“Hey Jim, put me down for a new truck this year. It’s about time we replace the one you sold me 10 years ago.”
There was a time when ambulance procurement was just a phone call away. You ran the unit for a decade, picked up the phone, ordered a new one, and carried on. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Today, ambulance fleet management is far more complex. Unpredictable market conditions, evolving vehicle standards, and changing municipal funding have turned EMS budget planning into a continuous strategic process rather than a simple, last-minute purchasing decision.
While lead times for both new and remounted ambulances have improved compared to recent years, fleet replacement still requires careful planning and long-term strategy.
When multiple vehicles age out at the same time, ambulance services can face sudden financial spikes and operational strain. The traditional replace everything at once approach is simply too risky in today’s environment. That is why many services are adopting a mixed procurement strategy that balances new ambulance purchases with planned remounts. This approach helps smooth capital spending, improve return on investment, and build a healthier long-term replacement plan over time.
What is a mixed procurement strategy in EMS?
A mixed procurement strategy is a balanced approach to ambulance fleet management that combines new ambulance purchases with scheduled remounts. Instead of choosing between new vs remounted ambulances, agencies intentionally plan for both as part of their long-term EMS fleet lifecycle strategy.
The key is balance.
Relying entirely on new ambulances can create major capital expenditure spikes. When vehicles are purchased in large batches, they tend to age out at the same time. That synchronized aging often leads to budget shock when the fleet needs to be replaced all over again. On the other hand, relying only on remounted ambulances has its own risks. Even well-built modules have a finite lifespan. Over time, maintenance costs increase, and services can find themselves facing a replacement cliff where multiple aging modules must be retired all at the same time.
A mixed procurement strategy helps services avoid both extremes. By spacing out new ambulance purchases and planned remounts, ambulance services can keep spending more consistent, get the most life out of their vehicles, and maintain a steady, predictable fleet replacement cycle.
How to implement a mixed procurement model
Implementing a mixed procurement strategy starts with understanding your fleet today and planning for where it is headed.
1. Conduct a fleet age audit
Know the age, mileage, engine hours, and service history of every unit.
- Identify high mileage and high maintenance vehicles
- Flag modules that are still structurally sound
- Spot rising downtime trends
2. Evaluate module versus chassis condition
Determine whether the chassis is wearing out before the module.
- Assess structural integrity and interior condition
- Compare remount costs versus full replacement
- Consider future spec requirements
3. Establish staggered replacement intervals
Avoid purchasing large batches that will age out together.
- Space out new purchases and remounts
- Prevent synchronized aging across the fleet
4. Build a 5 to 10 year capital forecast
Use data to guide long-term EMS fleet planning.
- Incorporate preventative maintenance trends
- Track mileage and usage hours
- Align with projected call volume growth using data points such as population and it’s age
Trust your OEM to help you plan a procurement strategy that fits your fleet
For a mixed procurement strategy to truly succeed, preparation must work as a partnership. As your ambulance manufacturer, we believe planning should start long before an order is placed. We work alongside our customers as part of their long-term fleet planning process. That means taking a seat at the table together, collaborating on forecasts, budgets, and operational goals, not just connecting when it is time to build the next truck.
Taking a proactive approach, we sit down with services to define what the future of their fleet looks like. We discuss operational needs, replacement cycles, and long term growth projections. When services share their data and their five to ten year growth plans with us, it gives us a clearer picture of their future fleet needs. This allows us to better forecast vehicle demand, plan our production capacity, and ramp up when needed so vehicles can be delivered in a timely manner. In many cases, we are already working with customers on fleet forecasts five years out or more, with some planning horizons extending through 2030.
This level of forecasting gives services better visibility and more realistic expectations. It also allows us to align our production capacity with their operational needs. In some cases, we can even reserve manufacturing capacity in advance so that when it is time for a vehicle to enter service, that production slot is already planned. At the same time, these forecasts are not set in stone. They are designed to give services flexibility as their needs evolve. Timelines can shift by a few months, units can be added or removed, and specifications or models can be adjusted if operational priorities change. Agreeing on a long term forecast simply creates a planning framework that helps both sides stay prepared without locking services into rigid commitments.
Remounts play an important role in this strategy as well. They help protect long term return on investment, extend the life of quality modules, and maintain warranty protection through the remount process. Remount timelines have also improved in recent years, with lead times now averaging nine months in Eastern Canada and about six months in Western Canada. These shorter timelines give services more flexibility when planning their fleet replacement strategy. When new purchases and remounts are mapped out together, services can avoid surprises, reduce budget pressure, and maintain a clearer path forward for their fleet.
Ultimately, a mixed procurement strategy is not just a purchasing decision. It is a collaborative planning process built on knowledge, transparency, and partnership. When services and manufacturers work together strategically, fleet replacement becomes predictable, sustainable, and aligned with long-term operational goals.
Need help planning your procurement strategy? We can help.