System Design & Procurement

Regardless of the size of their community, people deserve EMS systems they can count on.

We help communities nationwide build systems that deliver clinical excellence, response time reliability, high customer satisfaction and economic efficiency—simultaneously and consistently.

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System Design & Procurement

Most EMS systems were born of necessity more than half a century ago. Today, many emergency services systems no longer reflect their communities’ needs.

We use a structured approach to system design that explores and resolves public policy issues with local officials early by focusing on system standards and desired outcomes. This provides the framework for stipulating service and reliability levels to be achieved. We then develop the business structure, financing methods and performance safeguards and incentives. Throughout, our processes are designed to ensure that fair competition occurs, including structuring procurement options for public and private agency competition.

The team at Fitch & Associates has:

  • Managed every step of the request for proposal (RFP) process, from initial design of the RFP through competitive procurements and the selection of a service provider
  • Assessed communities’ fire, EMS and 911 communication systems and recommended solutions to improve effectiveness and efficiency and meet the specific needs of the clients and communities
  • Created systems for independent oversight of both clinical and administrative system components of emergency services systems
  • Assisted hospitals in developing non-emergency, air medical critical care RFPs
  • Helped systems account for all costs and achieve performance sustainability
  • Developed performance metrics for emergency systems that conform with evidence-based industry standards but are also tailored to the community

Our system design and procurement clients have ranged in size from Muscatine, Iowa, with a population of 23,000, to multiple California counties, with more than 1 million residents. No community is too large, too small, or too unique to benefit from the approach we have refined over three decades of experience.

Resources

Building Organizational Agility in Fire & EMS Agencies

This report is part of a continuing leadership series developed for Best Practices in Emergency Services. It shows leaders of emergency medical services (EMS) and fire departments how the concept of organizational agility can be applied in their agencies.

Safety Management Systems in EMS: An Implementation Guide

Our peers in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) have been catching a lot of flack in the media recently, due to several high-profile incidents and government investigations.

The New EMS Imperative: Demonstrating Value

Despite a tremendous diversity in how emergency medical services (EMS) are provided in municipalities around the country, most U.S. EMS systems share one commonality

Articles

Fitch Insights & Perspective

Reports

2907, 2020
2020 EMS Trend Report

This will be a defining year for EMS, shaped by new care delivery options, legislative mandates and the public spotlight. [...]