Effective May 12, 2008, we are revising Publication 91, Confirmation Services Technical Guide (dated September 2004 and updated with Postal Bulletin revisions through January 20, 2005), to add information regarding Priority Mail™ Open and Distribute service, which is a premium service that allows mailers to expedite the transportation of shipments to destination delivery units and mail processing facilities using Priority Mail service.
Publication 91, Confirmation Services Technical Guide
[Throughout Publication 91, change every reference of UCC/EAN Code 128 barcode symbology to GS1-128 barcode symbology.]
[Throughout Publication 91, wherever there is a reference to the length of time that a Package Identification Code (PIC) must be unique and must not be repeated from the time of first use, change the time from 12 months to 6 months.]
[Throughout Publication 91, wherever there is a reference to the length of time that an Electronic File Number must be unique and must not be repeated from the time of first use, change the time from 12 months to 6 months.]
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3 The Details
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Bulk Proof of Delivery Program
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[Add the following text as a separate section after the “Bulk Proof of Delivery Program” section (which appears on page 12):]
Priority Mail Open and Distribute Service
Priority Mail Open and Distribute service is a premium service that allows mailers to expedite the transportation of shipments of other classes of mail to destination delivery units (DDUs) and mail processing facilities using Priority Mail service. Customers must place mailpiece contents into an approved USPS Priority Mail container (sack, tray, or tub), affix to the container the standard Priority Mail Open and Distribute address label bar code that includes Service Type Code 55, and present the container at a business mail entry unit (BMEU) or authorized acceptance location.
The contents of the Priority Mail Open and Distribute container may include any class of mail. Postage is paid based on the weight of the contents of the Priority Mail Open and Distribute container. Once received at the destination facility, the container address label bar code is scanned, and the enclosed mail is processed appropriately to the mail class.
The following steps are required to use Priority Mail Open and Distribute service:
1. For each container, the mailer will affix an address label that contains Service Type Code 55 printed with GS1-128 bar code symbology with human readable text of “USPS Scan On Arrival” above the bar code on a green Tag 161 (going to mail processing facilities — BMCs, SCFs, ADCs, or ASFs) or on a pink Tag 190 (going to DDUs) or on an orange Label 23 (which is used for both processing facilities and DDUs).
2. The mailer sends an electronic file that is consistent with the rules outlined in the latest version of Publication 91 and that includes Service Type Code 55 for the Priority Mail Open and Distribute container.
3. The mailer presents the container with the affixed address label bar code and tag to the BMEU or authorized USPS facility with a prepared PS Form 3152, Confirmation Services Certification. If the mailing within the container is paid by Permit Imprint, the mailer must present the entire mailing to the BMEU where the permit is held.
4. After the contents and postage of each Priority Mail Open and Distribute container is verified, the BMEU or authorized acceptance location scans the bar code label as accepted.
Priority Mail Open and Distribute service provides the date, time, city, state, and ZIP Code of the location where the package was received. Mailers may expect to see a new scan event — “Received at Opening Unit” — for their Priority Mail Open and Distribute containers. Information is made available 16 times daily via an extract file, which contains all scan events that occurred on the address label bar code since the previous extract file. The container may also be tracked from the Postal Service’s Track & Confirm Web page at www.usps.com; click on Track & Confirm.
Priority Mail Open and Distribute service may be used on electronic file type “2” (Tracking File) or type “E” (Mixed Classes) when the mailer has been certified to use that particular file type. The mailer notes the file type in the Header Record, position 003 (see Table 5-2 in chapter 5). Customers who use Priority Mail Open and Distribute must ensure that the 2-digit Service Type Code in the Package Identification Code is “55.” This is included in Detail Record 1, positions 005–026 (see Table 5-2 in chapter 5). Customers who use Priority Mail Open and Distribute must include one of the following as the applicable Destination Rate Indicator in position 056 of Detail Record 1 in the electronic file detail record (see Table 5-2 in chapter 5):
The Postal Service must validate the destination facility ZIP Code used in Detail Record 1 in the electronic file detail record using the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST) available at the Postal Service Web site at https://fast.usps.com. Follow these steps for facility information:
1. Go to https://fast.usps.com.
2. Select Reports; then Mail Direction Search; then Drop Entry Point View; and then Create.
3. From the FAST report page, select the fields, including a 3-digit ZIP Code for a mail processing facility or a 5-digit ZIP Code for a DDU.
For further information about participating in this Service Performance Measurement program, call Technical Support at 877-264-9693, option 1.
Service Performance Reports
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[After the subsection titled “Priority Mail” (which appears on pages 13–14), add the following subsection:]
Priority Mail Open and Distribute
Service performance reports for Priority Mail Open and Distribute customers may be requested from a USPS sales account representative.
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USPS Web Tools
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[After the subsection titled “Delivery Confirmation Services Labels/Bar Coding” (which appears on pages 21–22), add the following subsection:]
Priority Mail Open and Distribute Address Labels/Bar Coding
This service option is practical for mailers and shippers who would like to expedite the transportation of their shipments of other classes of mail to mail processing facilities and DDUs. The API will generate an Open and Distribute label, which is placed on Tag 161 or Tag 190 or Label 23 for Priority Mail Open and Distribute containers.
Exhibits 3-2 through 3-6 are examples of Priority Mail bar coded labels to destination mail processing facilities.
Exhibit 3-2
Priority Mail Bar Coded Label for a Destination Area Distribution Center (ADC)
Exhibit 3-3
Priority Mail Bar Coded Label for a Destination Bulk Mail Center (BMC)
Exhibit 3-4
Priority Mail Bar Coded Label for a Destination Delivery Unit (DDU)
Exhibit 3-5
Priority Mail Bar Coded Label for a Destination Area Sectional Facility (ASF)
Exhibit 3-6
Priority Mail Bar Coded Label for a Sectional Center Facility (SCF)
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4 Labels and Bar Codes
Bar Code Symbologies
[Revise the first paragraph (which appears on page 23) to read as follows:]
Confirmation Services uses a standardized bar code — a Package Identification Code (PIC), commonly called a “tracking number” — to uniquely identify mailpieces and to designate the type of service being requested. The PIC is printed in bar code format on the label, and it must be unique and must not be repeated for 6 months from first use. The Service Type Code “55” should be used only for Priority Mail Open and Distribute service.
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[Remove the paragraph and bullets that appear after item 3 (which appears on page 23) and insert text to read as follows:]
One of the following bar code symbologies must be used to print bar coded labels for Confirmation Services:
a. Global Standards (GS) 1-128.
Note: GS1-128 replaces UCC/EAN Code 128. Mailers must use GS1-128 to print Service Type Code 55 for Priority Mail Open and Distribute service.
b. Uniform Symbology Specification (USS) Code 128 (subset C is required).
c. USS Code Interleaved 2 of 5.
d. USS Code 3 of 9.
Bar Coded Label Certification Process
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[Near the end of this subsection, just above the current “Note” about Express Mail Manifesting (which appears on page 24), add text as follows:]
Note: Mailers wishing to send Priority Mail Open and Distribute containers must be certified to print the Priority Mail Open and Distribute Service address label bar code that includes Service Type Code 55 printed with GS1-128 bar code symbology. Mailers who have already obtained a confirmation services certification must also obtain specific Priority Mail Open and Distribute certification in order to use the service.
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5 Electronic File Format
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Table 5-1, Header Record (130 bytes)
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[In the first header row, in the entry “Required Code,” add the following entry at the end (after “BI = Bulk Insurance”):]
PMOD = Priority Mail Open and Distribute
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Table 5-2, Detail Record 1 (200 bytes)
Detail Record 1 (200 bytes)
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[In the first header row, in the entry “Required Code,” add the following text at the end (after “BI = Bulk Insurance”):]
PMOD = Priority Mail Open and Distribute
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[In the table, in the row for Record Positions 005-026, in the column “Content Rules and Limitations,” add the following text at the end:]
Service Type Code 55 must be used for Priority Mail Open and Distribute.
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[In the table, in the row for Record Positions 032-035, in the column “Content Rules and Limitations,” add the following text at the end:]
For PMOD, use only if sending to destination delivery unit (DDU).
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[In the table, in the row for Record Position 056, in the column “Description,” revise the text to read as follows (adding entries for “A” and “F”):]
‘A’ Destination ADC
‘B’ Destination BMC
‘D’ Destination Delivery Unit
‘E’ Inter-BMC Parcel Post
‘F’ Destination ASF
‘I’ International Service Office
‘S’ Destination SCF
‘T’ Intra-BMC Parcel Post
‘N’ None
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[In the table, in the row for Record Position 056, in the column “Content Rules and Limitations,” add the following text at the end:]
‘A’ and ‘F’ are available only for Priority Mail Open and Distribute service.
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[In the table, in the row for Record Positions 131-160, in the column “Require Code,” revise the text to read as follows:]
See rules
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of Publication 91 and also into the online version of Publication 91, which is available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet Web site:
(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 All Products & Services, then Publications, then Postal Periodicals and Publications, and then Publication 91.
— Product Information Requirements,
Product Development, 4-10-08
