DATE: June 6, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Luchini, RN, PHN, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Agreement with Central California Faculty Medical Group
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Make a finding that it is in the best interest of the County to suspend the competitive bidding process consistent with Administrative Policy No. 34 for unusual or extraordinary circumstances as the Central California Faculty Medical Group, Inc. was the only qualified vendor to respond to Letter of Intent 23-013.
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Central California Faculty Medical Group, Inc., for medical director services for the Central California Emergency Medical Services Agency, effective July 1, 2023, not to exceed five consecutive years, which includes a three-year base contract and two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $431,352.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will provide the required Medical Director Services for the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, section 1797.202. The recommended agreement will be funded with California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) regional EMS monies and training revenue, with no Net County Cost. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions. Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the medical director services for the Central California Emergency Medical Services Agency (CCEMSA) will not be provided, and the County would be out of compliance with the Health and Safety Code.
SUSPENSION OF COMPETITION/SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT:
The Department’s request to suspend the competitive bidding process is consistent with the Administrative Policy No. 34 as Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) was the only qualified bidder to respond to the Letter of Intent (LOI) 23-013, which was issued through the County’s Public Purchase website. One other bidder was deemed to not be qualified for the requested services, as they were a temporary staffing agency and had little to no local presence in the Central Valley. The Internal Services Department Purchasing Division concurs with the Department’s request to suspend the competitive bidding process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The maximum compensation is $431,352 for the term of the agreement and will be funded with EMSA regional EMS funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues will be included in the Department’s Org 5620 FY 2023-24 Recommended Budget and in future budget requests for the contract term’s duration.
DISCUSSION:
California Health and Safety Code, section 1797.202 requires that each county have a full- or part-time licensed physician and surgeon as medical director with substantial experience in the practice of emergency medicine, to provide medical control and to assure medical accountability throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation of the EMS System.
On November 8, 2022, the County’s Internal Services Department - Purchasing Division issued LOI 23-013 for the provision of EMS Medical Director Services. The LOI closed on November 22, 2022, with two letters of interest received. CCFMG was determined to be the only acceptable vendor who responded to the LOI. The other response was from a locum tenens agency based in Alpharetta, Georgia, with little to no presence in the Central Valley. The Purchasing Division agreed that CCFMG was the only acceptable vendor to provide a letter of interest.
CCFMG physicians are uniquely qualified to provide the services needed due to their highly specialized expertise and extensive experience and training in emergency medicine, which is necessary to address issues that occur in a modern high-performance EMS System. They are resident-trained and board-certified emergency physicians. The recommended agreement will enable CCFMG to provide medical director services for CCEMSA, which includes the counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare.
CCFMG is the same physician medical group that staffs and supports the Community Regional Medical Center, which is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Central California.
The recommended agreement may be terminated by the County upon giving a 30-day advanced written notice of an intention to terminate to the contractor.
The recommended agreement has a mutual hold harmless clause. The County’s Risk Management does not agree with including mutual indemnification, but the Department has determined that the benefits of entering into this agreement for provision of the required services outweighs any associated risks.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #44, June 12, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Suspension of Competition
On file with Clerk - Agreement with Central California Faculty Medical Group
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander