The Culver Town Council members considered approval of an ambulance bid during their meeting Tuesday night.
The single bid was opened during the May 25 meeting and it came from North Central Emergency Vehicles and Osage Ambulances for a 2022 Ford E-450 Osage ambulance body. After a Ford rebate and a trade-in of the 2009 ambulance, the total deliverable price would be $269,108.58.
During that meeting, EMS Director Jeff Koon explained that he sent out three proposals and only one came back.
Koon told council members Tuesday night that he did speak with two other vendors who chose not to submit bids. They cited shipping delays and other issues for not submitting a bid. Koon said he spoke with Osage who said that the ambulance could be delivered in April 2022 or sometime during the first quarter, depending on the supply of parts to complete the ambulance. He added that the bid did exceed the bid specifications in the town’s packet.
Koon said the council could approve the bid or reject it and go through the bidding process again, but they face issues with that choice as there may not be any bids or a higher bid given the current challenges faced by ambulance companies.
Since the Union Township Trustee also pays a portion of the cost of EMS and fire department equipment costs, Koon commented that he spoke to Trustee Marlene Mahler about the purchase and she recommended buying the ambulance. He said she also agreed to the 50 percent prepay discount which would take $1,000 off the price of the bid.
In the end, the council approved the bid of $269,108.58. The prepayment decision would need to be made by September 1.
