Commercial Services Branch

Mission

The branch provides consolidated program management for domestic and international commercial air pickup and delivery services for small package and freight, to include specialized medical, life/death, and cold-chain services for less-than-planeload.

Commercial Air Heavyweight Program

Global Heavyweight Service 2 (GHS2)

The GHS2 program provides commercial air, door-to-door, pickup, and delivery service for domestic and international, less than planeload shipments. The domestic segment provides service for cargo greater than 150 lbs. within the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia (D.C.). The international segment provides service for cargo over 300 lbs., for CONUS outbound, OCONUS to CONUS, and lateral (OCONUS to OCONUS) services for ~48K international lanes. The GHS program is available for DoD transportation shippers, federal agencies, to include eligible cost reimbursable contractors. Twenty-two Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) carriers were awarded contracts with a period of performance of a seven-month base period and nine option years, effective 1 February 2023 through 30 September 2032.

Air Tender Program (ATP)

The Air Tender Program (ATP) is a fixed-rate program with carriers having the flexibility to change rates as needed.

The program will have the same geographic coverage as Global Heavyweight Service 2 (GHS2); however, tender filing and availability to shippers is subject to the willingness of the carrier. Tender count can vary as carriers add or remove tenders. The expectation is for carriers to only submit rates for lanes and services they are willing and capable of servicing within the delivery standards identified in the service level definitions. Global Freight Management (GFM) and other transportation shipper systems (e.g., CMOS, FACTS etc.) consuming GFM’s web service will allow the processing of domestic voluntary and negotiated air tender shipments.

USTRANSCOM’s ATP is not intended to compete with other programs, rather it provides shippers another common-use heavyweight tool to utilize when FAR-based contracts cannot meet the shipper’s requirements. The order of precedence in the Defense Transportation Regulation (DTR), Part II, Chapter 202 outlines the hierarchy shippers should follow – 1) Air Mobility Command (organic/gray tail), 2) FAR-based contracts, 3) tenders, and then 4) spot-bids. ATP fills the void between FAR-based contracts and spot bids to help control transportation costs.

International capability will be available in late 2024.

Spot Bids

The order of precedence in the Defense Transportation Regulation (DTR), Part II, Chapter 202 outlines the hierarchy shippers should follow – 1) Air Mobility Command (organic/gray tail), 2) FAR-based contracts, 3) tenders, and then 4) spot-bids. In unique circumstances where GHS2 or ATP cannot meet shipper requirements, spot bids are an option and should be used as a last resort due to the all-inclusive rates being unrestricted.

For domestic spot bids, GFM’s Spot Bid on the Web is available to process the request. Until GFM’s Spot Bid on the Web capability is finished for international commercial air, shippers must process international requests manually.

Transportation officers are reminded the NGDS small parcel contract is a mandatory use contract. Spot bids should only be used for NGDS eligible shipments when movement cannot be supported by the NGDS contract.

If use of Spot Bid does not satisfy movement requirement, shippers should contact the Heavyweight PMO for assistance.

Freight Carrier Registration Program (FCRP)

The Heavyweight PMO manages prospective commercial air carriers through the requirements necessary to become an approved commercial air carrier. In accordance with 49 U.S. Code § 41106 - Airlift Service, registration requests will only be approved for Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) carriers who meet all the program requirements. Air carriers must be approved in FCRP to be eligible to move DoD cargo. All carriers must meet all criteria outlined in the registration letter to be considered for approval.

Commercial Air Small Parcel Program

Next Generation Delivery Service (NGDS)

NGDS is a mandatory-use government-wide solution for small package delivery services (DOD, Federal Agencies, and Cost Reimbursable Contractors).

NGDS provides domestic express (air) and ground delivery services up to and including 150 lbs. within the CONUS; domestic express delivery services up to and including 300 lbs. between CONUS and Alaska (AK), Hawaii (HI) and Puerto Rico (PR) and within AK, HI, and PR; international express delivery for shipments up to and including 300 lbs.

All NGDS contract documentation is located on the GSA Acquisition Gateway using URL https://acquisitiongateway.gov/.