Summary of Changes

Permanent Note: On May 1, 2006, the Interim Internal Purchasing Guidelines were replaced by the Postal Service’s Supplying Principles and Practices (SPs and Ps).

Effective September 1, 2022 the following parts and sections of the SPs and Ps have been revised:

2 — Evaluate Suppliers

• 2-2, Start Request for Proposal (RFP) Development, is revised to change client to internal business partner and clarify the RFP process.
• 2-8.1, Spend Analysis Process, is revised to change the number of spend analysis process steps from five to six and to include in Figure 2.6, Spend Analysis Process, the missing second process “Review Item Purchase History” and missing fifth process “Identify Opportunities.”
• 2-8.2, Define and Extract Data, is revised to update organizational titles and system names.
• 2-10.3, Noncompetitive Purchases, is modified to add text which identifies the information that contracting officers must provide when submitting NPRs to the Competition Advocate.
• 2-10.3.8, Publicizing, is modified to add references to Sections 2-27.1, Publicizing Requirements, 3-2.1, Advance Notification of Contract Awards, and 3-2.2, Publicizing Contract Awards.
• 2-11, Develop Life Cycle Support Plan, is revised to update the title for consistency with the subsections of this topic.
• 2-11.7, Production and Deployment Phase, is revised to change the life cycle plan to life cycle support plan in second paragraph.
• 2-11.8, Operations (Use) and Support Phase, is revised to change the life cycle plan to life cycle support plan in second paragraph.
• 2-27.1, Publicizing Requirements, is modified to add references to Sections 2-10.3.8, Publicizing, and 3-2.2, Publicizing Contract Awards.

3 — USPS Supplying Practices Process Step 3: Select Suppliers

• 3-2.1, Advance Notification of Contract Awards, is revised to reflect the change of titles. Additionally, the Vice President of Transportation Strategy has been added to the list of positions that the CO will issue the advanced notification to but only for surface transportation, air transportation, and transportation services contracts. The revision also states that completion of applicable review and approval processes of the award recommendation, order placement memorandum, or other approval documentation for the action is required prior to the issuance of the advance notification of contract award.
• 3-2.2, Publicizing Contract Awards, is modified to add a reference to Section 2-10.3.8, Publicizing, and clarify when publicizing is mandatory or optional.

4 — Deliver and Receive Requirements

• 4-1.4.5, Communication and Reporting, is revised to increase the reporting requirements on orders from $25 million or more to $50 million or more.
• 4-1.11, Communication and Reporting, is revised to increase the reporting requirements on orders from $25 million or more to $50 million or more.

5 — Manage and Measure Supply

• 5-12.4, Payment Terms, is revised to include the reference to commodity-specific Clause 4-20: General Terms and Conditions (Surface Transportation) paragraph i. Payment, and to revise the title of referenced Clause B-74: Payment (Highway) to B-74: Payments (Surface Transportation).
• 5-12.8, Clauses and Provisions, is revised to reflect the new title of Clause B-74: Payments (Surface Transportation).
• 5-15, Recognize and Reward Supplier, the last bullet is revised to recognize the value of enhancing the supplier’s brand as a benefit versus reduced inspections.
• 5-15.1, Evaluating, Rating, and Ranking Suppliers, is revised to clarify the discussion on metrics.
• 5-15.2, Rewards and Recognition, is retitled to 5-15.2, Types of Recognition and Rewards, and the discussion on recognition incentives is revised to provide program flexibility.
• 5-15.3, Maintaining Supplier Commitment, is revised to provide clarity, brevity, and program flexibility.
• 5-15.4, Feedback, is retitled 5-15.4, Supplier Engagement, to emphasize the longer-term benefit of recognition and reward to improve supplier relationships with open, candid communication starting with the Supplier’s ratings.
• 5-15.5, Postal Service Quality Supplier Awards, is retitled to 5-15.5, Supplier Performance Awards Program, and is revised to remove the reference to the Quality Supplier Awards (QSA) program, provide more flexibility in the award program, and to emphasize the benefit of a press release and following publicity to the Supplier’s brand.
• 5-15.5.1, QSA Criteria, is retitled to 5-15.5.1, Supplier Performance Awards Criteria and Categories, removes the references to the QSA program, and introduces seven separate awards with specific attributes supporting Postal Service Supplier objectives. Each award category is further defined in a separate paragraph within the section.
• 5-15.5.2, Supplier Performance Awards Category, is new, and recognizes key suppliers who demonstrate collaborative performance objectives, developmental progress, and are exemplary performers assisting the Postal Service in achieving its business objectives.
• 5-15.5.3, Supplier Excellence Awards Category, is new, and recognizes a supplier who contributes to Supply Management success with exemplary quality, on time delivery performance, and contract compliance.
• 5-15.5.4, Supplier Innovation Awards Category, recognizes any supplier who implements an idea offering the Postal Service value beyond contract expectations.
• 5-15.5.5, Supplier Diversity Awards Categories, recognizes a supplier who may be either a Large or Small, Minority, or Women Owned Business (SMWOB) firm that demonstrates excellence in contract execution while serving as a role model in promoting Postal Service Diversity efforts, outreach and mentorship.
• 5-15.5.6, Supplier Sustainability Excellence Award Category, updates excellent environmental and sustainability practices in performance of the contract.
• 5-15.5.7, Postal Supplier Council Excellence Awards Category, recognizes Postal Supply Council member for excellence in their performance and participation in the council.

7 — General Practices

• 7-9.4, Accounting Service Center, is revised to identify the transfer of accounting functions to the Accounting Service Center (ASC). This revision is required due to the status change of the San Mateo, California office from an independent ASC to a satellite office of the St. Louis ASC. For SPs and Ps text purposes, the location designation is deleted.
• 7-16.1, General, is revised to provide an overview of sustainability and information on the Postal Service’s Environmental Preferable Products (EPP) - Green Purchasing Program.
• 7-16.2, Environmentally Preferable Products, is moved from 7-16.3. Replacing “Planning for Sustainability” (as the section heading). This section includes a discussion on EPP categories, purchase planning , specifications and statements of work, sustainability as an evaluation factor, and supplier EPP data reporting requirements.
• 7-16.3, Environmentally Preferable Products, including some of the sub-sections not mentioned below, is revised, and moved to 7-16.2, Environmentally Preferable Products.
• 7-16.4, Services, was deleted. The term “services” continues to be used throughout the section; however, supplier reporting is not required for services.
• 7-16.5, Innovations, was deleted and aligned with value engineering in 7-16.1, General.
• 7-16.6, Sustainability Reporting, is removed and replaced with
  7-16.2.5, Supplier Environmentally Preferable Product Data Reporting. This section and Clause 7-15: Sustainability Data Reporting, do not refer to sustainability reporting tool by name to provide flexibility in future system use.
• 7-16.6.2, Waivers, was deleted. The waiver was required when Clause 7-15: Supplier Sustainability Data Reporting, would not be included in the contract. This clause is used when the contract meets the criteria (e.g., the contract calls for environmentally preferable products (EPPs) and the estimated contract value is $500,000 or more) for requiring semiannual reporting.
• 7-16.3, Clauses, is renumbered from 7-16.7, and added prescription for Clause 7-18: Eco-Label Certified Products and updated the prescriptions for the existing clauses.
• 7-16.4, Other Topics Considered, is new.

8 — USPS Supplying Practices Commodity Specific

• 8-4.9, Clauses, deleted reference to Clause 4-15: Warranty Exclusion and Limitations of Damages.

10 — Contract Clauses

• Clause 4-15: Warranty Exclusion and Limitations of Damages, this clause conflicts with Clause 4-1: General Terms and Conditions, paragraph (o). Warranty, and has been deleted and the number marked as reserved.
• Clause 7-10: Sustainability, corrected typographical errors.
• Clause 7-11: Recycled Content Products, corrected the formatting and removed the last paragraph that provided a reference not applicable to the Postal Service.
• Clause 7-12: Bio-Based Content Products, corrected the formatting.
• Clause 7-13: Energy Efficiency in Energy Consuming Products, changed name to Clause 7-13: Energy-Efficient Products; corrected the formatting; and updated the hyperlinks in the final bullet.
• Clause 7-14: Water Efficiency in Water Consuming Products, change the name to Clause 7-14: Water-Efficient Products; corrected the formatting; and updated the hyperlink in the final bullet.
• Clause 7-15: Supplier Sustainability Data Reporting, the clause was rewritten to incorporate the changes made to 7-16.1, General and
  7-16.2.5, Supplier Environmentally Preferable Product Data Reporting.
• Clause 7-18: Eco-Label Certified Products, was added.
• Clause B-64: Accountability of the Supplier (Highway), is revised to correct a typographical error within paragraph d.