00011520-1 - Aircraft Medical Interior

Invitation to Respondents
This Request for Supplier Qualifications (“RFSQ”) is an invitation by Ornge to prospective respondents to qualify in accordance with Evaluation of Responses (Part 2) for eligibility to engineer, develop, certify, manufacture, deliver and install an aircraft medical interior with a lift assist device for Ornge’s fixed-wing fleet as further described in Section A of the RFSQ Particulars (Appendix B) (the “Deliverables”).
Ornge is a family of companies incorporated federally.  Ornge provides air and land ambulance services under an agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.  Additional information about Ornge is available at www.ornge.ca.
Ornge is seeking to prequalify suppliers with relevant experience in engineering, developing, certifying, manufacturing, delivering, and installing medical interiors with a lift assist device for at least eight aircraft for the Ornge fixed-wing fleet.
The medical interiors with a lift assist device must meet or exceed all Transport Canada Certification Requirements. Respondents must have previous experience developing engineering projects requiring aviation design approvals. Experience designing and developing aircraft medical interiors is also imperative, as experience collaborating with aircraft manufacturers and aircraft interior installers on the installation of medical interiors.

Prequalification Process
Responses will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation process set out in Part 2 of the RFSQ. Based on the evaluation of responses, certain respondents will be selected for inclusion on a prequalified supplier list of suppliers that are eligible to participate in an invitational second-stage process for the potential provision of the Deliverables to Ornge.

PROBLEM STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

Ornge Operations
Ornge is Ontario’s air ambulance and critical care transport provider across a land area covering more than one million square kilometres and serving upwards of 12 million people.  Ornge operates a rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft fleet and critical care land ambulances.  Ornge completes more than 10,000 calls across the fleet annually, with a patient population increasing in weight and acuity over time.

New Fixed Wing Medical Interior Overview
To meet the needs of all patients and deliver on our mandate to support health equity across the province, Ornge seeks a medical interior for a new fixed-wing air ambulance fleet consisting of at least eight aircraft, which is capable of supporting safe and efficient transport of all patients across the continuum of age, weight and clinical acuity.
Ornge requires a standardized medical interior to meet all the current and anticipated operational demands to allow the aircraft and crews to safely and efficiently transport patients up to 500 lbs. (not including biomedical equipment) in a single stretcher four-seat configuration.  The design of the stretcher, loading system, medical equipment, and cabin features must be focused on the safest and most efficient delivery of patient care throughout the journey.
The ideal stretcher will accommodate patient positioning in various clinically appropriate positions, including supine, prone, lateral, and Trendelenburg, accommodate patient widths of at least 33 inches without impeding aircraft egress, and be equipped with a mattress that supports patient comfort over long-duration flight.  The supplier will be expected to provide a means to securely power load the stretcher into the aircraft with zero lifting required for crew members.

Specific Considerations

• Interoperability with System Partners

• Interoperability with Ornge Vehicles

• Special Patient Populations

1. 1. Bariatric

1. 2. Neonatal

• Medical and Patient Escorts

• Technology and Standards

• High-flow nasal cannula respiratory support has become a standard of care in managing refractory hypoxemia and a means to avoid intubation. Maximum settings are typically 60 Liters Per Minute (“LPM”) flow at, and Fraction of inspired O2 (“FiO2”) of 100%, and therefore, the oxygen capacity in the aircraft must be able to provide sufficient oxygen to meet this demand for a minimum of 90 minutes to allow for the typical fixed-wing patient transport with a detour to an alternate landing site.
• Routinely, while in transport, crews require access to a medical suction system that meets the minimum standards established by Ontario’s Ministry of Health (https://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/emergency_health/edu/docs/prov_equip_standards_amb_serv_%20v3.7.pdf).  Ornge is especially interested in considering options which include a provision for in-aircraft mounting of Ornge’s existing Laerdal Suction Units (“LSU”) for this purpose.
• Caring for neonatal patients also routinely requires medical air, ideally provided using an onboard medical air compressor system.
• Special Equipment

• Interior cabin equipment and fittings should include storage locations for Ornge’s equipment bags, medical equipment, and medical consumables as well as aircraft survival and safety equipment, and low-voltage lighting, using a system that is lightweight, flexible and ideally modular, with the ability to be reconfigured quickly as required for specific mission types. 
• Systems included for securing biomedical equipment should allow for flexible mounting locations, including on the patient stretcher/bridge and interior cabin walls. They should account for the future reality of changing or adding biomedical equipment. 
• A robust solution will also include onboard waste receptacles and sharps containers accessible from each crew seating location and designed to secure discarded items safely in flight.
• The design of the cabin medical interior components should also consider ease of maintenance operations.  This includes providing a self-sealing cabin floor with the ability to lift sections of flooring individually and a flooring system that is easily cleaned and disinfected, protecting aircraft components against leaking blood and other fluids.
• The center underfloor area should be easily accessible by a single maintenance person for the performance of related maintenance tasks without the need for the removal of heavy or large fixtures/equipment.