United States Postal Service Request for Information Air Transportation Services

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Air Transportation and Ancillary Services in the Warzone Region

Scope and Objectives In accordance with the Postal Service’s Supplying Principles and Practices, the United States Postal Service (USPS or Postal Service) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to identify potential suppliers that are interested in and capable of providing a total air transportation and logistics solution for processing, transporting and delivering military mail to and from various combat destinations in Afghanistan, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The Department of Defense (DoD) and USPS require reliable, secure end-to-end air transportation and logistics services. USPS operations at the Chicago International Service Center (ISC), Chicago, IL (ORD) and New Jersey Network Distribution Center (NDC), Jersey City, NJ (EWR) sort mail for tendering to end destinations. The processed mail is tendered to the supplier at the processing plant in ORD, or at the supplier’s warehouse facility at JFK for transport to end destination. The current transportation model consists of the Supplier consolidating mail within the United States and transporting it to the International Hub, in Manama, Bahrain (BAH) where the mail is sorted and segregated for transport to its final destination. The International Hub supports the processing and handling of military mail into and out of the combat zone. The supplier may utilize other approved transportation models which include: transporting mail from airports in EWR or New York (JFK) to the International Hub, or transporting mail from the supplier’s Hub to transfer locations in Brussels, Belgium (BRU) or Leipzig, Germany (LEJ), and then on to the International Hub or directly to the final destination. Required services include the necessary aircraft capacity, facilities, ground and terminal handling services, and equipment as required. Any alternate transportation models (including the use of alternate hubs) would need to be explained in sufficient detailed so as to allow the Postal Service to review and determine acceptability.

Required frequency is stated by location and is listed for Afghanistan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Volume is subject to troop activity and is anticipated to increase or decrease accordingly with additional factors, such as seasonality, for peak times. Bases open and close, making it necessary to change flight and infrastructure arrangements, in response. The supplier must expect fluctuations and remain flexible.

The current required delivery frequency to each of the combat outstations is defined in Figure 1 below. The Scheduled Frequency represents the minimum number of days the supplier is required to service each combat zone outstation. Figure 1 states the required minimum flight frequency, per combat zone outstation, and the load to delivery scan requirement per site. This information is provided based upon currently available data and is not an indication of final requirements. If solicited, the above contemplated service will be expanded to highlight all required service points.

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Figure 1

Afghanistan Bahrain Kuwait Bagram FLE FLE FLE Kandahar FLE FLE FLE Manama Kuwait City (AFB) Shorab Dwyer Arena (KDH) Marmal Fently Dahlke (BAH) (KWI) (AFC) (DWR) (HEA) (MZR) (JAA) (OA5) 09354 09354 09354 09354 09355 09354 09497 09322 09307 09357 Scheduled 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 1, 3, 6 1, 3, 6 3, 6 5, 7 4, 6 1, 3, 6 1, 3, 6 DAILY DAILY Frequency Load Scan to 2 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 2 Days 3 Days 3 Days 3 Days 2 Days 2 Days Delivery Scan AMPS Dispatching Y N N N Y N N N Y Y / Nesting Latitude / 34°56'40.1"N 31°51'24"N 31°05'31"N 34°12'45.5"N 31°30'10.2"N 36°42'33.2"N 34°24'00.9"N 33°54'93.6"N 26°16'13.6"N 29°14'27.4"N Longitude 69°16'24.0"E 64°13'15"E 64°04'01"E 62°13'33.0"E 65°51'00.5"E 67°12'30.6"E 70°29'83.4"E 69°04'89.7"E 50°37'32.5"E 47°58'17.2"E

Note: Tender to Supplier at ORD and JFK Day = Day Zero. RDT=Required delivery time which is by 2359 on the scheduled delivery day. Final delivery will be determined by frequency to each specific location. USPS may tender mail 365 days a year, up to 24 hours a day.

Period of Performance If solicited, the period of performance for the contract(s) awarded is expected to be a two-year period, beginning between July and August, 2021.

Anticipated Solicitation Milestones If the USPS decides to solicit the contemplated service, the following milestone dates are projected:

Request for Proposals Issued January, 2020 Contract Awarded January, 2021* Contract Start Date July/August, 2021 Contract End Date July/August, 2023

*Any resulting contract(s) would be awarded, at least, five (5) months in advance of the contract start date to ensure a smooth operational transition.

Contract Type The Postal Service anticipates awarding an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to secure the required services.

General Requirements Suppliers that are interested in providing the required services must, at a minimum:

 Be a certified U.S. Flag Carrier;  Provide transportation of mail in accordance with all applicable International, Federal, State and local authorities and the schedule;  Be engaged primarily in direct air transportation on a day-to-day basis;  Be certified to handle certain hazardous materials in accordance with USPS regulations;  Scan Global Business Systems (GBS) barcode and/or pallet barcode labels;  Be EDI M39 certified by USPS to transmit scan information from its system to USPS;  Provide Prograde service as follows: o Receive mail at the Supplier Tender Point

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o Transport mail by truck to the U.S. hub o Sort, process, and scan mail at the U.S. hub o Transport mail from the U.S. hub to the International hub o Receive/process mail at the International hub (including US origin shipped via commercial carrier and intra-theatre mail) o Transport mail to various destinations in Afghanistan and Kuwait o Complete delivery scan and tender mail to military at the designated tender point  Provide Retrograde service as follows: o Receive/process retrograde mail in Afghanistan and Kuwait from military at the designated tender point o Transport mail from various destinations in Afghanistan and Kuwait to the International hub o Receive/process mail at the International hub (including intra-theatre mail) o Tender intra-theatre and letter class mail to the MCA at the International hub o Transport mail to U.S. hub in the US o Load mail onto trucks at the U.S. hub and transport to the Supplier Tender Points at the East Coast (JFK/EWR) o Process mail at the Supplier Tender Points for USPS o Tender mail to USPS  Carry no parcels greater than sixteen (16) ounces per piece on a commercial passenger flight unless cleared by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA);  Must be prepared to handle service fluctuations to accommodate seasonal mail volume and troop activity;  Maintain full responsibility for all line-haul services, ground/terminal handling, and x-ray and security screening, as applicable;  Provide mail handling via screened employees as applicable (NOTE: Screening includes a criminal background check, drug screening, fingerprinting, and the issuance of a clearance by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the federal law enforcement arm of the Postal Service); and  Provide strict protection of the mail while in the possession of the supplier.

Capacity Requirements Aircraft must be capable of transporting the following:

Afghanistan Kuwait Bahrain Prograde Bagram Kandahar Kuwait City Manama Total AFB KDH KWI BAH Daily Weight 10,320 2,573 7,783 N/A 20,676 (kg) *All Prograde mail listed originates in Newark, NJ (EWR) and Chicago, IL (ORD).

Afghanistan Kuwait Bahrain Retrograde Bagram Kandahar Kuwait City Manama Total AFB KDH KWI BAH Daily Weight 2,848 530 2,155 480 6,013 (kg) *All Retrograde Mail originates in a US Combat Zone Outstation.

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International Mail (non-USPS) in BAH destined for a Combat Zone Outstation Afghanistan Kuwait Bahrain Intra-Theatre Bagram Kandahar Kuwait City Manama Total AFB KDH KWI BAH Daily Avg (kg) 496 242 402 N/A 1,140 *Volume of Mail listed above originates in Bahrain BAH (from Foreign Posts) to a US Combat Zone Outstation.

Combat Zone Outstation Mail destined for BAH (non-USPS) International Mail Afghanistan Kuwait Bahrain Intra-Theatre Bagram Kandahar Kuwait City Manama Total AFB KDH KWI BAH Daily Avg (kg) 469 145 434 N/A 1,048 *Volume of Mail listed above originates in a US Combat Zone Outstation to Bahrain BAH (for Foreign Post).

Note: Mail volumes could change due operational tempo and/or requirements.

The Forward Logistics Element (FLE) volume vary depending on the mission. Monthly averages: Shorab – 10,273 kgs; Dwyer – 7,901 kgs; Marmal – 12, 063 kgs; Arena – 4,634 kgs; Fently – 9,826 kgs; Dahlke – 11,501 kgs.

Line Haul Line-Haul includes providing the aircraft to handle and transport mail volume between the U.S. hub and the airstops listed in Figure 1.

Ground and Terminal Handling Ground and Terminal Handling services include receipt, dispatch, load and unload of surface vehicles, build and break of mail ULDs, mail sort, transport of mail in ULDs to the aircraft, load and unload from aircraft, scanning of mail with a GBS label or pallet barcode, data entry for specific events, performing x- ray and screening functions if required, and performing all related ground and terminal handling operation activities. The supplier must provide all necessary ground and terminal handling equipment, communications, and personnel.

Complete operation of the facilities is necessary at each location, with services including, but not limited to, facility lease, cleaning maintenance, security and all other services necessary for normal operation of a processing and distribution facility.

Scanning, Nesting and Dispatching In order to meet current and future requirements for Global Trade Compliance (GTC), scanning, nesting, and receptacle dispatching is required. Supplier will perform electronic scanning, nesting, and dispatching of all retrograde and IDS mail going to and from designated Central Command (CENTCOM) locations.

 Provide a container (20ft MIN) that is climate controlled in order to maintain a temperature range between 68 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 26 degrees Celsius) to ensure computer equipment and personnel who will perform electronic customs form entry, scanning and labeling duties for all retrograde and IDS mail. Locations requiring this equipment are Bahrain (BAH) Mail

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Control Activity (MCA), Kuwait (KWI) Joint Military Mail Terminal (JMMT) at Camp Arifjan, Bagram AB (AFB) Regional Mail Distribution Center (RMDC), and Kandahar AB (KDH) RMDC.  Provide adequate lighting in the climate controlled area (container) to ensure a conducive GTC processing environment.  Provide a minimum of two electrical power outlets in the climate controlled container.  Provide rollers to assist in the processing of mail required to be nested and/or dispatched in the climate controlled container; approx. 3 meters wide 30 meters long.  Provide commercial network connectivity/wireless (internet service) for BAH, AFB, KDH, and KWI to the climate controlled container in order to support two nesting/RC terminals. The computers must maintain constant communication with the Automated Military Postal Service (AMPS) website to process information, fulfill customs requirements, and print UPU labels for each mail receptacle scanned.  Upon x-raying of retrograde mail, provide personnel to manually sort and place all retrograde receptacles (letter class mail (Afghanistan and Bahrain only), pouches, sacks and/or outside pieces of mail) on belt driven or roller mechanism as directed so mail can be presented in sequence to individuals scanning each mail receptacle barcode and/or Enhanced Distribution Label (EDL) in order to print and affix a UPU label.  Provide personnel to scan all receptacles to assign transportation segment and affix UPU labels; if required, nest any outside piece or mail that was not previously nested. All Bahrain origin mail or mail terminated at Bahrain requiring dispatch is required to be nested via the AMPS process.  Provide personnel to retrieve scanned mail with affixed UPU labels from the equipment and load into the correct mail ULDs and/or trolleys destined for processing at the airport ground handlers warehouse based off the commercial air carrier’s critical entry times (CET), military transport schedules and instructions.  In BAH, provide personnel to complete piece-to-bag nesting for all mail that is originated in BAH or dead ended in BAH and requires re-dispatch. Contractor will nest (scan barcodes and affix EDLs to the receptacles; bags and/or outside pieces) via the AMPS process to identify destinations and mail class information. After the nested items have been validated, close the bag and prepare for dispatch via the AMPS process. Transport all receptacles, if necessary, to the receptacle dispatch climate controlled container to assign the transportation segment and prepare mail for dispatch.

Submission Instructions Suppliers that are interested in fulfilling the USPS’s requirements as described in the section above must provide the following information via a written submission:

1. Company Overview

 Company name, including any subsidiaries or associated companies;  Company address;  Company website;  Contact name;  Contact phone number;  Contact email address;

2. Capability Statement

The following information should be captured in the company’s capability statement:

 Fleet description (i.e. aircraft type, aircraft quantity, and aircraft capacity);  Suppliers Trip Schedule capabilities;  Ability to meet all of the general requirements listed above;  Summary of any alternate transportation models (if any);

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 Suppliers access to spare aircraft (and supporting equipment) parts;  Ground and terminal handling capabilities at origins and destinations;  Ability to access and operate in the locations listed in Figure 1 above;  Ability to provide accurate tracking of when mail is in the suppliers possession and when the mail arrives at the respective destination;  Other general capabilities to accommodate the requested services;

3. Copy of U.S. Flag Carrier certification.

Submission Due Date Written submissions must be provided via email to Matthew E. Borowsky, Supply Management Specialist (email: [email protected] ) no later than Wednesday, May 1st, 5:00pm EDT. Questions prior to the deadline can be addressed to the same addressee above.

Provision A-2: Solicitation for Information or Planning Purposes (March 2006) a. The USPS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to pay for the information solicited. b. This solicitation is issued for the purposes of: gathering information around potential suppliers’ ability to provide air transportation and related services.