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City to open ambulance-service bids to private sector

Grand Junction City Council members Wednesday night started crafting parameters for a bid proposal for its future ambulance service. 

Although the city will enter a bid to continue providing ambulance services through the Grand Junction Fire Department, private-sector companies also will be able to bid. 

During the workshop, council members said they want city staff to draft a bid proposal for itself, but evaluations of all of the bids should not include city representatives.  Council members said they may want to limit private-sector bids to only non-emergency ambulance services.  However, council members said they needed more information from the Fire Department about whether offering a bid for partial services would benefit city residents. 

“I want to understand what it costs the city,” council member Tom Kenyon said. “ I don’t necessarily want to pit the city against the private sector in a competition until we know what the value is.” 

The Fire Department has been the sole provider of ambulance service in Grand Junction for the past five years.  While ratifying that contract, the council at the time indicated it would revisit the ambulance service issue after five years of the city performing the service. 

City Manager Laurie Kadrich said council members may have to award bids by late April, so a company could be ready to start providing services by the June deadline.