How to Become a Contract Delivery Service for the United States Postal Service

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD. Megaera Lorenz is an Egyptologist and Writer with over 20 years of experience in public education. In 2017, she graduated with her PhD in Egyptology from The University of Chicago, where she served for several years as a content advisor and program facilitator for the Oriental Institute Museum’s Public Education office. She has also developed and taught Egyptology courses at The University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago.

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The U.S. Postal Service has always relied on contractors to help deliver the mail, especially in rural or difficult to access areas. If you’re interested in working as a contract delivery service with the USPS, you can do so either as an individual or as an organization. To get started, you’ll need to make sure you meet the eligibility requirements and file the appropriate paperwork with the USPS.

Applying for a Transportation Contract

• The types of transportation contracts include air, rail, water, and highway.
• Highway contracts are the most common, and they can be held either by transportation companies or by individual owner-operators working out of their own vehicles.

• Be at least 21 years old
• Live in or adjacent to the county where you will be working (if you’re an individual)
• Do business in or adjacent to the county you’ll be servicing (if you’re a corporation)

Tip: For most individual contract delivery positions, you’ll need to provide your own vehicle. Your vehicle may also need to meet certain requirements, such as being in good working order and large enough to accommodate the amount of mail you normally carry on your route. [2] X Research source

• On the form, you will need to provide information about what type of business you have (if applicable), what kind of transportation equipment you can provide, and the type of route or contract you are interested in (e.g., air, water, rail, or highway).

• After you submit the application, you’ll be placed on a mailing list for your area so that you can receive information about contract opportunities.

• Before applying for a DUNS number, check to make sure that your organization does not already have one. Your organization’s financial department or grant administrator should have that information. [5] X Trustworthy Source Internal Revenue Service U.S. government agency in charge of managing the Federal Tax Code Go to source
• There is no cost to apply for a DUNS number.

• If you’ve already registered with SAM, you’ll need to update your registration at least once a year. [6] X Research source
• You must have a DUNS number before you can register with SAM.
• There is no fee to register with SAM.

Finding Delivery Contract Opportunities

• To find addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers for your local contracting officer, check Page 6 of the USPS Mail Transportation Contracting Guide (Publication 33).

• The FedBizOpps website allows you to search for opportunities by region, type, keyword, or agency.

Note: FBO.gov has been moved to https://sam.gov/content/home and is now known as Contract Opportunities.

• After you register your organization, the USPS will contact you with possible contract opportunities.
• If you win a bid on a contract, USPS will contact you with further instructions on how to proceed.

• Check the specific requirements for each job to make sure you qualify. For example, most delivery contract positions require that you have your own vehicle, a valid driver’s license, and 2-5 years of driving experience.
• You will likely need to pass a background check and be cleared for the position by the USPS.
• Your vehicle may also need to meet certain specifications in order to qualify for mail delivery.

Community Q&A

This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

You can find this form on the About.USPS.com website. Navigate to "Find a Form" under the "Resources" tab at the top of the page.

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Regional addresses for contracting officers are available in the Mail Transportation Contracting Guide (Publication 33). This guide is linked in the article, or you can find it by doing an online search for "USPS Mail Transportation Contracting Guide."

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Check with your local USPS distribution network office. You can find contact information for these offices in the USPS Mail Transportation Contracting Guide (Publication 33).

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1. ↑https://local300npmhu.org/wordpress-content/uploads/2013/07/Pub33-Mail-Transportation-CONTRACTING-Guide.pdf
2. ↑https://apwu.org/sites/apwu/files/resource-files/PO-603%20Rural%20Carrier%20Duties%20and%20Responsibilities%2009-13.pdf
3. ↑https://local300npmhu.org/wordpress-content/uploads/2013/07/Pub33-Mail-Transportation-CONTRACTING-Guide.pdf
4. ↑https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/duns_num_guide.pdf
5. ↑https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/duns_num_guide.pdf
6. ↑https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/register/sam-registration/index.html
7. ↑https://local300npmhu.org/wordpress-content/uploads/2013/07/Pub33-Mail-Transportation-CONTRACTING-Guide.pdf
8. ↑https://about.usps.com/suppliers/becoming/registration.htm
9. ↑https://about.usps.com/suppliers/becoming/registration.htm

1. ↑https://about.usps.com/suppliers/becoming/esourcing-user-guide.htm
2. ↑https://about.usps.com/careers/

About This Article

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD. Megaera Lorenz is an Egyptologist and Writer with over 20 years of experience in public education. In 2017, she graduated with her PhD in Egyptology from The University of Chicago, where she served for several years as a content advisor and program facilitator for the Oriental Institute Museum’s Public Education office. She has also developed and taught Egyptology courses at The University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago. This article has been viewed 327,279 times.

The USPS relies on contract delivery services to deliver mail, especially in rural or difficult to access areas. To become a contract delivery service, you’ll usually need your own vehicle that’s in good condition and big enough to carry the mail for your route. Fill out a mailing list application from the USPS website and mail it to your local contracting office. If you’re registering as an organization, you’ll need a Data Universal Number System number, which places you on a directory for government contracts. If you want to bid on contracts as an organization, you’ll also need to register with the System for Award Management. Once you’ve submitted your application, you should start receiving information about opportunities through the mail. You can also call your local office or visit them in person to find out about opportunities. For more tips, including how to find individual delivery contractor jobs online, read on!

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