Title
a. Receive a report on United States Postal Service (USPS) Full Service Intelligent Mail barcode system; and
b. Approve the recommendation to update the County's Mail Services software to support the new USPS barcode and to allow for the continuation of discounts for Full-Service mailings by January 2014.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a report on United States Postal Service (USPS) Full Service Intelligent Mail barcode system; and
b. Approve the recommendation to update County's Mail Services machinery to support the new USPS barcode and to allow for the continuation of discounts for Full-Service mailings by January 2014.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
On September 25, 2013 the Postal Service sent out a letter advising mailers of a rule change for presorted mail. Refer to Attachment A for a copy of this letter. For automation letters and flats and for Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM), an Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) is required. Effective January 26, 2014, use of full-service Intelligent Mail is required to qualify for automation prices (presort) for postcards, letters and flats. A new, unique identification code with additional data is not supported by WINSORT, our current Operating System (OS). The County mail sorting software must be converted to the new operating system to qualify for the $0.10 per piece discount.
The Board approved the hardware component of this rule in November 6, 2012. The software component was unknown until the above mentioned letter was received by the County on October 7, 2013. In FY 2012-13, the County's Mail Service staff processed 349,311 pieces of pre-sorted mail which resulted in $34,931 in postage savings. A total of 171,292 pieces have been processed through the first quarter of this FY 14 at a savings of $17,129. Therefore, staff recommends replacing the WINSORT Program with the Full-Service Intelligent Mail barcode software prior to January 26, 2...
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