Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

Agency:	City of Berkeley
State:	California
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	65 - Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Equipment and Supplies
Posted:	Feb 1, 2024
Due:	Feb 29, 2024
Solicitation No:	24-11647-C
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Finance Department

General Services Division

REQUEST FOR Proposal (RFQ)

Specification No. 24-11647-C

FOR

Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE OPENED AND READ PUBLICLY

Dear Proposer:

The City of Berkeley is soliciting written proposals from qualified firms or individuals to staff and deploy an

alternative 911 emergency medical response unit comprised of a nurse practitioner and a Berkeley Fire Department

Paramedic for a six (6)-month pilot. As a Request for Proposal (RFP) this is not an invitation to bid.

The project scope, content of proposal, and vendor selection process are summarized in the RFQ (attached).

Proposals must be received no later than 2:00 pm, on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Proposals are to be sent

via email with the “Specification No. #24-11647-C and Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit” clearly

indicated in the subject line of the email. Please submit one (1) PDF of the technical Proposal with the filename

saved as, “Proposal - #24-11647-C and Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit.” The corresponding

pricing proposal shall be submitted as a separate document with the filename saved as “Pricing #24-11647-C and

Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit Email Proposals to:

City of Berkeley

Finance Department/General Services Division

purchasing@cityofberkeley.info

Proposals will not be accepted after the date and time stated above. Incomplete proposal or proposals that do not

conform to the requirements specified herein will not be considered. Issuance of the RFQ does not obligate the City

to award a contract, nor is the City liable for any costs incurred by the proposer in the preparation and submittal of

proposals for the subject work. The City retains the right to award all or parts of this contract to several bidders, to

not select any bidders, and/or to re-solicit proposals. The act of submitting a proposal is a declaration that the

proposer has read the RFQ and understands all the requirements and conditions.

For questions concerning the anticipated work, or scope of the project, please contact Julie Haslam, Emergency

Medical Services Nurse, via email at Jhaslam@berkeleyca.gov no later than February 15, 2024. Answers to

questions will not be provided by telephone or email. Answers to all questions or any addenda will be posted on the

City of Berkeley’s site at Bid & Proposal Opportunities | City of Berkeley (berkeleyca.gov). It is the vendor’s

responsibility to check this site. For general questions concerning the submittal process, contact purchasing at 510-

981-7320.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your proposal.

Sincerely,

Darryl Sweet

General Services Manager

2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 Tel: 510.981.7320 TDD: 510.981.6903 Fax: 510.981.7390

E-mail: finance@ci.berkeley.ca.us Website: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/finance

City of Berkeley

Specification No. 23-11609-C

Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

Page 2 of 23

Release Date 1/31/2024

INTRODUCTION

The Berkeley Fire Department (“BFD”) is an all-risk provider of fire and emergency services to the

City of Berkeley, inclusive of the University of California at Berkeley. The Department responded to

approximately 17,500 calls for service in calendar year 2023, of which approximately 60% were

medical in nature. The Department is the sole provider of ambulance transport within the City limits

using a fleet of four (4) Advanced Life Support ambulances that operate 24/7.

During the pandemic, the Department realized a need to divert non-critical patients from 911 ambulance

transport and the hospital system to support an anticipated surge in high-acuity COVID-19 patients.

Therefore, the Department deployed an eight (8)-week Mobile Integrated Paramedic (MIP) pilot.

The pilot showed improved public health education, it connected patients with healthcare resources,

and social services that were more likely to bring sustained relief or resolution to a patient’s needs. The

assignment of the MIP unit to low-acuity medical calls resulted in a reduction in the unit hour utilization

of engine and truck units and alleviated congestion in local hospitals. The MIP unit was able to cancel

or make available a transport resource 76% of the time when they were on an emergency scene. The

program also allowed providers to follow up with those patients they had previously contacted to better

support their ongoing healthcare needs. This is especially significant, considering that 37% of MIP unit

responses during this period were performing follow-ups on patients previously seen by the unit.

The end of the emergency order enacted by President Biden and Governor Newsom ended the MIP

pilot and subsequently, the regulatory landscape changed disallowing the program to operate. The

limitations to the paramedic scope of practice under CCR Title 22 and Assembly Bill 1544 make it

operationally inefficient to re-deploy the MIP. This unit is a novel approach that is expected to have the

same or better impact but be more operationally and fiscally viable.

In addition to our program learnings, the City contracted subject matter experts to conduct a Standards

of Coverage and Community Risk Assessment in 2022. The analysis showed the City’s 911 system was

overtaxed with an urgent need to add resources and divert less acute medical calls.

Patients who have sub-acute medical conditions or have poor access to healthcare services are over-

using the 911 system and emergency departments to treat what they perceive to be urgent medical

conditions. In an analysis of Medicare beneficiaries who accessed 911 services, 35% could have been

handled outside of the emergency department by a primary care provider or urgent care; only 3% of

emergency room patients require critical care; and only 15% are admitted to a hospital room.

Thus, the City is seeking a proposer to staff and deploy an alternative 911 emergency medical response

unit comprised of a nurse practitioner and a Berkeley Fire Department Paramedic for a six (6)-month

pilot. The Pilot Unit will be dispatched through the Berkeley Emergency Communications Center

(ECC) for reports of non-life-threatening medical incidents and fire department referrals resulting in

connecting 911 users with healthcare and social services resources appropriate for their needs.

Short-Term Program Goals

1. Absorb low acuity medical calls for service through the 911 system.

2. Provide comprehensive in-home medical care for patients with non-emergent medical

complaints.

3. Offer patients an in-home option to receive convenient medical follow-up to a 911 call.

4. Prevent habitual use of the 911 system for routine medical care.

5. Coordinate and connect patients to allied networks of providers through referrals and warm

hand-offs when appropriate.

RFP Revised Nov2023

City of Berkeley

Specification No. 23-11609-C

Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

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Release Date 1/31/2024

Long-Term Program Goals

6. Create and build partnerships with allied providers to expand opportunities that can be offered

to patients.

7. Expand hours of service based on community need, which may be seven (7) days a week

and/or multiple units during peak periods.

8. Improve access to healthcare, particularly for underserved communities, and reduce the total

cost of care for patients and the City.

Sustainability Goals

9. In collaboration with City staff, explore additional and ongoing funding options to aid

program sustainability. This is inclusive but not limited to grants, direct billing, and strategic

partnerships with allied providers and other healthcare partners in the region.

Who can submit a proposal

The City welcomes responses from non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, small businesses,

and individuals. Proposers do not need to have an existing relationship or contract with the City to submit

but must meet and abide by the City’s contractual requirements (see Section 6: Contract Requirements for

Successful Proposers) and have the programmatic, financial, and staffing capabilities to provide the

Contracted Services.

Two (2) or more proposers may submit a comprehensive proposal in which they collaborate to perform the

required services; however, only the lead proposer will enter into the Agreement. At its sole discretion, the

City may select multiple proposers who together fulfill the City’s requirements and contract with them

individually.

II. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The term of the proposed contract is June 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, with an option for one six

6-month, and two (2), three (3) year extensions. The scope of work includes:

a. Staff Recruitment

a. The proposer is responsible for all phases of the recruitment process with the exception of

a LiveScan and public safety background investigation, which the City may conduct at its

discretion and expense.

b. All staff that will work as part of this contract will be pre-approved by the City.

c. Staff are expected to become familiar with and adhere to the City of Berkeley Fire

Department Rules and Regulations.

b. General Operations

a. The provider must demonstrate the ability to provide field-based advanced practice

assessments, screening, and treatment using a nurse practitioner.

b. The provider must have the ability to divert high-frequency users from the 911 system

which may involve, but is not limited to, use of the following methods:

i. conduct follow-up visits to assist in identifying gaps in social services and access

to primary/preventative care;

ii. provide proactive care by actively coordinating with caseworkers;

iii. receive referrals from fire personnel to conduct follow-up visits;

RFP Revised Nov2023

City of Berkeley

Specification No. 23-11609-C

Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

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Release Date 1/31/2024

iv. coordinate and connect patients to social and behavioral health resources as

necessary.

v. Write prescriptions

c. Performance – Year One:

a. Absorb a substantial number of low-acuity medical calls from the 911 system that would

have been dispatched to the fire department.

b. Coordinate effectively with first responders, public health, clinic, behavioral health, and

crisis workers.

c. In collaboration with the City establish program benchmarks and key performance

indicators to measure program success.

d. Develop appropriate program policies and procedures.

e. Proactively explore and gain special knowledge of cost recovery services/options. Manage

cost recovery activities as directed by the City.

d. Performance - Year Two-Seven:

a. Build program capacity by developing partnerships with allied organizations, practitioners,

and non-profits, all of which will be used to connect clients with outpatient medical and

mental health services.

b. Develop revenue streams including but not limited to billing and cost recovery, strategic

partnerships with receiving facilities, applying for and managing grants, etc.

c. Re-visit and revise program benchmarks and key performance indicators after reviewing

first-year findings.

d. Further develop program capacity until the alternate medical resource availability meets

the demand from the system.

III. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

All Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) shall include the following information, organized as separate

sections of the SOQ. The SOQ should be concise and to the point.

A. Consultant Identification:

Provide the name of the firm, the firm's principal place of business (see section VII, F. – Local

Vendor Preference), the name and telephone number of the contact person and company tax

identification number.

B. Firm Experience:

Provide a listing of projects completed by the firm within the past five (5) years involving (reflective

of the details of the project). This listing should include a brief description of each project, the

location, date, and (if possible) the address and telephone number of a contact person.

C. Individual Staff Experience:

Provide a listing of each key staff person in the firm who will be assigned to the project and

background information demonstrating their capabilities and qualifications to perform the assigned

task. For each individual, provide current professional licenses and registrations, related experience,

educational background, and years of experience with the team.

D. Consultant Team:

Provide a description of the team, the organization and its general experience, and specific

experience of assigned staff. Provide a listing of similar projects of similar scope, which have been

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City of Berkeley

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completed by members of the consultant team within the past five (5) years. This listing should

include a description of each project; the location; construction cost; date; and (if possible) the

clients’ name, address, and phone number of a contact person.

E. Client References:

Provide a minimum of 3 client references. References should be California cities, other large public

sector entities, community-based organizations, or medical organizations. Provide the designated

person's name, title, organization, address, telephone number, and the project(s) that were completed

under that client’s direction.

F. Contract Terminations:

If your organization has had a contract terminated in the last five (5) years, describe such

incident. Termination for default is defined as notice to stop performance due to the vendor’s non-

performance or poor performance and the issue of performance was either (a) not litigated due to

inaction on the part of the vendor, or (b) litigated and such litigation determined that the vendor was

in default.

Submit full details of the terms for default, including the other party’s name, address, and phone

number. Present the vendor’s position on the matter. The City will evaluate the facts and may, at its

sole discretion, reject the SOQ on the grounds of past experience.

If the firm has not experienced any such termination for default or early termination in the past five

(5) years, so indicate.

G. Budget:

Demonstrate track record in meeting budgetary requirements.

H. Project Organization:

Provide a chart showing the names and assignments of all key personnel including an estimate of

each individual’s time commitment to the project. The chart should include proposed lines of

communication with City staff. Any proposed sub-consultants should be clearly identified on the

chart.

I. Project Understanding and Approach:

This section of the SOQ should include a clear description of the Consultant’s understanding of the

project and state the approaches and methodologies which the consultant proposes to undertake in

order to meet the stated objectives of the City. Provide a work plan with as much detail as needed

to describe how the required services and scope of work will be performed.

J. Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC):

This section of the SOQ should address any QA/QC program the proposer has established or

proposes to establish and utilize throughout this project. This program’s QA/QC will be integrated

into the City’s existing QA/QC program.

K. Malpractice/Liability Insurance

For non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, small businesses:

1. Provide proof of business liability, medical malpractice, professional liability and general

liability insurance.

For individuals:

1. Provide proof of medical malpractice, professional liability, and general liability insurance

RFP Revised Nov2023

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Partnership for Alternative Medical Response Unit

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