REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 7, 2021
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Agreement with Wittman Enterprises, LLC for Ambulance Transport Billing Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, approve Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 17-31 with Wittman Enterprises, LLC for ambulance transport billing services, increasing the not to exceed amount of the contract by $250,000, from $1,470,000 to $1,720,000, and extending the term for an additional one-year period, from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, for a total contract period of January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2022.
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this amendment will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as the cost of these services will be fully offset by revenue generated from client billing and collection activity for emergency ambulance transports. Sufficient appropriation and revenue for this contract amendment are included in San Bernardino County Fire Protection District’s 2021-22 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) provides emergency ambulance transport to residents in certain portions of San Bernardino County including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, Hesperia, Yucca Valley, Phelan, Wrightwood, Baker, Lucerne Valley, Spring Valley Lake, and Pinon Hills.
Since March 2007, Wittman Enterprises, LLC (Wittman) has been contracted by SBCFPD to provide billing services for ambulance transports. On December 20, 2016 (Item No. 103), as the result of a successful competitive procurement, the Board of Directors (Board) approved Agreement No. 17-31 with Wittman in the amount of $1,470,000 through December 31, 2019, with the option to extend for two additional one-year terms. On December 17, 2019 (Item No. 74), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 17-31 that exercised the first of two one-year options and extended the term through December 31, 2020, with no increase to the agreement’s maximum amount. On December 15, 2020 (Item No. 74), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 17-31 that exercised the second one-year option and extended the term through December 31, 2021, with no increase to the agreement’s maximum amount.
The recommended Amendment No. 3 to the agreement with Wittman will extend the term of the agreement for an additional year through December 31, 2022, increasing the not to exceed amount of the contract by $250,000, from $1,470,000 to $1,720,000 for the continued provision of ambulance transport billing using the terms of the current agreement. Due to unforeseen consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, SBCFPD was not able to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) prior to the expiration of the second amendment. This one-year extension will provide SBCFPD with additional time to develop a comprehensive RFP and complete the competitive procurement process for future services.
PROCUREMENT
Wittman was selected as the current contractor for ambulance transport billing services after a competitive process was conducted in 2016. This process, which included the release of an RFP, ultimately determined that Wittman would provide the best value and service to SBCFPD.
Notwithstanding the above, the recommended amendment to the Wittman contract is a non-competitive procurement due to the fact that there is not enough time before the contract ends to conduct a competitive RFP for these services. This non-competitive procurement ensures that there is no lapse in service and allows SBCFPD to continue with this vendor while proceeding with a new RFP for future ambulance transport billing services. The RFP process will be completed, and a new service contract approved prior to expiration of Amendment No. 3. Purchasing concurs with the non-competitive justification for this amendment.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Supervising Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 10, 2021; Purchasing (Cody Leslie, Lead Buyer, 387-2065) on November 9, 2021; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on November 16, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Diana Atkeson, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on November 18, 2021.