Summary: GAO reviewed the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) implementation of the National Bulk-Rate Mail Verification Program to determine whether: (1) bulk-mail clerks are complying with program guidelines; (2) verification of bulk-rate mail is adequate; and (3) management oversight is effective at each organizational level.
GAO found that: (1) although the program has improved mail preparation, it still has some operational shortcomings; (2) three of the five management sectional centers (MSC) visited had mail entering the mail stream without formal acceptance and inspection; (3) inadequate records management made it impossible to determine if USPS made all of the required verification tests; (4) between June 1983 and November 1984, 322 mailings that originated at station or branch post offices bypassed acceptance processing at two MSC; and (5) although verification of all bulk-rate mail is necessary for correct presort to qualify for a discount rate, USPS continues to accept an unknown amount of unverified mail at discount rates. GAO also found that: (1) mail clerks worked independently with little or no supervision; (2) unit supervisors at all but one center did not make quality control checks to ensure that clerks followed prescribed sampling procedures or routinely reviewed completed verification forms for accuracy; (3) clerks often reported higher error rates when their performance was being observed; (4) management oversight was limited at all regional offices; and (5) there was no evidence that management used available statistical data to identify and correct program deficiencies or took action to correct incorrect data.
