Inyo County Seeking Ambulance Service Provider

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2026

County Seeking Ambulance Service Provider

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO BE REISSUED 

As part of its efforts to secure an exclusive operating agreement for ambulance service in the Bishop  area, Inyo County is reissuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to encourage more market participants  to submit competitive bids.

The County, in coordination with the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA), will soon  be issuing a new RFP from qualified firms interested in providing 9-1-1 ground emergency medical  transportation in what is known as Exclusive Operating Area (EOA) 1. Currently, Sierra Lifeflight  provides ambulance coverage in EOA 1 under a non-exclusive contract funded by the County, City of  Bishop, and Bishop Paiute Tribe.

No significant changes to the RFP are anticipated. Vendors who have registered as prospective  bidders will be notified with the RFP is reissued.

The successful firm will be granted a contract for exclusive operating rights for services within the EOA  1 area for an initial period of five years. The County has the option to offer up to three two-year  extensions, for a total possible term of eleven years. The start date for service will be negotiated with  the awarded proposer, with a commencement date no later than September 1, 2026, at 00:01 AM,  Pacific Time.

Services requested include, at a minimum:

• 9-1-1 and 7-digit emergency responses at the Basic Life Support (BLS) level, with Advanced  Life Support (ALS) level preferred.
• Interfacility transports at a minimum of BLS level.
• Specialty care transports, such as critical care (nurse and/or paramedic level), bariatric,  neonatal, and other specialized team transports, as well as standby services at the BLS  level, as provided in Section 1797.224 of the California Health and Safety Code.

EOA 1 has been without an exclusive ambulance provider since April 2023, when Symons Emergency  Services, citing untenable rising costs, ceased ALS ambulance services. Sierra Lifeflight has been  filling the gap for the last two-and-a-half years.

News Staff