**U.S. Postal Service Expands Last-Mile Delivery Network to All Shippers**
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced plans to open its last-mile delivery network to both large and small shipping companies, moving beyond its existing partnerships with major players like Amazon and UPS. This initiative aims to diversify revenue streams and enhance the postal service’s final delivery capabilities to millions of homes and businesses across the nation.
Starting in late January or early February, USPS will invite bids from various shippers, allowing them to propose their own combinations of volume, pricing, and delivery schedules. Contracts are expected to be awarded later in 2026, focusing on areas where USPS can provide same- and next-day delivery services profitably.
Postmaster General and CEO David Steiner emphasized the postal service’s unique position, stating, “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.” He expressed a desire to make this valuable service accessible to a broad range of customers, including logistics companies and retailers of all sizes.
Steiner has advocated for the 250-year-old postal service to expand its revenue base by leveraging its longstanding legal obligation to deliver to every address, alongside recent investments in modernizing package processing and delivery capabilities. Despite reporting a net loss of $9 billion for the current budget year—an improvement from the previous year’s $9.5 billion—the USPS remains an independent and primarily self-sustaining federal agency.
Under the new plan, shippers will gain access to over 18,000 USPS delivery distribution units, which serve as entry points for sorting mail and packages for local delivery. Steiner described this initiative as a “compelling value proposition for many shippers who are striving to deliver to their customers as quickly and reliably as possible,” predicting it will ultimately help reduce their costs.
The postal service is currently assessing interest in this new concept and plans to refine the details as it moves forward.
**FAQ**
**What is the USPS’s new last-mile delivery initiative?**
The USPS is opening its last-mile delivery network to all shippers, allowing them to bid for contracts to utilize its delivery services, aiming to diversify revenue and improve delivery efficiency.
