The IG noted that in 2018 it reported that insufficient oversight made CMRAs vulnerable to drug traffickers, and in response the USPS invested in an automated database to better track and monitor CMRA documentation. Image: Your Hand Please/Shutterstock.com
An inspector general report has called for stronger oversight by the USPS of “Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies”—privately owned sites for picking up mail and packages—saying the amount the USPS spends in managing the program “is unknown, as management does not track these costs.”
The Postal Service does not collect any additional revenue for delivering to the nearly 12,000 such sites nationwide—the sites, which perform the final sorting, charge users a fee—but is responsible for processing applications, quarterly reporting, mail sample tests, and overall program data quality, it said.
A lack of data on the related costs “hinders the efficient management of CMRA resources and the potential development of strategies to offset costs,” said the report.
Auditors also found “compliance issues related to missing or outdated applications, inaccurate data, and incomplete mail samples. These issues occurred due to a variety of shortfalls, including staff not being aware of certain policy requirements, vague policies, or a lack of internal controls.”
The IG noted that in 2018 it reported that insufficient oversight made CMRAs vulnerable to drug traffickers, and in response the USPS invested in an automated database to better track and monitor CMRA documentation. While that system is being deployed, “continued non-compliance could result in vulnerabilities to program safety, security, and effectiveness by those trying to exploit the CMRA network,” it said.
The USPS agreed with a recommendation to require additional details in application, mail sample, and data quality review policies; the IG said it would continue working with management on differences over other recommendations.
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