Solicitation
Contract Delivery Service (CDS) HCR 996B3 PALMER, AK - H011, AK
Postal Service
AI summaryThe U.S. Postal Service wants a Contract Delivery Service (CDS) supplier to run one rural box route (HCR 996B3) out of the Palmer, Alaska, post office, from December 1, 2026 to September 30, 2030. The route is 31.3 round-trip miles, daily except Sundays and holidays, with 551 boxes and one 120-cubic-foot vehicle. No set-aside is stated; the response due date is November 2, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain, by email or fax. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
The notice looks incomplete: Part of both attached files was not read: about 48,600 characters in the middle of the Solicitation Details (the rest of the Operations Plan, the price evaluation and best value decision, and clauses including renewal, payment, fuel price adjustment and safety rating) and about 25,700 characters in the Proposal Submission Package, attached but not read. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Postal Service wants a Contract Delivery Service (CDS) supplier to run one rural box route (HCR 996B3) out of the Palmer, Alaska, post office, from December 1, 2026 to September 30, 2030. The route is 31.3 round-trip miles, daily except Sundays and holidays, with 551 boxes and one 120-cubic-foot vehicle. No set-aside is stated; the response due date is November 2, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain, by email or fax.
Who can bid (5)
- Not a Postal Service employee, or an organization substantially owned or controlled by one; family or household members may be eligible after an ethics review
- Not suspended, debarred or ineligible. Eligible holders are an individual at least 18 years old, a partnership or a corporation; anyone driving needs 2 years of driving experience
- Have the vehicle: at least one 120-cubic-foot vehicle, plus stand-by equipment of the same type
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- Vehicle liability insurance and workers' compensation in force by the time performance starts
- Financial condition acceptable to the contracting officer, shown with a recent credit report
How to submit: Email the completed Proposal Submission Package to amy.warnecke@usps.gov, or fax to 651-456-6819. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (9)
From the version posted Oct 15, 2026.
- Serious: Service starts December 1, 2026. Award comes at least 3 days before the start, and the supplier must have the vehicle, insurance and screened drivers ready to run the route on the effective date.
- Serious: Price must cover all labor and fringe costs, with no later add-ons. Rates must follow Service Contract Act wage determination 1982-0207 (Service Contract Act: federal wage law for service contracts); costs left out of the price cannot be added in later years.
- Worth checking: Miles and hours are estimates; price does not change if they are off. The bidder must check the actual miles and hours before bidding, because the price will not rise if the route runs longer.
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- Worth checking: Solicitation was not posted 30 days. The document says the solicitation was posted for fewer than 30 days.
- Worth checking: Employee screening before anyone works. Each person who drives or handles mail needs paperwork, fingerprints and a driving record cleared by the Postal Service, and drivers are re-screened every four years.
- Worth checking: May have to live in the community. Winning suppliers may be required to reside in the community of the post office.
- Minor: Date passed (Aug 14, 2026): Wage determination sets minimum pay. Wage determination 1982-0207, Revision 99 (dated August 14, 2026) lists Driver/Caser at $22.24 an hour and Light Vehicle Driver at $17.78, plus $5.92 an hour for health and welfare.
- Minor: Subcontracting plan rule written two ways. The instructions require a plan for $1,000,000 or more or any subcontractor use, while Clause 3-1 exempts small businesses; ask the contracting officer which applies.
- Minor: No termination for convenience. Either side may end the contract with 60 days' written notice at no cost, so the route can end before September 30, 2030.
Read from the notice and 2 attachments. Show which files.
- 996B3 Solicitation Details.pdf (read)
- 996B3 Proposal Submission Pkg.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Run the route HCR 996B3 (frequency K7: daily except Sundays and holidays, 303.07 trips a year) between Palmer and H011, AK, 31.3 round-trip miles
- Case (sort into delivery order) mail for 551 boxes at the Palmer post office, 8:30 to 10:30 per the schedule, then load and deliver along the route
- Deliver and collect mail at roadside boxes and cluster box units, and when directed take stamp, money order, registered, certified, insured or COD-type transactions
- Provide at least one 120-cubic-foot vehicle plus stand-by vehicles for extra trips and breakdowns, with a roof-mounted warning light and a cellular phone
- Do extra trips on order; the special rate for extra trips is $4.00 per mile
- Take route training from the Administrative Official (3 hours a day for two days), paid at the hourly rate quoted in the proposal
- Have every driver and worker screened and cleared before they work, using the Postal Service forms, fingerprints and driving records listed in the Statement of Work
- Contract type
- Fixed price with Economic Price Adjustment, proposed as one annual rate on PS Form 7405
- Period of performance
- December 1, 2026 to September 30, 2030 (about 3 years 10 months); the Postal Service may extend in short-term steps of up to 90 days, up to 6 months in all
- Place of performance
- Palmer, AK (route runs between Palmer and H011, AK; Palmer Post Office, 500 S Cobb St, Palmer, AK 99645)
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Best value to the Postal Service, price and other factors considered. Supplier Eligibility is pass/fail; Past Performance, Supplier Capability and the Operations Plan are of equal importance. Price comes from PS Form 7405.
- Offers due
- November 2, 2026, 10:00 AM Mountain
- How to submit
- Email the completed Proposal Submission Package to amy.warnecke@usps.gov, or fax to 651-456-6819
What they'll judge offers on
- Supplier Eligibility (pass/fail): not a Postal Service employee or an organization they own or control; not suspended or debarred
- Past Performance: quality and timeliness on current or recent postal and comparable non-postal contracts, and business relations
- Supplier Capability: ability to begin on the effective date, equipment, and financial condition (a recent credit report)
- Operations Plan: normal daily operations (sole proprietor or hired drivers, Department of Labor compliance) and unexpected events
- Price: the annual rate on PS Form 7405 backed by the cost worksheet
What to include when you submit
- Send eight items: Supplier Eligibility, Past Performance, Supplier Capability, Operations Plan, Representations and Certifications (Provision 4-3), Subcontracting Plan if applicable, signed PS Form 7405, and the Highway Transportation Contract Cost Worksheet (PS Form 7468A)
- PS Form 7405: write the offered annual price in words and in figures (they must match), list the DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation) number, and give the Employer Identification Number (Social Security number if an individual)
- Fill in the cost worksheet so its total matches the price on PS Form 7405, and state all miles and hours needed, including wash-up, vehicle inspection and portal time
- Past Performance: list current or recent postal contracts and comparable non-postal work, with a record of following contract requirements and, for non-postal work, on-time performance
- Supplier Capability: show you can begin on the effective date, with the equipment, and attach a recent credit report; financial statements or bank funding papers may also be added
- Operations Plan: cover normal daily operations and unscheduled events, and write the proposal as though it is your first time doing business with the Postal Service
- Subcontracting plan: needed if the proposal for the term is $1,000,000 or more or you plan to use subcontractors for part or all of the service
- Attach IRS Form W-9 to the representations and certifications, and name any former Postal Service employee you plan to use
- Before bidding, get casing and delivery information from the Administrative Official at the Palmer post office, 907-745-5051
- Offer on the fixed price with Economic Price Adjustment basis; alternate proposals on other contract types are not considered
- Acknowledge any amendments on PS Form 7405
After award, you must have
- Screening of each driver and worker (two Forms 2025, Form 2181-C, fingerprint cards, photos, and a 5-year driving record) before they work; clearances can be denied or revoked From 996B3 Solicitation Details.pdf:
Security clearances are specific to an individual, not a contract.
Not in the notice text
- Part of both attached files was not read: about 48,600 characters in the middle of the Solicitation Details (the rest of the Operations Plan, the price evaluation and best value decision, and clauses including renewal, payment, fuel price adjustment and safety rating) and about 25,700 characters in the Proposal Submission Package, attached but not read.
- How much weight price carries against the three technical factors is not in the part read.
- The contract value or the Postal Service's estimate of the annual rate is not stated.
- A deadline for questions is not stated; questions go to the Contracting Officer or the Administrative Official at Palmer.
- How many renewal terms are possible beyond September 30, 2030 is not in the part read.
- Whether a small business or another set-aside preference applies is not stated; SAM.gov shows no set-aside.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email the completed Proposal Submission Package to amy.warnecke@usps.gov, or fax to 651-456-6819. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 15, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- Supplies Material MGMT, Philadelphia, PA
- Product/service code
- V119 · Transportation/Travel/Relocation – Transportation: Other
- Business type
- Transportation, logistics & vehicles (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 491110)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Contract Delivery Service (CDS) Contract Available: HCR 996B3 PALMER, AK - H011, AK SOLICITATION CLOSES NOVEMBER 2, 2026, AT 10:00 AM MOUNTAIN TIME Effective date of service is 12/01/2026. Solicitation Details and Proposal Submission Package are attached. See the Terms and Conditions for Instructions to Offerors. The Terms and Conditions and the Statement of Work are located in the Solicitation Details attachment. Complete and return the documents in the Proposal Submission Package to submit your proposal. Send the completed Proposal Submission Package documents to amy.warnecke@usps.gov. If you need to fax them, please use 651-456-6819. Thank you. Amy Warnecke, Contract Delivery Service Office, USPS Department email: CDS@usps.gov
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