The U.S. Marshals Service,
Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS), Las Vegas,
Nev., operational site, is seeking information from responsible
sources and commercial agencies concerning the "Lease with the
Option to Purchase" of one large transport category turbine
powered aircraft to fulfill its unique mission objectives. The lease
will include the aircraft, insurance, and limited maintenance for a
base period and four option years, JPATS said in contract documents released Friday. JPATS will have the
option to purchase the aircraft at any time during the lease period.
JPATS has determined the following aircraft types meet their need:
Boeing 737-700 (HGW) or Boeing 737-700ER. JPATS
anticipates utilizing the aircraft approximately 900 hours annually.
The government is interested in
feedback from the commercial market on the aircraft that may be
available meeting these requirements. Capabilities packages,
information and/or any feedback must be submitted to JPATS no later
than Nov. 7.
The
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Maintenance and
Engineering Group (AMEG) issued an urgent requirement on Friday to
establish a contract with a qualified vendor to perform heavy
maintenance inspections on aircraft used to transport prisoners.
AMEG performs aircraft maintenance for the Justice Prisoner and Alien
Transportation System (JPATS) operation based in Oklahoma City.
Managed by the U.S. Marshals Service, JPATS is one of the largest
transporters of prisoners in the world – handling about 804
requests every day to move prisoners between judicial districts,
correctional institutions and foreign countries.
JPATS
transports sentenced prisoners who are in the custody of the Federal
Bureau of Prisons as well as
to hearings, court appearances and detention facilities. JPATS is the
only government-operated, regularly scheduled
passenger airline in the nation. JPATS routinely serves approximately
42 domestic and international cities,
plus other major cities in the United States on an as-required basis.
JPATS owns two Boeing 737-400
aircraft, N639CS and N640CS. These
aircraft are maintained under a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance
Program that requires scheduled
inspections and maintenance at regular intervals during the life of
the aircraft. These inspections, or checks,
are required to be performed at specific intervals based on take-offs
and landings (cycles) flight hours or
monthly requirement. Failure to perform these inspections/maintenance
will ground the aircraft until the work is
performed.
N639CS
and N640CS both have C-CHECKs due Sept. 1 and Oct. 10, respectively.
These checks are considered “Heavy maintenance” and therefore
outside the capabilities/responsibilities of the AMEG maintenance
personnel functions.
C-CHECKs
are extensive checks of individual systems and components for
serviceability and function. It requires a thorough visual inspection
of specified areas, components and systems as well as operational or
functional checks. It is a high-level check that involves extensive
tooling, test equipment, and special skill levels. C-CHECKs can
remove an airplane from service for three to five days.
“AMEG
has an urgent requirement to establish a contract with a qualified
vendor to purchase maintenance services
to accomplish a C-CHECK maintenance inspection for both N639CS and
N640CS to keep both aircraft
in service,” the FAA said in contract documents released Friday.
“The first aircraft, N639CS, runs out of calendar time Sept. 1. The second aircraft, N640CS is scheduled to run out of time by
Oct. 10."
