Effective June 6, 2016, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®), section 705.23, to add a new sub-section on the Mail Anywhere program.
The Mail Anywhere program will provide qualifying full-service mailers the opportunity to use the same permit at any location.
The Postal Service will also revise section 705.23 to provide clarity and to eliminate redundancy. Additionally, we will revise section 604.5.1.4 to include the Mail Anywhere program and update section 708.6.3.5 for consistency.
Although this clarification will not be published in the DMM until June 6, 2016, this revision is effective immediately.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
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600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
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604 Postage Payment Methods and Refunds
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5.0 Permit Imprint (Indicia)
5.1 General Standards
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5.1.4 Permit and Fees
[Add a new last sentence to 5.1.4 to read as follows:]
***Mail Anywhere allows a qualified mailer to maintain a single permit for a postage payment method for mailings at any Business Mail Acceptance site under 705.23.3.2.
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700 Special Standards
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705 Advanced Preparation and Special Postage Payment Systems
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23.0 Full-Service Automation Option
23.1 Description
[Revise the text of 23.1 to read as follows:]
The full-service automation option is a program that uses Intelligent Mail barcodes on mailpieces (IMb), trays and sacks (IMtb), and pallets or other authorized containers (IMcb) to provide end-to-end visibility into the mailstream. Additional information on the full-service automation option is available on RIBBS at http:⁄⁄ribbs.usps.gov.
23.2 General Eligibility Standards
[Revise the text of 23.2 to read as follows:]
First-Class Mail (FCM), Periodicals, Standard Mail, cards (FCM only), letters, and flats meeting eligibility requirements for automation or carrier route prices (except for Standard Mail ECR saturation flats), and Bound Printed Matter presorted or carrier route barcoded flats, are potentially eligible for full-service incentives. Additionally, all pieces entered under full-service pricing must:
a. Include an Intelligent Mail barcode on each mailpiece, as described in 708.4.0, that accurately encodes each field and as follows:
1. Except for mail prepared under item 23.2a2, each mailpiece must be encoded with a unique serial number. Mailers must ensure that these numbers remain unique for a period of at least 45 days. Serial numbers associated to an individual Mailer ID (MID) must not be duplicated within this 45-day period, regardless of the entry location.
2. For mailings of fewer than 10,000 pieces, when postage is affixed to each piece at the correct price, or each piece is of identical weight and the mailpieces are separated by price, the serial number field of each Intelligent Mail barcode can be populated with a mailing serial number that is unique to the mailing, but common to all pieces in the mailing. This unique mailing serial number must not be reused for a period of 45 days from the date of mailing. These mailings only require an electronic postage statement for full service; additional electronic documentation is not required. Unique mailing serial numbers must be populated in the Postal Wizard entry screen field or in the electronic documentation.
b. Be part of a mailing using accurately encoded Intelligent Mail barcoded tray labels as described in 708.6.3 on all trays and sacks. Mailing documentation, when required, must associate each mailpiece to a corresponding tray or sack, or to a logical tray or sack, as described in 23.2d. Each tray or sack must be encoded with a unique serial number. Tray or sack serial numbers associated to an individual MID cannot be duplicated within a 45-day period, regardless of the acceptance location.
c. Be part of a mailing using unique Intelligent Mail container barcodes as described in 708.6.4 on all destination-entry pallets and other containers optionally or required to be prepared under 8.0 or as part of a customer⁄supplier agreement (CSA). Mailing documentation, when required, must associate each mailpiece (and tray or sack, if applicable) to a corresponding container (or a logical container) as described in 23.2d, unless otherwise authorized by the USPS. Each container must be encoded with a unique serial number. Container barcodes must not be duplicated within a 45-day period, regardless of the acceptance location. A customer⁄supplier agreement is authorized with a service agreement signed by the mailer, the USPS District Manager, Customer Service, and the USPS Processing and Distribution Center manager. The service agreement contains provisions regarding mailer and USPS responsibilities.
d. Be part of a mailing using an approved electronic method to transmit a postage statement and mailing documentation to the PostalOne! system. Documentation must describe how each mailpiece is linked to a uniquely identified tray or sack, and how each mailpiece and tray or sack is linked to a uniquely identified container. Linking to logical trays, sacks, and containers via sibling records is an option when linking to a specific tray, sack, or container is not feasible. Mailers must transmit postage statements and documentation to the PostalOne! system using Mail.dat, Mail.XML, or Postal Wizard (see 23.2a2). The documentation must contain the following elements:
1. Valid MID on containers, trays and sacks, and mailpieces;
2. Appropriate Service Type ID (STID) based on mail class and service level of the mailpiece;
3. Proper By⁄For Identification (The Mail Owner does not need to be identified in electronic documentation when the Mail Owner is mailing less than 5,000 pieces in a Full-Service IMb mailing. This exception is not applicable to nonprofit mailpieces.);
4. Unique barcodes for 45 days on containers, trays and sacks, and mailpieces except as outlined in 23.2a2;
5. Entry Facility Identification; and
6. Original Container Information Linkage.
e. Be scheduled for an appointment using the Facility Access and Shipment Tracking (FAST) system for dropship mailings (except for mailings entered at a DDU) or as required in a customer⁄supplier agreement. Mailers may schedule appointments online using the FAST website at https:⁄⁄fast.usps.com⁄fast⁄main.action or they may submit appointment requests through PostalOne! FAST Web Services at www.uspspostalone.com, using Mail.XML or Mail.XML with Mail.dat.
[Renumber current 23.3 as new 23.3.1 and add new title 23.3 to read as follows:]
23.3 Fees
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[Add new 23.3.2 to read as follows:]
23.3.2 Mail Anywhere
Mail Anywhere allows a mailer to maintain a single permit for a postage payment method for mailings at any Business Mail Acceptance site. Mailers must request authorization to participate in Mail Anywhere by contacting the PostalOne! Help Desk. To be eligible to participate, mailers must prepare at least 90% of eligible mailpieces as full-service and meet full-service participation criteria for 30 days prior to requesting authorization.
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23.4 Preparation
[Delete 23.4.1 through 23.4.6 in their entirety. Add new text under 23.4 to read as follows:]
Mailings under the full-service automation option may be prepared as provided for the applicable class of mail or containerized, when volume warrants, in uniquely identified containers by palletizing bundles, sacks, or trays under standards in 8.0. Mailers required to containerize must make all separations when the volume for any presort level meets a required sortation level, as described in 8.5.2 or in the customer⁄supplier agreement.
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23.5 Additional Standards
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[Delete 23.5.3 in its entirety.]
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708 Technical Specifications
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6.0 Standards for Barcoded Tray Labels, Sack Labels, and Container Placards
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6.3 Specific Standards for Intelligent Mail Tray Labels
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6.3.5 Unique Serial Number
[Add a new second sentence to 6.3.5 to read as follows:]
***Tray or sack serial numbers associated to an individual Mailer ID cannot be duplicated within a 45-day period, regardless of the acceptance location.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http:⁄⁄pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Marketing and Sales, 5-26-16
