in
accordance with Wisconsin Open Records Law. By submitting a proposal, the
proposing entity acknowledges and accepts that the full contents of the
proposal and associated documents shall become open to public inspection.
The County will attempt to uphold the confidentiality of vendor trade secrets
to the extent allotted by law.
k. Implied Requirements. Products and services not specifically mentioned in
this RFP, but which are necessary to provide the service described by this
RFP, shall be included in the proposal. It is intended that this RFP describe
the requirements and response format in enough detail to secure comparable
proposals.
l. Proposal of Additional Services. If a Proposer offers services in addition to
those required by and described in this RFP, these additional services must
be clearly identified as "Additional." The County may add additional items
to the final contract at the sole discretion of the County.
m. Indemnification. The Proposer agrees that pursuant to any proposed
agreement based on this RFP, the awarded Proposer will protect, defend,
indemnify, and save whole and harmless County officials, officers, agents,
and employees from and against all claims, demands, causes of action,

damages, judgments, loss and expenses, including attorney's fees, of
whatsoever nature, character, or description that any person or entity has or
may have arising from or on account of any injuries or damages (including
but not restricted to death) received or sustained by any person, persons, or
property, on account of, arising out of, or in connection with the performance
of the work, including property, on account of, arising out of, or in connection
with the performance of the work, including without limiting the generality
of the foregoing, any negligent act or omission of the contractor or any agent,
servant, employee or sub-contractor of the contractor in the execution or
performance of this agent, servant, employee or sub-contractor of the
contractor in the execution or performance of a contract.
Proposer further agrees to protect, indemnify and hold the County harmless
against and from any and all claims and against and from any and all loss,
cost, damage, judgments, or expense, including attorney's fees arising out the
breach of any of the requirements and provisions of this contract of any
failure of contractor, its employees, officers, agents, contractors, invitees, or
assigns in any respect to comply with and perform all the requirements and
provisions hereof.
n. Monetary Restitution. In the event that any future contract is prematurely
terminated due to non-performance and/or withdrawal by the Contractor, the
County reserves the right to seek monetary restitution (to include, but not be
limited to, withholding of monies owed) from the Contractor to cover costs
for interim services and/or to cover the difference of a higher cost (difference
between termination Contractor's rate and new company's rate) beginning
the date of Contractor's termination through the contract expiration date. In
the event a civil suit is filed to enforce this provision, the County will seek
attorney's fees and cost of suit from the Contractor.
o. Kickbacks. It shall be unethical for any payment, gratuity, or offer of
employment or contract to be made by or on behalf of a subcontractor under a
contract to the prime contractor or higher tier subcontractor or any person
associated therewith, as an inducement for the award of a subcontract or order.
p. Any Agreement Subject to Availability of Funds. Any agreement resulting
from this RFP will be subject to the availability of governmental fiscal
funding. If such funds become reduced or unavailable, any contract shall be
subject to immediate modifications, reduction or termination on the
expiration date, or the date in which the funds have been eliminated.
q. Governing Law and Venue. The laws of the State of Wisconsin shall govern
any proposed agreement, and all obligations of the parties created hereunder
are performable in Richland County, Wisconsin. In any legal action arising
from this Agreement, the laws of Wisconsin shall apply, and exclusive venue
shall lie in Richland County, Wisconsin.