IGA Application Process
Navigating the U.S. Marshals Service IGA Application
Securing an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) is a critical step for local jails seeking to house federal detainees and outsource empty bedspace. However, the application process is complex and requires precise documentation and a clear understanding of federal requirements.
This overview provides a roadmap for sheriffs and jail administrators, outlining the key steps, common requirements, and how JailGeek's proprietary FairRateâ„¢ software and Core+â„¢ analysis tools can ensure that your application is accurate, compliant, and positioned for success.
IGA BASICS
What is a U.S. Marshals Service IGA?
An IGA is a formal agreement between a state, county, parish, or city jail and the USMS that outlines the terms for housing federal detainees, including the crucial per diem reimbursement rate. These agreements are not federal procurement contracts, nor are they federal grants. While they exist in perpetuity, the local government has an opportunity to renegotiate the per diem rate and the transportation/hospital guard service rate every 36 to 48 months. Either party can terminate it by providing a 30-day written notice to the other party.
application steps
Step-by-Step Overview of the USMS IGA Application
This comprehensive guide outlines the essential steps every facility must complete to navigate the IGA application process successfully.
Step 1:
Initial Qualification & Readiness Assessment
Before applying for an IGA, your facility must first ensure that it meets baseline detention standards.
- Action: Before reaching out to the local District Marshals office, ensure that your facility is compliant with state regulations covering inmate housing, medical treatment, and safety. USMS will also want your facility to be compliant with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Finally, review the USMS's own detention guidelines to ensure your facility's compliance.
- JailGeek Advantage: While you best understand your facility's capabilities, our team's 50+ years of collective federal detention expertise can help you identify and address compliance gaps with the precision expected by USMS.
step 2:
Reach Out To Local District Officials & Arrange for USMS Inspection
Before submitting an IGA application to the USMS Prisoner Operations Division (POD), it is important to first meet with local U.S. Marshals officials to discuss federal housing needs within the District and have them audit your facility. Once the local District Office has signaled its interest in utilizing your facility, the next step is to submit an application to the POD.
- Action: Begin outreach to local USMS officials. Contact the local District Marshal to determine Federal bedspace needs. Host the local USMS inspector, providing access to all areas of the facility and answering operational questions.
- JailGeek Advantage: While you coordinate the inspection of your facility, FairRateâ„¢ software can start reviewing your cost data to prepare your IGA application for the POD. Core+â„¢ can simultaneously begin analyzing how the USMS methodology will evaluate those costs, identifying potential gaps or discrepancies before you ever submit an application.
Step 3:
Preparing & Submitting Your Facility's IGA Application
In order to submit an IGA application to USMS, a facility must first be registered with the FBI's Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP), as well as request and receive the Capture icon within LEEP. It is in Capture that you will find the USMS IGA application.
- Action: This is the most difficult part of the process for most local government officials who are not familiar with the U.S. Office of Management & Budget regulations governing IGAs. For example, if you include non-allowable costs in your IGA application, the USMS Agreements Specialist may remove the entire cost from it. Similarly, if you have incorrectly allocated a cost in the application, the Specialist may also remove it. Upon your request, the Specialist will return the application to you for revision; however, they are not obligated to assist you in correcting your mistakes.
- JailGeek Advantage: Our FairRate™ software will ensure that your IGA application is compliant with federal regulations such as the U.S. Office of Management & Budget Circular 200; Chapter XXVIII – Department of Justice (2 CFR 200); and Section 119 of the Department of Justice Appropriations Act of 2001 (Public Law 106-553). We are the only known software provider working on federal detention projects that can make such a claim. Core+™ goes a step further by replicating the USMS's own presumptive rate methodology, allowing you to see exactly how federal specialists will evaluate your cost data before they do.
Step 4:
Negotiation & Rate Justification
Once you have submitted your IGA application through Capture, USMS will then analyze your per diem rate proposal to ensure that it is fair and reasonable. It can take anywhere from 90 to 120 days for the USMS Agreement Specialist to review your IGA application. During this time, they may ask you questions regarding the allowability of your submitted costs as well as the allocation methods utilized in the application.
- Action: Be prepared to justify every cost component in your application, from personnel and healthcare to food and utilities.
- JailGeek Advantage: This is where we deliver our greatest impact. JailGeek's FairRateâ„¢ software utilizes proprietary algorithms to perform a comprehensive analysis of your actual costs, including often-overlooked expenses like indirect services and capital improvements. We transform complex budget data into a mathematically precise, legally defensible per diem rate proposal, strengthening your negotiating position. Core+â„¢ enhances this further by providing differential analysis that identifies precisely where federal presumptive calculations may fall short of your documented costs, giving you specific, data-backed adjustment opportunities to present during negotiations. Our 98% success rate in negotiating improved IGAs is a testament to this methodology.
Step 5:
Agreement Finalization & Execution
Once the rate is agreed upon, the final IGA contract is drafted and executed. Current USMS policy is to award new IGAs (or new IGA per diem rates) only in the months of February, May, August, and November. As noted above, the Agreement Specialist will likely need 90 – 120 days to review your facility's application.
- Action: Review the final IGA with legal counsel before signing.
- JailGeek Advantage: The entire process, from first meeting with the local District Marshal to the submittal of the application to negotiating new rates and finally the execution of the IGA, can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months, depending on facility readiness, USMS workload, and the complexity of the rate negotiations. Because our FairRateâ„¢ software and Core+â„¢ analysis tools are designed to make the process more efficient, JailGeek clients tend to have shorter project completion times.
IGA APPLICATION SUPPORT
Simplify Your IGA Application with JailGeek
You don't have to navigate this complex process alone. JailGeek is the first and only software suite specifically engineered for federal bedspace management, drawing on a team with decades of experience inside the Department of Justice. Our combination of FairRateâ„¢ and Core+â„¢ provides the most comprehensive cost analysis and negotiation preparation available to local facilities today.
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