The following definitions apply to this part:

Accountable mail means any piece of mail for which a service provider and the mail center must maintain a record that shows where the mail piece is at any given time, and when and where it was delivered. Examples of accountable mail include United States Postal Service (USPS) registered mail and all expedited mail.

Agency mail manager means the person who manages the overall mail management program of a Federal agency.

Class of mail means one of the five categories of domestic mail as defined by the Mailing Standards of the USPS in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) located at http://pe.usps.gov/. These include:

(1) Express mail;

(2) First class (includes priority mail);

(3) Periodicals;

(4) Standard mail, bulk business mail; and

(5) Package services.

Commercial payment process means paying for postage using the United States Postal Service's Centralized Account Processing System or another payment approach used by the private sector.

Commingling means combining outgoing mail from one facility or agency with outgoing mail from at least one other source.

Consolidation means the process of combining into a container two or more pieces of mail directed to the same addressee or installation on the same day.

Consolidation of facilities means the process of combining more than one mail center into a central location. The decision to consolidate should be based on a cost analysis comparing the projected cost savings to the cost of implementation.

Expedited mail means mail designated for overnight and 2- or 3-day delivery by service providers. Examples of expedited mail include Dalsey, Hillblom, Lynn (DHL); Federal Express (FedEx); United Parcel Service (UPS); and United States Postal Service (USPS) express mail.

Federal agency or agency as defined in 44 U.S.C. 2901(14) means—

(1) An executive agency, which includes:

(i) Any executive department as defined in 5 U.S.C. 101;

(ii) Any wholly owned Government corporation as defined in 31 U.S.C. 9101;

(iii) Any independent establishment in the executive branch as defined in 5 U.S.C. 104; and

(2) Any establishment in the legislative or judicial branch of the Government, except the Supreme Court, the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Architect of the Capitol, and any activities under the direction of the Architect of the Capitol. Federal facility or facility means any office building, installation, base, etc., where Federal agency employees work. This includes any facility where the Federal Government pays postage expenses even though few or no Federal employees are involved in processing the mail.

Incoming mail means any mail that comes into a facility delivered by any service provider, such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS.

Internal mail means mail generated within a Federal facility that is delivered within that facility or to a nearby facility of the same agency, so long as it is delivered by agency personnel.

Large agency means a Federal agency whose collective total payments to all mail service providers equals or exceeds $1 million per fiscal year.

Mail means that as described in §102-192.30.

Mail center means an organization and/or place, within or associated with a Federal facility, where incoming and/or outgoing Federal mail and materials are processed.

Mail expenditures means direct expenses for postage, fees and services, and all other mail costs, meter fees, permit fees, etc. (e.g., payments to service providers, mail center personnel costs, mail center overhead).

Mail piece design means creating and printing items to be mailed so that they can be processed efficiently and effectively by USPS automated mail processing equipment.

Official Mail means incoming or outgoing mail that is related to official business of the Federal Government.

Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS) means the USPS Government-specific system used to track postage.

Outgoing mail means mail generated within a Federal facility that is going outside that facility.

Personal mail means incoming or outgoing mail that is not related to official business of the Federal Government.

Postage means payment for delivery service that is affixed or imprinted to a mail piece usually in the form of a postage stamp, permit, imprint, or meter impression.

Presort means a mail preparation process used to receive a discounted mail rate by sorting mail according to USPS standards.

Program level means a component, bureau, regional office, and/or a facility that generates outgoing mail.

Service provider means any agency or company that delivers materials and mail. Some examples of service providers are DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS, courier services, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Pouch and Mail Division, and other Federal agencies providing mail services.

Sustainability/Sustainable means to create and maintain conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony. Sustainability efforts seek to fulfill the social, economic, and environmental needs of present and future generations.

Telework means a flexible work arrangement under which an employee performs assigned duties and responsibilities, and other authorized activities, from an approved alternate location.

Unauthorized use of agency postage means the use of penalty or commercial mail stamps, meter impressions, or other postage indicia for personal or unofficial use.

Worksharing is one way of processing outgoing mail so that the mail qualifies for reduced postage rates (e.g., presorting, bar coding, consolidating, commingling).


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