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Association for Postal Commerce Association for Postal Commerce 1901 N. Fort Myer Dr., Ste 401 * Arlington, VA 22209-1609 * USA * Ph.: +1 703 524 0096 * Fax: +1 703 524 1871 Postal News from September 2011: September 30, 2011 Attention PostalOne!® Users. • Business Customer Gateway — Customers accessing the Business Customer Gateway may experience intermittent service disruption during the maintenance window Sunday, October 2, 2011, 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. CDT. • PostalOne!® Deployment — PostalOne!® Release 27.0.3 will deploy during the maintenance window Sunday, October 2, 2011. PostalOne!® will not be available 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. CDT. • PostalOne!® 27.0.3 Release Notes are posted on the RIBBS Website. • PostalOne!® Release 27.0.3 will deploy to the Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Monday, October 3, 2011 . • PostalOne!® Maintenance - PostalOne!® users should be advised that the scheduled maintenance windows Sunday, Oct 9, 2011 and Sunday Oct 16, 2011 from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. CDT may be used for critical backend system changes in preparation for Release 28.0. Future communication will provide exact start and end times of any outages expected in those maintenance windows. DMM Advisory: 2011 Holiday Shipping Dates for APOs/FPOs/DPOs. With the holiday season fast approaching, we are reminding friends and families to mail early to ensure delivery of their holiday cards and packages to APO/FPO/DPO destination addresses by December 25. Deadlines for mailing to specific APO/FPO/DPO ZIP Codes vary according to the specific classes of mail being sent to them. They are listed below. We also remind mailers that all mail addressed to overseas military/diplomatic Post Offices is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. Those restrictions are listed by individual APO/FPO/DPO ZIP Code in each Postal Bulletin. To access this listing on the Internet, go to pe.usps.com, click Postal Bulletins in the blue navigation bar, and then select the Pull-Out Information section. Express Mail First-Class Parcel Space Military Mail® Airlift Available Service Letters and Priority Mail Mail Parcel Mail Addressed To (EMMS) 1 Cards Mail® (PAL) 2 (SAM) 3 Post® APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 090- Dec-17 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12 092 APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093 N/A Dec-3 Dec-3 Dec-1 Nov-26 Nov-12 APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIPs 094- 098 Dec-17 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12 APO/FPO/DPO AA ZIP 340 Dec-17 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12 APO/FPO/DPO AP ZIPs 962- 966 Dec-17 Dec-10 Dec-10 Dec-3 Nov-26 Nov-12 1 EMMS is available to selected military and diplomatic Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO/DPO address. 2 PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight and 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface price of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service. 3 SAM parcels are paid at Parcel Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis. Holiday shipping dates for domestic and international mail will be provided in a separate DMM Advisory. At the Postal Regulatory Commission: • In its first audit of 2011, the Office of Inspector General of the PRC has criticized the contracting and procurement practices at the Commission. http://www.prc.gov/prc-pages/about/offices/reportOIG.aspx • Monthly Progress Report on Full-Service Intelligent Mail Participation and Compliance by Commercial First-Class Mail and Standard Mail Customers http://www.prc.gov/docs/76/76235/Sept2011%20Mon%20IMb%20Rep.pdf The following reports have been posted on the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General website (http://www.uspsoig.gov). If you have additional questions concerning a report, please contact Wally Olihovik at (703) 248-2201 or Agapi Doulaveris at (703) 248-2286. • Contract Delivery Service Cost Controls (Report Number CA-MA-11-002). In assessing Contract Delivery Service (CDS) contracts with above average costs we determined that, generally, CDS contracts in the Caribbean District offered the lowest cost to the Postal Service. In addition, when a CDS contract is renewed, contract specialists compared contract costs to the cost of rural delivery when renewing CDS contracts. However, administrative officials did not always perform route surveys, which may make it difficult to negotiate an accurate price for a contract. • Follow-Up on City Delivery Standard Operating Procedures (Report Number DR-AR-11-007). Our audit determined that City Delivery Morning Standard Operating Procedures did not fully achieve intended results. Specifically, 1,256 inefficient delivery units either did not achieve certification, or achieved certification but did not maintain performance levels afterward. Additionally, Integrated Operating Plans did not always meet delivery units' needs and procedures to match workhours to workload were not consistently followed. • Global Express Guaranteed (Report Number FF-AR-11-016). Our audit determined the U.S. Postal Service generally had effective control procedures over processing, tendering, and delivering GXG mailings but need to improve control procedures over acceptance and oversight of GXG billings. Specifically, GXG program management did not properly validate billings, so the Postal Service paid about $314,000 without adequate support. In addition, management did not timely re-certify and accredit the GXG database. • Mail Transportation Equipment – Needs, Distribution, and Use (Report Number NL-AR-11-006). Our audit determined that there was an imbalance of Mail Transportation Equipment (MTE) rolling stock in the network, with some National Distribution Centers (NDC) having excess rolling stock and other having a shortage. This occurred because Postal Service Headquarters did not perform a comprehensive analysis of needed MTE rolling stock; and the Postal Service did not enforce or, in some cases, establish effective processes to manage, control, and redistribute existing MTE rolling stock. • Officer Compensation for Calendar Year 2010 (Report Number FT-AR-11-011). Our audit determined the Postal Service did not always comply with Postal Act of 2006 salary cap limits and IRS regulations. The Postal Service also did not report Social Security wages or withhold and pay taxes on deferred compensation for one officer or timely report Medicare wages or withhold and pay taxes on deferred compensation for one prior and four current officers. The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online. In this issue: • This marks the Postal Regulatory Commission's (Commission) first report under section 701 of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006. That section directs the Commission to submit a report to the President and Congress, at least every five years, regarding how well the PAEA is operating and to recommend measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of postal laws. • The U.S. Postal Service's response to the Commission's Section 701 report was included in the PRC's publication. Although the Postal Service did agree with the Commission's recommendation of restructuring the retiree health benefits prefunding payment, it did not think that the PRC's report included comprehensive changes to address its financial stability in the short- and long-term. The Postal Service included its comments on the effectiveness of the PAEA and its won recommendations. • The Postal Service published its unaudited August results with the Postal Regulatory Commission. USPS lost $1.8 billion in August 2011. The year-to-date loss for FY2011 is $8.8 billion. The Postal Service's controllable operating loss for the year would be $2.1 billion if it did not have over $5.0 billion in retiree health fund prepayment or workers compensation. • The Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation (IRET) released its report, "The Postal Service's Financial Plight and the U.S. Credit Downgrade." The IRET looks at the similarities between the federal government's overall finances and the condition of the government-owned mail service. • The USPS on September 27, 2011, published in the Federal Register its final rules requiring the use of an Intelligent Mail unique tracking barcode on all commercial parcels (except Standard Mail parcels) claiming presort or destination entry pricing. The final rule encourages immediate use of an Intelligent Mail package barcode (IMpb) by providing end-to-end tracking and confirmation of delivery on all commercial parcels except Standard Mail and Package Services parcels. While some of the standards are effective January 22, 2012, the USPS has included an optional-use transition period for some requirements until July 2, 2012. Use of the IMpb will be mandatory effective January 7, 2013. • Senate's continuing resolution includes delay in RHB pre-payment. Cohen introduces postal bill. PostCom's newest member. Congress looking to save Postal Service as payments come due. • An update on Federal Register notices. • An update on the Domestic Mail Manual. • An update on business before the Postal Regulatory Commission. • An update from the USPS Office of Inspector General. • A review of postal news from around the world. • Postal previews. Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none? Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. Get a chance to see what you've been missing. The PostCom Bulletin is distributed via NetGram BusinessWeek: Mark Strong will happily tell you he knows quite a bit more about the post office than the average person.
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