2-34.2 Comparison with Regulated, Catalog, or Market Prices

This technique allows the Postal Service to comply with the price as set by law or regulation and compares proposed prices with prices available in supplier’s catalogs, market prices, indexes, and discount or rebate arrangements.

Regulated or legal prices are set when applicable laws or regulations specify the price and no potential supplier may charge anything other than this price.

Catalog prices are prices included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other document that is regularly maintained by the manufacturer or supplier and is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers. Before using catalog prices as a basis for comparison, the pricing analyst should ensure that:

Market prices are established by the interaction of market supply and demand and are usually published in trade publications or other news media.