Part 5, Chapter 31: Manual Exhibit 5-31-A

Increasing postage costs requires Indian Health Service (IHS) mail centers to do more to economize on mailing costs.  The following mail practices will help in reducing mail costs.

REDUCE EXCESSIVE USE OF LARGE ENVELOPES

Standard business-size (letter size) envelopes shall be used, whenever possible, for all official correspondence to minimize postage surcharges for size and weight.  This also facilitates faster delivery.  Large Kraft envelopes (flats) should be use for correspondence with a volume of 10-pages or more.

Address quality is key to timely and consistent processing and delivery of mail.  The use of complete and correct information can result in reduced cost.  For the best possible service:

1. All lines of the address shall be formatted with a uniform left margin.
2. CAPTALIZE the address.
3. Eliminate all punctuations.
4. Avoid script or italic fonts.
5. Use 10, 11 or 12 point size font.
6. Use USPS approved list of common address and state abbreviations (See Manual Exhibit 5-31-B).
7. Use the ZIP+4 code.

SELECTING CLASS OF MAIL

Selecting the appropriate class of mail is a key factor to reduce cost.

1. All official correspondence shall be sent First-Class mail.
2. If the official correspondence is attached to or made part of bound printed material and the printed material weighs more than 12-ounces each, the bound printed material shall be mailed using the Bound Printed Matter rate or Parcel Post rate.
3. All IHS bound printed material shall be sent using the Bound Printed Matter rate.
4. All books, manuscripts, sound recordings, recorded videos, and computer readable media shall be sent using the Media Mail rate.
5. All other mail-able items that are not required to be sent as First-Class mail and weighs 70-lbs or less shall be sent using Parcel Post rate.

RATE COMPARISON

Compare rates for all outgoing flats and parcels to determine the most cost effective shipping method.  For example, it may be more cost effective to send a mail piece Priority Mail instead of using Express Mail.  For more examples of comparing rates to reduce mail cost, see USPS "A Customer's Guide to Mailing" at http://www.usps.com.

REDUCE THE USE OF SPECIAL MAIL SERVICES

Special mail service can be added and used in conjunction with the classes of mail.  Special mail service includes, but is not limited to, registered, certified, return receipt and confirmation service.  Use special services only when necessary and cost justifies the benefits to be achieved by using the service.

REDUCE MAIL VOLUME

Consolidate daily or weekly mail to the same locations such as Area Offices, Service Units or Health Centers.  Update mailing lists and correct addresses every six months.  Always ask mail center personnel for information and help with items being mailed.