8-3 Professional/Technical and Consultant Services

The Postal Service contracts for professional/technical and consultant services when doing so makes good business sense in light of available personnel resources. For example, short-term expertise may be necessary to assist in the development of new customer service programs or to manage spikes in operational workload. In other cases, long-term contracts for these services may prove more fiscally and technically beneficial than the use of career employees. When contemplating contracting for these services, and for personal services (see below), purchase/SCM teams must consider the financial commitment and potential ROI. For certain requirements, such as those affecting craft positions and duties, additional reviews and approvals are required; these include meeting legal and labor agreement obligations set forth in Federal regulations and labor agreements. In these cases, purchase/SCM teams must consult with Strategic Initiatives at Headquarters. In addition, reviews and approvals are required for contracts with former Postal Service officers, executives, and employees, regardless of whether these individuals are contracted with directly or are employed or proposed to be employed by a supplier, as discussed in Section 7-12, Restrictions on Contracting with Former Postal Service Officers, Executives, Employees, and Other Sources.

Conflicts of Interest – When purchasing professional/technical or consultant services, purchase/SCM teams must pay particular attention to the potential for organizational conflicts of interest, and consider using Clause 1-7: Organizational Conflicts of Interest, or a similar clause in the contract.