The U.S. Postal Service plans to open its last-mile delivery network to additional shippers through a solicitation process scheduled to begin early in 2026.
Amazon and UPS currently have agreements with the USPS, but other transportation providers will now have access to more than 18,000 USPS delivery destination units (DDUs).
“In the logistics business, the most expensive part of delivery is generally the ‘last-mile’ portion of a route. As part of our universal service obligation, we deliver to more than 170 million addresses at least six days a week, so we are the natural leader in last-mile delivery. We want to make this valuable service available to a wide range of customers that see the worth of last-mile access — other logistics companies and retailers large and small,” said Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner.
Shippers will be able to propose a combination of volume, pricing, and tender times for each location. Steiner said this initiative will make USPS a more financially viable institution.
“Our solution is to establish a fair bidding process that enables the marketplace to find the best mix of local shipping attributes for the best volume-driven pricing. Because our delivery operations are already visiting every home and business daily, we can help shippers reduce their costs while generating much-needed revenue for the Postal Service,” said Steiner.
The USPS said it has package-processing and delivery capacity to meet a larger share of the nation’s shipping needs than it currently does. The organization expects to notify winning bidders in the second quarter of 2026, with service beginning in the third quarter.
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