Effective July 6, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) to replace existing section 709.2, applicable to the Standard Mail Volume Incentive Program that ended on September 30, 2009, with new standards describing the 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program.
Published as a Federal Register final rule on April 8, 2010 (75 FR 17861–17863), the 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program implements a volume incentive program for qualified high-volume mailers of Standard Mail® or Nonprofit Standard Mail letters and flats, with volume mailed between July 1, 2010, and September 30, 2010, above their individual threshold level. The threshold level for this program will be set at five percent (5%) above the volume demonstrated by the participant mailer during the same period in 2009. This program encourages mailers to generate new volume and demonstrates the commitment of the Postal Service to the future health of the mailing industry.
To participate, mailers must be the permit holder (i.e., owner) of a permit imprint advance deposit account(s) or the owner of qualifying mail volume entered through the permit imprint advance deposit account of a mail service provider. Qualifying mailers must be able to demonstrate volume of at least three-hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) Standard Mail letters and/or flats, within the program qualification period of July 1, 2009, to September 30, 2009, mailed through a permit imprint advance deposit account, with a precanceled stamp permit, with a postage meter permit, or by a combination of these methods. Applicants may also qualify for the program with volume mailed through an account(s) owned by a mail service provider, when adequate documentation is provided that specifies the applicant is the owner of the mail.
The 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program encourages mailers to generate new mail volume. As a deterrent to mailers shifting previously planned volume into the program to obtain incentive credits, the mailing activity of participating mail owners will be monitored in the calendar months prior to and following the end of the program as follows:
n For the 2010 Standard Mail Incentive program, each participant’s June 2010 and October 2010 expected volume will be defined as five percent (5%) over the total volume of Standard Mail letters and/or flats recorded for the participant in June 2009 and October 2009 respectively.
n Each participant’s actual June 2010 and October 2010 volumes will be compared to their respective June 2010 and October 2010 expected volumes.
Participants demonstrating a shortfall of volume in either their June 2010 or October 2010 expected volumes will have that shortfall deducted from the number of mailpieces eligible for an incentive credit within the program regardless of any surplus demonstrated in the expected volume threshold of the other month.
Those mailers identified by the Postal Service as being eligible to participate in the program were sent an invitation letter on or prior to May 1, 2010. This invitation letter directed interested mailers to apply for the program online at www.usps.com/summersale. Mailers wishing to participate in the program, who believe they meet the eligibility standards and were not notified by letter, may request a review of their eligibility by contacting USPS® at summersale@usps.gov no later than May 15, 2010. Any mailer wishing to participate in the program must initially apply at www.usps.com/summersale no later than May 28, 2010.
Mailers completing the online application process will receive an electronic response from USPS® that includes:
n An individual volume threshold report.
n A certification letter.
n A threshold inquiry form.
The individual threshold report displays the applicant’s July 1, 2009, to September 30, 2009, Standard Mail letters and flats volume mailing history, by permit number, and the applicant’s USPS-calculated threshold. The report also includes the applicant’s June 2009 and October 2009 mailing histories and the USPS-calculated expected June 2010 and October 2010 volumes. Applicants agreeing with the volume histories and USPS calculations can sign the provided certification letter and return a copy via e-mail to summersale@usps.gov, or mail the hardcopy to Summer Sale Program Office, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Rm. 5410, Washington, DC 20260-5410, to be fully registered for the program. To simplify the review process, by identifying potential permit issues prior to scheduling contact with a USPS representative, applicants not agreeing with any portion of their volume histories must complete the threshold inquiry form and return it, via e-mail to summersale@usps.gov, or mail the hardcopy to Summer Sale Program Office, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Rm. 5410, Washington, DC 20260-5410, no later than June 30, 2010. Applicants disputing USPS volume histories or calculations will be required to provide supporting evidence as appropriate.
In addition to Standard Mail volume prepared and entered directly by the mailer, applicants are also eligible to participate in the program with qualifying volume prepared by a mail service provider when entered through a permit owned by the applicant. Mail volume through a mail service provider’s permit may also qualify for the program if adequate documentation, such as PS Form 3602, Postage Statement Standard Mail, identifies the mail as being prepared on behalf of the applicant and demonstrates the applicant’s prior mailing activity. Mail service providers are not eligible for the 2010 Standard Mail Incentive Program.
Approved program participants, demonstrating an increase in their total Standard Mail letters and flats volume above their threshold level, will qualify for a credit to a single designated permit imprint advance deposit account or Centralized Account Payment System (CAPS) account, following the close of the October 2010 mailing activity review period. The total postage attributable to Standard Mail letters and flats within the program period will be identified for each participant and divided by the total number of recorded pieces to generate the average price per piece. Participants receive a credit in the amount of thirty percent (30%) of the average price per piece for the total number of mailpieces of the incremental volume, above their threshold level, recorded during the program period.
Additionally, as part of the program administration, the Postal Service will require each program participant to certify the data used to calculate their program threshold level and their June 2010 and October 2010 expected volumes. This certification requirement will be similar to what is currently used on a PS Form 3602. The certification requirement for this initiative is designed to ensure that the data used by the Postal Service to calculate the threshold level and applicable June 2010 and October 2010 expected volumes for each qualifying mailer is accurate.
The entire Federal Register final rule can be viewed on Postal Explorer® by clicking on Federal Register Notices in the left frame.
These revisions will be included in the July 6, 2010, version of the online DMM available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com, and will be incorporated into the next printed version of the DMM.
— Mailing Standards, Pricing, 5-6-10
