Tennessee Rural/Metro Deal Contested by Losing Bidder

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An unsuccessful bidder for Knox County’s ambulance contract has filed a protest letter, saying that the process that recommended Rural/Metro for the deal worth potentially $60 million was flawed.

Mike Cohen filed a letter today on behalf of American Medical Response at the county purchasing office. The letter alleges a conflict of interest among some members on the evaluating committee that may have unfairly influenced their thinking.

The letter says AMR had better response times than Rural/Metro, along with new equipment, and that the county should vacate the recommendation and award the contract to AMR.

Hugh Holt, the county’s purchasing director, said that he has five days to provide a response upholding or denying the assertions.

“I can’t respond to an open issue,” Holt said.

More details as the develop online and Wednesday’s News Sentinel.

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