Effective November 8, 2007, we are revising chapter 1 of Publication 205, Electronic Verification System Business and Technical Guide, to clarify the requirements for Mailer IDs and to provide additional guidance on the use of Mailer IDs for currently authorized eVS mailers and for parcel mailers interested in applying to become eVS mailers.
Each eVS applicant must obtain a master Mailer ID (a number similar to the master DUNS number previously required for eVS and still used by eVS mailers authorized to manifest under eVS before August 11, 2007). A master Mailer ID is required for the 22-digit Electronic File Number that appears in every Header Record for all eVS manifest files; it also identifies the mailer in the Product Tracking System, in eVS, in PostalOne!, and in two sampling databases.
The eVS applicant must request a master Mailer ID from Postal Service Confirmation Services Support at the National Customer Support Center using the new “eVS/PRS Mailer ID Application” shown in Appendix B of Publication 205 and available electronically through eVS@usps.gov. eVS applicants and eVS authorized mailers requesting Mailer IDs must use and complete the electronic version of the application.
Many eVS mailers authorized to manifest parcels under eVS before August 11, 2007, do not manifest all their parcel mail using eVS. These mailers, however, might be using the same master DUNS number (now referred to as a master Mailer ID) for file transmissions of eVS manifest files and separate Delivery Confirmation™ files for the non-eVS mail. Although a “shared services master Mailer ID” for file transmission simplifies connectivity with the Postal Service™, this dual use for eVS and non-eVS mail can lead to complications if the mailer also uses the shared services master Mailer ID in the Package Identification Codes (PICs) for either eVS mail or non-eVS mail or both.
When an eVS mailer does not transmit manifest files to the Postal Service, or when the transmitted files fail to process in the Product Tracking System and the mailer does not retransmit the files as instructed by the Postal Service — whether the files are for eVS mail or for non-eVS mail such as Delivery Confirmation — scans of the barcodes of the physical mailpieces already entered into the mailstream result in recording the mailpieces as unmanifested. The data systems identify the mailer using the Mailer ID registered to the mailer that appears in the PIC represented by the scanned barcode.
The mailer does not receive tracking information for the unmanifested mailpieces, and in the case of eVS mail, the Postal Service does not receive payment for these pieces. All unmanifested mail that contains a Mailer ID registered and certified for eVS — whether also registered and certified for Delivery Confirmation — will be posted automatically against the eVS mailer’s account, and additional postage will be charged on day 21 of the reconciliation month (i.e., the month immediately following the month of mailing in which the unmanifested mail is posted to the mailer’s account).
For eVS mailers preparing eVS mail and non-eVS mail with the same Mailer ID in the PICs, it has become a significant burden to determine which unmanifested mailpieces are to be charged through eVS and which pieces are not to be charged through eVS. If an unmanifested piece is truly an eVS piece, then the Postal Service has not received payment for that piece and must collect postage. If an unmanifested piece is a non-eVS piece, then the Postal Service has already received payment through traditional manifesting processes. Proving which pieces are eVS pieces and which are non-eVS pieces requires extensive data analysis and increases the time to reconcile payment issues.
As a consequence, the Postal Service will no longer issue and separately certify a Mailer ID for both eVS and Delivery Confirmation, whether as a master Mailer ID used in the Electronic File Number for file transmissions or as a parcel Mailer ID used in the PIC. Mailers authorized to manifest under eVS before August 11, 2007, will be permitted to continue using shared services master Mailer IDs if those Mailer IDs were certified for eVS and the other service such as Delivery Confirmation before August 11, 2007. A shared services master Mailer ID, however, may not be used in the PICs of either eVS mail or non-eVS mail. Moreover, a shared services parcel Mailer ID is not permitted for any eVS mailer, including eVS mailers authorized to manifest under eVS before August 11, 2007. The Postal Service Confirmation Services Support team will work with eVS mailers to resolve any potential problems or discrepancies with shared services Mailer IDs.
Publication 205, Electronic Verification System Business and Technical Guide
1 The Basics
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1-3 eVS Participation
1-3.1 Step 1: Mailer Account Numbers
To participate in eVS, an applicant must first have or establish a new permit imprint account, a postage payment account, and a master Mailer ID account, using the Electronic Verification System Pre-Application Profile (see Appendix B):
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[Revise 1-3.1c to read as follows:]
c. Mailer Identification Numbers. The eVS applicant must have or obtain a unique master Mailer ID from the Postal Service for all manifest file transmissions and, if desired, obtain additional Mailer IDs for parcel records in the manifest files. The master Mailer ID identifies the applicant in eVS, PostalOne!, and sampling databases. Additional Mailer IDs can be used to designate the applicant’s mail facilities, distribution centers, or divisions within the company, or the Mailer IDs can be used to designate clients. The eVS applicant requests a unique master Mailer ID and additional Mailer IDs from Postal Service Confirmation Services Support at the National Customer Support Center, using eVS/PRS Mailer ID Application (see Appendix B). The following requirements apply to eVS Mailer IDs:
(1) Use of DUNS Numbers. The following rules apply to the use of DUNS numbers, which are considered and classified as Mailer IDs:
(a) eVS Mailers Authorized Before August 11, 2007. Any mailer authorized before August 11, 2007, to manifest parcels under eVS and using a DUNS number for a master Mailer ID and additional DUNS numbers for parcel Mailer IDs previously registered and certified for eVS with the Postal Service before August 11, 2007, for the eVS mailer or for a client of the mailer, may continue using those numbers as Mailer IDs. For any additional identification number required after August 10, 2007, the eVS mailer or the client of the mailer must request a Mailer ID from the Postal Service, not a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet.
(b) eVS Mailers Not Authorized Before August 11, 2007. Any mailer not authorized before August 11, 2007, to manifest parcels under eVS must obtain a master Mailer ID for file transmissions and any additional parcel Mailer IDs to be used in the file records and in the parcel barcodes printed on the mailing labels. The mailer is not permitted to use DUNS numbers in any eVS manifest file except for client DUNS numbers previously registered and certified only for eVS with the Postal Service before August 11, 2007. For any additional identification number required after August 10, 2007, the eVS mailer or the client of the mailer must request a Mailer ID from the Postal Service, not a DUNS number from Dun & Bradstreet.
(2) File Transmission. A master Mailer ID registered to a mailer for eVS must be used in the Electronic File Number (see Appendix A) in the Header Record of every eVS manifest file transmitted by the mailer. No other Mailer ID may be used for eVS manifest files transmitted by that mailer.
(3) Shared Services Master Mailer ID. A shared services master Mailer ID is a Mailer ID registered to a mailer and certified for eVS before August 11, 2007, and also registered to the same mailer and certified for a non-eVS service such as Delivery Confirmation before August 11, 2007. A shared services master Mailer ID may be used for sending eVS and non-eVS files and receiving data from the Postal Service for such shared services file types. A shared services master Mailer ID, however, may not be used in the Package Identification Codes (PICs) of either eVS mail or non-eVS mail. Only mailers authorized to manifest under eVS before August 11, 2007, may use a shared services master Mailer ID. To facilitate reconciling transmission data, any eVS mailer permitted to use a shared services master Mailer ID should request a separate master Mailer ID for one of the file types, either eVS or non-eVS.
(4) Package Identification Code. Mailer IDs used in the Package Identification Code (PIC) (see Appendix A) in the manifest file Detail Records and the associated parcel barcodes printed on the mailing labels must meet the following requirements:
(a) eVS Master Mailer ID. A master Mailer ID registered and certified only for eVS file transmissions and not for any other service may also be used as a parcel Mailer ID in the PICs in the manifest file Detail Records and the associated parcel barcodes printed on the mailing labels. This Mailer ID may not be used for non-eVS mail.
(b) Shared Services Master Mailer ID. A master Mailer ID registered and certified for transmitting eVS files and other file types such as Delivery Confirmation may not be used in the PICs in the Detail Records for eVS mail or for non-eVS mail.
(c) Parcel Mailer IDs. eVS applicants and current eVS mailers can request additional parcel Mailer IDs for PICs for identifying mailer processing facilities, distribution centers, mailer divisions within a company, or even mailer clients. Parcel Mailer IDs certified only for eVS, and identified in the database as “labels only” Mailer IDs, may not be used for non-eVS mail. Mailer IDs not certified for eVS but certified for other services such as Delivery Confirmation may not be used for eVS mail. This requirement helps mailers and the Postal Service identify all mail handled under eVS, and it eliminates potential issues with reconciling unmanifested eVS and non-eVS parcels.
Exhibit 1-3.1
eVS Application Steps
[In Step 3, item b, change “barcode format and content” to “barcode format,” to read as follows:]
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Step 3: Certification and Quality Assurance
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b. File and Label Format. Achieve eVS file and barcode format certification by completing PS Form 5052, Printer Certification Submission (see Appendix C).
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1-3.3 Step 3: Certification and Quality Control
After completing the applications and all required forms, the applicant must do the following:
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b. File and Label Certification. eVS file and label certification consists of two related but independent testing processes:
[In the fourth sentence of 1-3.3b(1), change “The eVS application” to “The eVS applicant,” to read as follows:]
(1) eVS Confirmation Services Certification. ***The eVS applicant is also required to print two types of barcode labels corresponding to the Package Identification Codes in the manifest files: eVS barcode labels with Delivery Confirmation (using Service Type Code 01 or 02 as appropriate to the mail class) and eVS barcode labels without any Extra Service (using Service Type Code 56) as specified and illustrated in chapter 3.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the fully revised edition of Publication 205, which will be dated November 8, 2007, and will soon be available on both the internal and external corporate Web sites as follows:
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
— Business Mailer Support,
Customer Service, 11-8-07
