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APPENDIX B

STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH

Why Stakeholder Outreach?

There are many reasons why the Postal Service solicited stakeholder input as part of the Strategic Transformation Plan 2006–2010 development process. First, it is required by federal law. The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requires agencies to engage with stakeholders to identify the impact of agency actions, and to solicit their thoughts, opinions, and ideas as business activities and strategic plans are generated. Second, the Postal Service understands the impact of stakeholder involvement in the successes of the 2002 Plan and recognizes that continued stakeholder involvement is needed. It makes fundamental business sense to solicit ideas from all constituencies with an interest in a robust and healthy Postal Service.

During the past 4 years, the Postal Service has benefited from stakeholder feedback for various plans, documents, and studies:

The postal stakeholder community is a very diverse and sometimes divided community of interests. The Postal Service devotes significant resources to work with stakeholders to better understand the various groups, propose and evaluate reasonable compromises among them, and to assess the effectiveness of postal programs, products, and services. Certain requirements do tend to emerge consistently from key stakeholder groups:

Customers - Timely, reliable, and accurate delivery; products and services that meet needs; responsive, knowledgeable, and courteous employees; convenient access and ease of use; timely, reliable, and accurate information; confidence, security and trust; affordable, reasonable prices; consumer protection.

Mail Service Providers, Industry Associations - Effective consultation and responsive problem solving; ease of use and payment; seamless integration; growth and profit opportunities; reasonable standards consistently applied; investments in infrastructure; lowest possible prices.

Employees - Fair employment practices; competitive wages and benefits; safe and secure workplace; relevant and effective training; opportunity to contribute; fair and effective supervision; open and honest communication; development opportunities and job security; recognition for performance.

Congress and Regulators - Universal service; adherence to legislative and regulatory requirements; transparency; effective management and control systems; effective consultation and response; public services; community and corporate responsibility; high ethical standards.

Competitors - Level playing field; fair competition.

Suppliers - Fair and efficient purchasing processes; effective consultation; timely, relevant and accurate information; profit opportunities.

Foreign posts - Effective and efficient mail exchange.