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NEW PUBLICATION
Publication 205, Electronic Verification System Technical Guide
The Postal ServiceTM has issued Publication 205, Electronic Verification System Technical Guide, with an effective date of October 2006. Available electronically on the
Postal Service Web sites, Publication 205 contains the
business requirements and the technical specifications to
be used by parcel mailers, shippers, and software developers planning to manifest parcel mail under the Electronic
Verification System (eVS). Future revisions to Publication
205 will be announced and published in the Postal Bulletin.
Beginning August 1, 2007, eVS will be required for all
permit imprint Parcel Select mailings and for permit imprint commingled parcel mailings authorized under Mailing
Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic
Mail Manual (DMM) 705.6.0 or 705.7.0. A final rule on this
requirement, along with a detailed analysis of comments
received from the mailing public, was published in the Federal Register on July 10, 2006 (see 71 FR 38966-38978).
Organization
Publication 205 is organized into seven chapters and a
series of seven appendices that guide mailers through the
necessary steps and technical requirements for the eVS
program.
• Chapter 1, "The Basics," explains the benefits of
the eVS program and its required and optional use,
outlines what is needed in order to participate in the
program, and details postage computation and the
use of the special eVS permit imprint indicia.
• Chapter 2, "Electronic Files and Manifests," presents the eVS file and manifest structure, including
format and layout, and discusses file transmission.
• Chapter 3, "Barcode Requirements," introduces
the technical specifications for the UCC/EAN Code
128 barcodes required for eVS, including barcode
symbology and related elements, barcode identification format and human-readable information, printing
specifications, and the calculation of the barcode
check digit.
• Chapter 4, "Postage Verification and Adjustment," summarizes the various postage adjustments
and their reconciliations, the collection of sampling
data, and the Post OfficeTM of account. The Postal
Service collects any postage due for the underpayment of postage, for unmanifested parcels, and for
misshipped parcels.
• Chapter 5, "Quality Assurance," emphasizes the
purpose and procedures required for eVS mailings.
Specific areas include documentation, customer
identification process, barcode read rate, accountable mail parcels, internal sampling, file management, and other quality measurements for
improvement and transportation scheduling.
• Chapter 6, "eVS Reports," details the various online reports that allow the eVS mailer to monitor the
accuracy of mailings and postage payments and to
take corrective action, if necessary, to minimize the
potential for postage adjustments.
• Chapter 7, "Application and Authorization," explains the application process, eVS certification, testing process, and manifest mailing agreement.
• Appendix A, "eVS Electronic File Layout," provides a comprehensive description of the file layout
for the types of records used for eVS files.
• Appendix B, "eVS Application," shows a copy of
the application that eVS candidates must complete
for consideration in the eVS program. The application
is available from the Postal Service in an electronic
format for data entry. Interested mailers can obtain a
copy by sending an e-mail request to
eVS@usps.gov.
• Appendix C, "PS Form 1357-C," shows a copy of
the form that eVS candidates must complete to gain
access to the eVS Web site and their account. The
form is available from the Postal Service in an electronic format for data entry. Interested mailers can
obtain a copy by sending an e-mail request to
eVS@usps.gov.
• Appendix D, "Sample eVS Manifest Mailing
Agreement," provides eVS candidates with the requirements of the manifest mailing agreement.
• Appendix E, "Standard Mail and Bound Printed
Matter Computation," clarifies the standards for
computing and rounding piece-pound rate postage
for Standard Mail and Bound Printed Matter pieces.
• Appendix F, "Applicable Rates for Destination
Entry Mailing," clarifies the type of mail presented at
Postal Service facilities and the corresponding parcel
rate categories.
• Appendix G, "Service Type Codes and Rate Ingredient Tables," details the coding needed for certain elements in the electronic files, including service
type codes, extra services codes, surcharge type
codes, rate indicators, and valid eVS rate
combinations.
Availability
Publication 205 is available electronically to customers
and to Postal Service employees on the Postal Service
Web sites:
• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
• Under "Essential Links" in the left-hand column, click
on References.
• Under "References" in the right-hand column, under
"Policies," click on PolicyNet.
• Click on PUBs.
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web
site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
It is also available on the Postal Service Internet:
• Go to www.usps.com.
• Click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Postal Periodicals and Publications, and
then PUBs.
Publication 205 is available in portable document format
(PDF) and hypertext markup language (HTML) versions.
The exact URLs for the two versions of Publication 205 are
as follows:
• www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub205.pdf.
• www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub205/welcome.htm.
— Business Mailer Support,
Customer Service, 12-7-06
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