SSN - CONTRACT DETENTION FACILITY EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA_12082025.pdf

Sources Sought Notice

CONTRACT DETENTION FACILITY – EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

Background:

This is a Sources Sought Notice. The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Prisoner Operations Division (POD), is seeking information and sources for the following potential support services: Contract Detention Facility – Eastern District of North Carolina.

The primary intent of this notice is to identify existing, fully constructed, secure detention facilities capable of providing high-capacity housing and associated detention support services for federal prisoners. Although the requirement is centered on the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Government may consider facilities with the capability to support detention needs across the Middle District (M/NC) and Western District (W/NC) of North Carolina if operationally beneficial.

This sources sought notice is for information and planning purposes only; it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. This announcement is not a solicitation as defined by Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101, and the Government is not requesting offers or proposals at this time. This sources sought notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service.

Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in responding to this sources sought. Any responses to this sources sought received by the Government will not be accepted to form a binding contract. If a solicitation is issued, the Government does not guarantee that it will be issued to sources sought respondents.

Target Audience:

All potential detention facility operators, including large and small businesses—that possess the staffing, infrastructure, and operational capability to provide secure detention housing and related support services are invited to respond. Responses shall assist the POD in formulating an acquisition strategy.

The applicable North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code is 561210 – Facilities Support Services with a corresponding size standard of $47.0M.

Sources Sought:

The POD is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and technical capability of qualified sources capable of providing detention facility services. Respondents shall identify their firm’s size, capabilities, and relevant experience with operating large-scale, secure housing environments for federal, state, or local inmate populations.

This inquiry supports USMS’s assessment of industry’s ability to provide a high-capacity secure detention facility with the capability to accommodate no fewer than 1,000 detainees, male and female, in existing structures (no new construction considered).

Responses will assist the POD in determining appropriate acquisition strategy.

Scope:

The USMS is seeking an existing, fully constructed, secure detention facility located within the geographic boundaries of North Carolina and positioned within a reasonable operating distance of major federal courthouses in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina.

A suitable facility shall meet or exceed the following requirements:

1. Housing Capacity

• Must be capable of housing no fewer than 1,000 federal detainees.

• Capacity may be scalable above 1,000 beds to meet operational surges.

• Housing for male and female detainees is required.

• Juvenile housing is not required.

2. Transportation Requirements (Mandatory)

• Jail-to-court transportation for all required court productions across E/NC’s six federal courthouses

• Jail-to-jail transfers as directed

• Jail-to-medical movement for routine and emergency care

• Jail-to-JPATS transportation for designated airlift or bus routes

Contractor transportation staff must be trained, qualified, and compliant with all security and safety standards required for federal prisoner transport.

3. Facility Standards

• Be fully constructed and operational or capable of being staffed and activated without new construction

• Meet American Correctional Association (ACA) standards or demonstrate ability to obtain accreditation

• Demonstrate Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance

• Comply with applicable state and local regulations

• Provide appropriate segregation, medical, intake, recreation, and food service capabilities consistent with federal detention requirements

4. Medical and Mental Health Support

The facility must provide, or have arrangements for:

• 24/7 medical coverage or on-call equivalent

• Medication management

• Access to emergency and specialty care (external providers acceptable)

• Basic mental health screening and triage

5. Meals, Laundry, Sanitation, and Daily Living Services

The contractor shall provide:

• Three meals per day meeting nutritional standards

• Laundry services

• Sanitation and hygiene supplies

• Recreation within secure perimeter

6. Continuity of Operations (COOP) / Disaster Resilience

Facilities with demonstrated resilience—such as structural robustness, emergency operations planning, backup power systems, and established continuity-of-operations procedures—may be better suited to support USMS mission requirements during natural disasters or unforeseen events.

7. Construction Restrictions

• Construction of a new facility is not a consideration for this requirement.

• Offerors must identify an existing facility with documented operational readiness or a clear plan to staff and activate it within acceptable timelines.

Period of Performance:

The anticipated period of performance is one (1) base year, followed by four (4) one-year option periods, not to exceed five years total.

Previous Contracts:

None.

Information Requested:

Potential offerors are encouraged to submit the following information (For consistency, please structure your response to match the order of the requirements as listed below):

1. Name and address of company and/or companies (for teams or joint ventures).

2. Technical expertise relevant to detention facility operations.

3. Technical approach to meeting facility, housing, and transport requirements.

4. Management approach, including staffing, training, emergency operations, and accreditation.

5. Corporate experience operating secure detention or correctional facilities.

6. Relevant past performance (minimum of three customers within the last five years), including:

o Contract name o Contracting agency/department o Annualized contract value o Period of performance o Description of work and its relevance to this requirement

7. Contractor’s preliminary price estimate, including:

o Per diem pricing structure o Any T&M elements associated with transport, medical escorts, etc.

Additional optional (encouraged) documentation may include:

• Photos or floorplans of the existing facility

• Accreditation records (ACA, PREA)

• Emergency plans or COOP framework

• Staffing plans

• Medical support capabilities

Potential offerors shall format their response as follows:

1. Page limit - eight (8) 8 ½ x 11 pages;

2. 1-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides);

3. Times New Roman font - 12 point;

4. Page limitation does not include (1 cover page or 1 letter of introduction page); and

5. Do not include promotional materials.

Potential offerors responding to this market survey must provide a capability statement demonstrating its experience, skills, and capability to fulfill the Governments requirements. The capability statement shall be in sufficient enough detail, but not exceed eight (8) pages TOTAL, so that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to provide the requirements above. The Government technical team will then assess the experience & capabilities based on: 1) technical expertise relevant to the requirement; 2) technical approach relevant to the requirement, 3) management approach relevant to the requirement, 4) corporate experience relevant to the requirement, and 5) relevant past performance. Please specify one primary and one alternate Point of Contact (POC) within your firm, including telephone numbers and email addresses

Questions:

Questions or comments to this notice shall be directed to the Contracting Officer, Mr. Arness Harris at Arness.Harris@usdoj.gov via email only. Verbal or telephone questions or responses will not be accepted. Questions are due by Friday, noon Eastern Time, December 26, 2025.

POD does not intend to publicly post questions related to this notice. However, POD may, at its discretion, publicly post questions and answers in response to this notice; accordingly, questions shall not contain proprietary information.

Submittal Requirements:

All responses must be submitted to the Government point of contact at the email address shown in the Questions section. A determination not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered only for the purposes of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by responding to this notice. This is NOT a request for proposals or quotes.

As much as possible, it is preferred that technical capability statements be nonproprietary. However, capability statements with company-sensitive data and concepts will be accepted, and the Government will respect restricted data markings. Responders are expected to appropriately mark its submissions that contain proprietary information. Capability statements shall not exceed eight (8) pages in length (excluding a cover page).

mailto:Arness.Harris@usdoj.gov

In addition to the 8-page limit on the company capability statement specified above, please note the following notice response submittal requirements.

1. Only written electronic copies of capability statements will be accepted. The e-mail should contain the following subject line: Response to Sources Sought Notice – “Contract Detention Facility – Eastern District of North Carolina”

2. Please submit all information to Mr. Arness Harris at Arness.Harris@usdoj.gov by Friday, noon Eastern Time, January 9, 2026.

Contracting Office Address:

USMS – Prisoner Operations Division Office of Detention Services 1215 S. Clark Street Arlington, VA 22202

Primary Point of Contact:

Mr. Arness Harris, Contracting Officer Arness.Harris@usdoj.gov

Summary:

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE to identify sources that can fulfill the Government’s requirements.

The information provided in the Sources Sought Notice is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. POD has not made a commitment to procure any of the services/items discussed, and release of this Sources Sought Notice should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.