By EMS1 Staff
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — American Medical Response is protesting a city’s recommendation to end their longtime relationship with the agency.
Colorado Springs Independent reported that AMR protested a recommendation to replace them with Priority Ambulance in a letter that claimed a committee member had a conflict of interest, among other things.
AMR said a member of the evaluation committee who suggested using Priority Ambulance is a “former AMR employee who left on bad terms and worked for the Priority company and [now] is in a position of influence [at the city],” according to AMR Regional CEO Jeffrey McCollom.
The issue at hand is AMR’s contract with the city, which expires at the end of the year. The contract was the first in the region that required an ambulance service to pay the city $1.17 million a year.
The new contract will require a $1.4 million payment, and the committee said they prefer that the city switches to Priority Ambulance.
The city responded to AMR’s claims in a letter that said, “The city is not aware of any positions or processes that would constitute conflict of interest by any member of the evaluation committee.”
AMR also voiced concerns over Priority’s track record, claiming that “a comparison of the organizational history, financial stability, references, qualifications and experience, and past performance of the bidders would have disqualified the city’s proposed contractor from receiving the award.”
McCollom said that AMR will likely protest after the contract is signed and awarded, and that they could pursue the matter in District Court.
“We’re typically not the kind of company that seeks a legal remedy in these situations,” McCollom added.