Get the Score So “Everybody” Wins!
Vehicle Ops is a new column in EMS Magazine that will address a variety of topics centering around emergency vehicle operations—everything from safe driving techniques to ambulance maintenance to how to purchase an ambulance. The column will feature guest writers, as well as interviews with leading industry figures. Our mission is to help educate EMS providers on how best to operate the vehicles they place their trust in every day in a bid to reduce the number of accidents experienced by public safety personnel. If there is a particular topic you would like us to cover, e-mail emseditor@aol.com. This month’s column details how to purchase an ambulance using an Ambulance Needs Assessment and Evaluation Worksheet developed by Braun Industries.
Once upon a time, a committee was created in order to buy a new ambulance. There were four people on the committee. Their names were “Anybody,” “Somebody,” “Nobody” and “Everybody.”
When they gathered for a meeting, Somebody asked Everybody to put together a list of the features needed in the new ambulance. Everybody thought it would be a good idea to have all the ambulance manufacturers bring demo units in for comparison and to collect ideas. Nobody was assigned to collect input and opinions for Everybody to review afterward. When the manufacturers brought in their vehicles, Anybody and Everybody looked them over. Nobody collected the results. At the next meeting, Somebody asked if Anybody had a summary of what they had seen. Since Nobody had the information, Nobody presented the results. Due to the confusion, Somebody decided to just settle for the low bid, which made Everybody mad. Everybody said that the next time Somebody wants Anybody to make a decision this way, that Nobody should do it.
Sound familiar? By trying to satisfy everybody, the result is usually something that nobody likes. But that is often the way ambulances are specified and bought. Or as another story goes, a camel is the result of a committee trying to design a race horse.
But there is a better way. An ambulance purchase usually goes through many stages. One of those is what we call the investigation stage. The idea is for people in the department—or on the committee, if one has been assigned—to review all the manufacturers and models to find features and benefits they like, then, either select one or develop a hybrid of all they saw and design one. This information is often collected at trade shows, from dealer demonstrations, from side-by-side events, or even from the Internet. The problem, however, is that a systematic review of the results that provides a quantitative analysis to help make the final decision is seldom used. The Ambulance Needs Assessment and Supplier Evaluation Worksheet (on pages 63 and 64) was developed as a tool to help you resolve that problem. It is a simple, two-part form that can be used by a variety of people, then tabulated, providing a “score” to aid in your final decision making. The worksheet helps prioritize the choices according to your individual needs, while providing a basis to explain and defend your recommendations to the city council, board members, purchasing managers and others who have approval authority but did not participate in the selection process.
Here’s how it works:
Part one of the form is the Needs Assessment. This portion of the worksheet helps define the general usage, preferences and basic choices required. It helps ensure that the preferences are in line with the usage projection and establishes a budget target and desired in-service date. With the length of time involved in these projects, it is best to have an end date in mind to help plan the process. This section also helps ensure that everyone has the same expectations and that those expectations are communicated to the individuals who will be involved in the investigation and scoring stage.
Part two of the form is the Supplier Evaluation Score Card. This portion is used to determine what your most important features and options are and to assign each of them with a weighted score based on their priority. Once that is accomplished, this form can be given to department members who will be attending a show, side-by-side or dealer demonstration. They can assign a score on the form, based on their own investigation and opinion, for each potential supplier.
Once the forms are filled out, the scores can be tallied and entered into the spreadsheet. The formulas in the spreadsheet will multiply the supplier scores by the weight assigned to each item and then add the results to provide an overall supplier score. You then have a quantitative number that represents the supplier that best meets the requirements and priorities you’ve established.
The advantage of this simple tool is that it allows everybody to participate so that their input is included in the final decision. It helps accumulate input over time, and it correlates impressions and opinions with the weighted importance of each item. In the selection process, the score can be used along with bid responses to determine the best overall ambulance choice. The form can be modified to include items specific to your department or adapted for fire apparatus or other major purchases where multiple inputs are involved.
