US Marshals Service soliciting bids for new Boeing 737 with a trade-in

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) has released a formal Request for Proposal seeking bids for the acquisition of a new Boeing 737‑700 or 737‑800 to replace an aging aircraft in its Justice Prisoner and Air Transportation System (JPATS). JPATS provides safe, secure, and efficient transfer of federal and non-federal prisoners under the Marshals Service. The solicitation also mandates that offerors submit a purchase offer for an older JPATS‑owned Boeing 737‑400 and associated spare‑parts inventory.

The contract will be handled as unrestricted competition and is slated for a firm‑fixed‑price award. The new aircraft will be purchased while the existing 737‑400 is sold to the winning bidder as part of a mandatory trade‑in. Offerors must submit a complete proposal package no later than April 20.

Evaluation Framework

The government will award the contract to the “responsible offeror whose proposal represents the best value to the Government,” using four weighted factors:

Technical merit and delivery schedule – the most heavily weighted factor, assessing aircraft performance, compliance with technical specifications, and timeliness of delivery.

Aircraft sales experience – evaluating the offeror’s track record in commercial aircraft sales.

Purchase of the existing JPATS 737‑400 and spare parts – a mandatory “go/no‑go” requirement.

Price of the new 737‑700 or 737‑800 – considered after the first three factors, with the government reserving the right to award to a higher‑priced offeror if it delivers a superior overall solution.

Several prospective bidders have raised questions regarding access to the trade‑in aircraft.

Inspection Limitations

“Will offerors be permitted to conduct a physical inspection and records review of the 737‑400 and spare parts prior to proposal submission, or only after conditional award?” asked one company. The Marshals Service responded, saying, “No physical inspection of the spare parts will be permitted. As for inspection of the 737-400 JPATS, it will be permitted if performed prior to the closing date of the solicitation; however, the inspection is limited to a visual inspection. Engine borescope inspections, engine MPA runs, etc., are not permitted. The aircraft will be sold as-is/where-is.”

Trade‑in Offer Requirements

Each company interested in the transaction must provide JPATS with an offer to purchase a JPATS-owned Boeing 737-400 aircraft (as a trade-in) and spare parts.

“If you don’t provide an offer, then it renders the whole proposal non-responsive,” USMS said in contract documents, “As stated in the instructions, the offer can be as little as $1, however JPATS reserves the right to either accept or reject the offeror’s proposal.  This means as long as you put an amount under the purchase of existing aircraft, your whole proposal will be considered.”