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Postal Explorer > International Mail Manual - Issue 32 > 6 Special Programs
The Postal Qualified Wholesaler Program of the United States Postal Service
establishes relationships between the Postal Service and wholesalers of
international mail so that the business of both parties is increased through
worksharing and volume pricing. Any Postal Qualified Wholesaler using a
representative or agent must ensure that the representative or agent adheres
to the same rules and regulations of the Postal Qualified Wholesaler Program
when preparing and tendering qualified international mail to the Postal
Service.
A Postal Qualified Wholesaler will receive rates from the Postal Service,
including applicable volume rates or an International Customized Mail rate, if
special circumstances warrant, for any available service offered by the Postal
Service for its use in submitting bids to customers.
613.1 Letter of Request
Any company desiring to be a Postal Qualified Wholesaler must submit a
letter of request to:
MANAGER INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTS
US POSTAL SERVICE
475 L'ENFANT PLZ SW RM 3216
WASHINGTON DC 20260-3216
The letter must demonstrate how a company meets the criteria listed in
613.2. The company must certify that it is not disqualified from being a Postal
Qualified Wholesaler under the guidelines listed in 613.3 and state that it
agrees to all of the terms and conditions of the Postal Qualified Wholesaler
Program. The Postal Service will make the final determination of who shall be
a Postal Qualified Wholesaler.
The wholesaler:
a. Must have a minimum of one year of experience as an international or
domestic mail consolidator, presorter, or letter shop.
b. Must have realized at least $1 million in gross international revenues
with the Postal Service in the most recent calendar year for services it
provided in connection with mail that originated in the United States.
c. Must use a permit imprint that is allowable under the postage payment
systems referenced in DMM 705. The wholesaler may use its own
permit or that of its customers. If the wholesaler uses the customer's
permit, then the wholesaler and its agent must specify to the Postal
Service the permit numbers used and provide an additional itemized
report identifying the volume and revenue for each international
mailing.
d. Must have the ability to collect international mail at customers' facilities
on a daily (Monday through Friday) basis. If the wholesaler and its
agent provide pick-up of mail on Saturdays, Sundays, and/or holidays,
it must state those days it provides pick-up service.
e. Must perform the actual handling and preparation of the international
mail prior to tendering to the Postal Service in accordance with the
applicable mail makeup requirements, maintain a processing facility
and staff to provide the services described herein, and state the
address and square footage of the facility and the number of persons
employed who are involved in the handling and preparation of
international mail.
f. Must have experience, capability, and knowledge to presort, pouch, or
otherwise containerize the customer's international mail per the Postal
Service requirements for any available service offered by the Postal
Service.
g. Must have the ability to transport and tender the international mail to an
agreed-upon Postal Service acceptance point.
h. Must give at least the following percentages of its gross revenue from
international mailing to the Postal Service:
(1) First year of qualification: At least 75%.
(2) Second year of qualification: At least 85%.
(3) Third year and subsequent years of qualification: At least 90%.
i. Must be familiar with or take steps to comply with the Malcolm
Baldridge National Quality Award Program and/or ISO 9000
certification. If a wholesaler has ISO 9000 certification, it must state the
date of such certification and provide a copy of its certification award to
the Manager, Postal Qualified Wholesalers.
Note: Any Postal Qualified Wholesaler using a representative or agent
must ensure that the representative or agent adheres to the rules and
regulations of the Postal Qualified Wholesaler Program when preparing
and/or tendering qualified international mails to the Postal Service.
613.3 Disqualification
Any wholesaler will be disqualified as a Postal Qualified Wholesaler if it does
not meet any of the following conditions:
a. Must first recommend Postal Service services to its customers who
request international mailing services.
b. Must use the level of Postal Service international service that the
customer requires and for which the customer has paid.
c. Neither the wholesaler, a subsidiary, an affiliate, an agent, nor a parent
company can be:
(1) On the List of Parties Excluded from Procurement Programs of
the Postal Service and the United States Government.
(2) A licensed wholesaler or consolidator of any foreign postal
administration, or owned by or a division of any foreign postal
administration.
(3) A direct competitor of the Postal Service domestically or
internationally that provides expedited or parcel delivery services
or air transportation services.
(4) Must not be in arrears for any amount due to the Postal Service.
d. Gross revenue from non-Postal Service mail included in 613.2h does
not include revenues which the wholesaler, a subsidiary, an affiliate, or
a parent company receives for remail when the wholesaler's customer
selects the remail service and directs the wholesaler to use the remail
service.
e. The wholesaler shall describe any value-added services provided in
addition to collection, sortation, and tendering of international mail. For
any value-added service, the wholesaler must state how it meets the
requirements of 613.2e and must specify if the value-added services
are completed in-house or are subcontracted.
The Postal Service will maintain a list of Postal Qualified Wholesalers. The
list shall be distributed upon request to any person who indicates a need for
an international wholesaler. The list shall include all services that the
wholesaler provides in addition to collection, sortation, and tendering of
international mail.
A wholesaler may state that it has been qualified as a Postal Qualified
Wholesaler of the Postal Service. Any use of the Postal Service logo or any
Postal Service trademark or advertising material, including letterhead and
stationery, stating that the wholesaler has been qualified by the Postal
Service must be approved in advance and in writing by the Manager, Postal
Qualified Wholesalers.
Postal Qualified Wholesalers must give the Postal Service the first
opportunity to handle any international mail originating in the United States
that it receives from its customers. This includes giving the Postal Service the
first opportunity to quote prices for handling mail that is the subject of a
formal or informal request for proposals or quotes from a customer. If the
services of a wholesaler are needed, the Postal Service may request
competitive bids from all Postal Qualified Wholesalers when it quotes prices
for handling international mail that is the subject of a formal or informal
request for proposals or quotes from a customer.
Each wholesaler will be qualified for a period of two years. At the end of that
two-year period the Postal Service must again qualify the wholesaler.
If the Postal Service discovers at any time, by whatever means, that the
wholesaler has not complied with any of the terms and conditions herein, the
Manager, Postal Qualified Wholesalers will send the wholesaler written notice
via Express Mail that it has not complied with these terms and conditions and
that it will be stricken from the list of Postal Qualified Wholesalers. The
wholesaler will have three business days to respond in writing via Express
Mail to the Manager, Postal Qualified Wholesalers that it should not be
removed from the list and the reasons why it should not be stricken. The
Postal Service will render its decision on the objection within five business
days after its receipt.
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