The USPS has taken steps to strengthen network realignment planning and accountability and communication, but still needs to establish measurable performance targets, GAO told the House federal workforce committee recently.
It largely offered praise for the Postal Service’s June 2008 Network Plan, saying it clarified how it makes realignment decisions and addressed how it integrates its realignment initiatives.
GAO also noted that the USPS is required to report annually by the end of December to Congress on realignment costs and savings, and that USPS’s annual compliance reports to the Postal Regulatory Commission will provide opportunities for further transparency of performance targets and results.
As subcommittee chair Danny Davis, D-Ill., framed the challenges facing the Service, declining mail volumes, a new price cap restriction on rate increases, and a greater reliance on the mailing industry means "the Postal Service must do a better job of realigning its processing and transportation networks, improve the data used in its computerized and statistical modeling, and minimize service disruptions."
He added that the failure to do so could disrupt mail delivery and "anger the public and trigger political considerations."
