Request for Proposals Reflects USPS
Commitment to Meeting Customers' Needs
WASHINGTON, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Personal photos on postage could
return as early as next month as the Postal Service moves into the second
phase of an extensive test of this popular product that debuted last year.
Customized postage allows a customer to personalize postage with pictures
or images using PC Postage(R) technology. The United States Postal Service
today began looking for qualified PC Postage(R) vendors able to produce
customized postage to be used on First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and Express
Mail for personal use only.
"We're combining the trust people have in the Postal Service with the
technology and efficiencies of the private sector to bring customized postage
to our customers," said Nicholas Barranca, Vice President of Product
Development. "Customized postage allows us to make mail more valuable and more
meaningful to people."
Customized postage will have two parts: a customer-supplied image and a
state-of-the-art secure bar code. All customized postage is compatible with
the Postal Service's automated mailing processing systems.
Like postage meters, PC Postage(R) facilitates customer access to postage
payment and use of the mail. PC Postage(R) is not a stamp and the use of
customized postage will not affect the Postal Service's production or
commitment to postage stamps, Barranca said.
Customized postage will be limited to personal use only during the one-
year test. This is the second step in the Postal Service's testing of the
product to determine its appeal to customers and the value it may add to
postal services.
To become an authorized PC Postage(R) provider, applicants must be able to
prove the ability to generate high quality, computer-based postage or metered
postage and demonstrate they routinely use secure encryption technology to
protect postal revenue.
"We want to make sure that anyone we authorize has the ability to produce
postage in an efficient way," Barranca said. "While we continue to strive to
meet the needs of our customers, we want to make sure that any product also
meets our standards for quality and security."
USPS will require vendors to produce a product that meets current postal
regulations and conclusively prove that all images produced and services
provided abide by all federal laws, including copyright laws.
Authorized vendors will determine pricing and are expected to price their
products based on the value provided to the consumer. The Postal Service's
role is to authorize and monitor qualified providers.
The formal request for proposals from qualified vendors will be advertised
in the Federal Register on April 27.
The year-long test is expected to last through May 2006. Vendors may begin
offering PC Postage(R) within 20 days of being authorized by the United States
Postal Service.
Since 1775, the Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors
and businesses by mail. It is an independent federal agency that visits 142
million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider
delivering to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no
taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues
solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues
of more than $69 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and
delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the
world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail
volume -- some 206 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a
year -- and serves seven million customers each day at its 37,000 retail
locations nationwide.
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