Proposed rule aims to help managers control mail costs
Agencies would have to revamp their accounting systems to better manage mail expenses and save the government more money on postage under a proposed rule from the General Services Administration. The proposed rule, issued by GSA and published last month in the Federal Register, updates current regulations on federal mail management by requiring agencies to restructure their financial systems to separate costs associated with mail from other administrative expenses by Oct. 1, 2002. The rule also encourages agencies to develop performance measures and goals connecting mail management to their missions. GSA aims to revamp federal mail management so managers at all levels can better gauge how much they are spending on mail and more effectively control mailing costs. "The proposed regulation is intended to provide a framework for federal mail communications in the future by improving how mail is processed and saving mail service processing time and tax dollars," GSA said. The current regulation on federal mail management requires agencies to collect and maintain data on the volume of incoming and outgoing mail and postage expenditures. The proposed rule would modify the regulation slightly by requiring agencies that spend more than $1 million a year on postage to annually report their expense data to GSA. The first annual report on fiscal 2001 data would be due Jan. 15, 2002. GSA would also require those agencies to submit mail management plans detailing cost savings and security procedures. GSA provided some examples of the type of mail data agencies should track to save costs and improve performance, including cost per piece of mail by class, cost of returned mail and ratio of production staff to administrative staff. The comment period on the proposed rule ends July 30, 2001. Written comments should be submitted to: Michael E. Hopkins
Regulatory Secretariat, Federal Acquisition Policy Division
General Services Administration
1800 F Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20405
E-mail: RIN.3090-AH13@gsa.gov