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GAO-13-828R: 

United States Government Accountability Office: 
GAO:
441 G St. N.W. 
Washington, DC 20548: 

September 26, 2014: 

The Honorable Thomas R. Carper: 
Chairman: 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable Jon Tester: 
United States Senate: 

U.S. Postal Service: Information on Recent Changes to Delivery 
Standards, Operations, and Performance: 

Since 2012, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has instituted 
several initiatives aimed at reducing expenses in its mail delivery 
and processing networks as part of broader efforts to address its 
fiscal challenges and move toward financial viability.[Footnote 1] 
These initiatives included changing the mail delivery standards 
[Footnote 2] for some types of mail and then consolidating many mail 
processing operations and facilities.[Footnote 3] For example, before 
some of the delivery standards changes became effective in July 2012, 
the delivery standard for a single-piece letter sent by First-Class 
Mail from Minneapolis to Chicago was 2 days.[Footnote 4] With the 
delivery standards change, it became 3 days. This report updates 
information that you requested and that we initially provided to your 
staff on July 9, 2014. The briefing slides in enclosure I describe (1) 
changes to delivery standards starting in 2012 and how they affected 
the number of days it takes for mail to be delivered, (2) operational 
changes USPS has made starting in 2012 and how these may have affected 
delivery time, and (3) trends in delivery performance starting in 
fiscal year 2011. 

To conduct this performance audit, we reviewed USPS's rules and 
regulations that define its delivery standards and operational 
changes. We reviewed relevant reports from USPS and the Postal 
Regulatory Commission (PRC) as well as USPS's Federal Register notices 
about its operational changes and changes to delivery standards for 
market-dominant products. We used mail delivery performance and mail 
volume data provided by USPS to analyze performance trends. We 
compared the data before and after delivery standard changes, from 
fiscal years 2011 through the third quarter of fiscal year 2014, at 
the national level, and for one rural ("Dakotas") and one urban 
("Chicago") postal district. The two districts for which we analyzed 
data were selected on a judgmental basis. Therefore, the results 
cannot be generalized across all postal districts. The data on 
delivery performance for bulk First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and 
Periodicals are limited to mail pieces tracked with barcodes that meet 
certain USPS business rules. These performance data are not from a 
random sample and therefore may not be representative of all mail. 
However, they are the only available delivery performance data for 
these types of mail. We assessed the reliability of the data through a 
review of related documents, such as written responses from USPS. We 
found these data sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this 
report. A detailed discussion of our scope and methodology, including 
the limitations of the data included in this report, is included in 
enclosure II. 

We conducted this performance audit from April 2014 to September 2014 
in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

In summary, we found: 

* Revised delivery standards have increased delivery time for some 
First-Class Mail and Periodicals, notably by reducing mail with a 1-
day standard. USPS revised its 1-day delivery standard for First-Class 
Mail to maintain the 1-day delivery standard for intra-Sectional 
Center Facility (SCF) mail, but not for inter-SCF mail. SCFs serve as 
the processing and distribution centers for post offices in a 
designated geographic area as defined by the first three digits of the 
ZIP Codes of those offices. Intra-SCF mail refers to mail that 
originates and destinates within the range of 3-digit ZIP Code areas 
assigned to the same SCF, while inter-SCF refers to mail that 
originates or destinates outside those range of 3-digit Zip Code 
areas. USPS also revised its delivery standards for 2-day delivery. 
Mail must now be within a 6-hour drive between the applicable 
processing facilities rather than within a 12-hour drive time to meet 
the 2-day delivery standard; mail sent outside the 2-day delivery area 
shifted to a 3-day delivery standard. USPS estimated that about one 
quarter of First-Class Mail volume was affected by the changes in 
delivery standards. Further, the percentage of single-piece and bulk 
First-Class Mail with a 1-day delivery standard decreased from 2012 to 
2014, while the percentage with a 3-5 day delivery standard increased. 
[Footnote 5] USPS also eliminated 1-day delivery standards for end-to-
end[Footnote 6] Periodicals, which generally shifted to a 2-day 
standard. 

* USPS's changes in delivery standards enabled it to make significant 
operational changes, including closing some mail processing 
facilities. USPS stated that as a result, there are fewer facilities, 
[Footnote 7] and less need to rely on air transportation of mail 
between facilities to meet the 2-day delivery standard. As a result, 
USPS shifted long-distance transportation of some mail from air to 
surface transportation. Also, USPS moved the deadline, referred to as 
the Critical Entry Time (CET), for entering some bulk business mail to 
earlier in the day; mail entered later than the CET could be processed 
that same calendar day or the following day. In addition, USPS took 
actions intended to balance its workload, notably by increasing the 
delivery time of some Standard Mail from 3 to 4 days. 

* National delivery performance trends between the beginning of fiscal 
year 2011 and the third quarter of fiscal year 2014 varied for the 
following types of mail: First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and 
Periodicals (see app. II for detailed performance data). National 
performance for single-piece First-Class Mail with 1-day, 2-day, and 3-
5 day delivery standards was generally improving until the second 
quarter of fiscal year 2013, then leveled off or declined, with 3-day 
performance declining throughout fiscal year 2014. National delivery 
performance for bulk First-Class Mail with 1-day, 2-day, and 3-5 day 
delivery standards improved in fiscal 2012, but generally declined 
throughout fiscal year 2014. Generally, performance for four types of 
Standard Mail improved with exceptions in the third quarter of fiscal 
year 2013 and the second quarter of fiscal year 2014 when all four 
types declined. National delivery performance for Periodicals has 
fluctuated in recent years (ranging from about 69 percent on-time 
delivery in fiscal year 2012 to 82 percent in fiscal year 2013), with 
the most recent performance levels similar to those in fiscal year 
2011 (about 80 percent so far in fiscal year 2014 to 76 percent in 
fiscal year 2011).[Footnote 8] 

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. 

Agency Comments: 

We provided a draft of this report to the USPS for comment. USPS 
provided a written response, which is reproduced as enclosure III to 
this letter. USPS also provided technical comments, which we 
incorporated as appropriate. In its comments, USPS discussed two 
points we made in our draft report. First, USPS noted that our 
analysis of two postal districts is not representative of performance, 
service areas, and delivery standards across all postal districts. We 
agree and stated in our scope and methodology that the performance 
results of these two districts cannot be generalized across all postal 
districts. Second, USPS cautions against drawing conclusions based on 
comparisons of recent performance, specifically the first two quarters 
of fiscal year 2014, due to the severe winter weather experienced 
during that period. We noted in our report that a variety of factors 
can affect delivery performance, such as operational changes and 
efficiency; however, we did not analyze these factors in our review. 
As our third objective states, we provided information on trends in 
national-level delivery performance using the performance data that 
USPS publicly reports on a quarterly basis from fiscal year 2011 to 
the third quarter of fiscal year 2014. 

We are sending copies of this report to the USPS and other interested 
parties. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on 
GAO's website at [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. 

If you or your staff has any questions about this report, please 
contact me at (202) 512-2834 or herrp@gao.gov. Contact points for our 
Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on 
the last page of this report. Key contributors to this report were 
Teresa Anderson (Assistant Director), Samer Abbas, Swati Deo, Kenneth 
John, Thanh Lu, John Mingus, Joshua Ormond, Kelly Rubin, Lorelei St. 
James, and Crystal Wesco. 

Signed by: 

Phillip R. Herr: 
Managing Director: 
Physical Infrastructure Issues: 

Enclosures - 3: 

[End of section] 

Enclosure 1: 

U.S. Postal Service: 
Information on Recent Changes to Delivery Standards, Operations, and 
Performance: 

Information for the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs, United States Senate: 

Introduction: 

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is expected to provide prompt, 
reliable, and efficient nationwide service while remaining self-
supporting, but it is facing serious fiscal challenges, with 
insufficient revenues to cover its expenses and finance needed for 
capital investments. 

Since July 1, 2012, USPS has undertaken several initiatives aimed at 
reducing expenses in its mail delivery and processing networks as part 
of broader efforts to improve its financial position. 

USPS initiatives have involved changing its delivery standards to 
increase the expected number of days that it can take to deliver some 
types of mail, consolidating mail processing facilities, and 
realigning its operations to capture potential savings. 

USPS's mail processing network within the contiguous 48 states is 
configured primarily so that USPS can meet its First-Class Mail 
delivery standards within 1 to 3 days. 

Total mail volume has declined 55 billion pieces from its peak of 213 
billion pieces in fiscal year 2006—-a 26 percent decline. 

* First-Class Mail volume has declined 38 billion pieces-—a 36 percent 
decline—since it peaked in fiscal year 2001 at nearly 104 billion 
pieces. 

In response to declines in mail volume and revenue, in May 2012, USPS 
announced a two-phase plan to consolidate its mail processing 
operations and network. 

* In phase one, effective July 1, 2012, USPS changed its delivery 
standards, which USPS reported enabled it to significantly reduce the 
number of mail processing facilities. 

* In phase two (scheduled to begin January 5, 2015), single-piece 
First-Class Mail will no longer be subject to a 1-day delivery 
standard and USPS plans to further reduce the number of mail 
processing facilities by up to 82 facilities, from 320 to as few as 
238. 

* After phase two implementation, USPS projects 20 percent of First-
Class Mail will be delivered in 1 day, 35 percent in 2 days, and 44 
percent in 3 days. 

Objectives: 

In this report, we describe: 

1. changes to delivery standards starting in 2012 and how they 
affected the number of days it takes for mail to be delivered (i.e., 
delivery time); 

2. operational changes USPS has made starting in 2012 and how these 
changes may have affected delivery time, and; 

3. trends in delivery performance starting in fiscal year 2011. 

Methodology: 

We reviewed USPS regulations that define its delivery standards, 
information on USPS operational changes, and available data on USPS 
delivery performance. We conducted this work from April through 
September 2014. 

* To describe changes USPS made to its delivery standards, we reviewed 
relevant documents, including Federal Register notices, USPS 
regulations, annual reports and other documents issued by USPS and the 
Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), and USPS-generated maps and data 
on its delivery standards. 

* To describe the operational changes USPS has made in recent years 
and the impact on delivery times, we reviewed Federal Register 
notices, reports by USPS and the PRC describing operational changes, 
and “critical entry times” (CET), which determine when the delivery 
standards for mail entered at USPS processing facilities are 
calculated. 

* To analyze USPS performance, we obtained annual and quarterly USPS 
data on mail delivery performance from fiscal year 2011 to the third 
quarter of fiscal year 2014. 

Figure 1: USPS Mail Volume and Revenue by Type of Mail, Fiscal Year 
2013: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 pie-charts] 

First-Class Mail generates nearly half of mail revenue, while Standard 
Mail comprises a majority of mail volume. 

Mail Revenue: 
Single-piece First-Class mail: 22%; 
Bulk First-Class mail: 25%; 
Standard Mail: 27%; 
Periodicals: 3%; 
Other Mail: 23%. 

Mail Volume: 
Single-piece First-Class mail: 16%; 
Bulk First-Class mail: 26%; 
Standard Mail: 51%; 
Periodicals: 4%; 
Other Mail: 3%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Background: 

USPS mail delivery standards and performance are central to its 
mission of providing postal services to all communities and have been 
long-standing concerns for mailers and recipients. 

Delivery performance standards for on-time delivery of mail enable 
USPS, mailers, and recipients to set realistic expectations and 
organize their activities accordingly. 

Delivery performance results are used to understand what standards are 
being met—information vital for management, oversight, and 
accountability. 

How USPS Defines Delivery Standards: 

According to USPS, delivery standards represent the level of service 
that USPS strives to provide to customers. 

USPS standards for the timely delivery performance of each type of 
mail (delivery standards) specify the maximum number of days for “on-
time” delivery based on when and where the mail is entered into the 
postal distribution system and its intended destination. 

* Mail must be received by the “Critical Entry Time” for that day to 
be counted toward the number of days in the delivery standard.
USPS has separate delivery standards for “destination-entered” bulk 
mail that bypasses most of USPS's processing network for entry at a 
USPS facility closer to the mail's final destination, and other bulk 
mail that is entered at a USPS facility closer to the mail's 
origination and processed “end-to-end” through the entire USPS network. 

* Destination entry and end-to-end standards apply to Standard Mail 
(mainly advertising), Periodicals (mainly newspapers and magazines), 
and Package Services (primarily Alaska Bypass Mail, Media/Library 
Mail, and Bound Printed Matter). 

Results in Brief: 

Revised delivery standards have increased delivery time for some First-
Class Mail and Periodicals, notably by reducing mail with a 1-day 
(overnight) standard. 

Revised delivery standards have also enabled USPS to make operational 
changes including consolidating its mail processing network, shifting 
some mail from air to surface transportation, moving the last time to 
enter some bulk business mail to earlier in the day, and actions 
intended to balance workload. 

National delivery performance trends varied for the following types of 
mail: First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and Periodicals. For example, 
national on-time delivery performance for single-piece First-Class 
Mail improved until quarter 2 of fiscal year (FY) 2013, and 3-5 day 
performance declined in FY 2014. 

Objective 1: Summary: 

Objective 1: Describe changes to delivery standards starting in 2012 
and how these changes affected the number of days it takes for mail to 
be delivered. 

USPS's revisions in delivery standards have increased delivery time 
for some First-Class Mail and Periodicals, notably by reducing mail 
with a 1-day standard. 

USPS revised its First-Class Mail delivery standard, which increased 
the number of days to deliver some First-Class Mail from 1 day to 2 
days. 

* USPS revised its 1-day delivery standard for First-Class Mail to 
maintain intra-Sectional Center Facility (SCF) mail, but no longer 
include inter-SCF mail. 

- SCFs serve as the processing and distribution center for post 
offices in a designated geographic area as defined by the first three 
digits of the ZIP Codes of those offices. Intra-SCF mail refers to 
mail that originates and destinates within the 3-digit ZIP Code areas 
assigned to that SCF, while inter-SCF refers to mail that originates 
or destinates outside those 3-digit ZIP Code areas. 

* USPS also revised its delivery standards for 2-day delivery from a 
maximum of a 12-hour drive time between mail processing plants to a 
maximum of 6 hours. Mail sent outside the 2-day delivery area shifted 
to a 3-day delivery standard. 

* About one quarter of First-Class Mail volume was affected. 

USPS eliminated 1-day delivery standards for end-to-end Periodicals; 
the affected mail generally shifted to a 2-day standard. 

Table 1: Key Changes in Recent Years to Delivery Standards for Market-
Dominant Mail: 

Type of mail: First-Class Mail; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 1 to 3 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 1 to 3 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: The 
rulemaking defining the scope of 1-day (overnight) service excluded 
destinations outside of the Intra-Sectional Center Facility (SCF) 
service area, with affected mail generally revised to a 2-day 
standard. The 2-day standard area was reduced, with affected mail 
revised to a 3-day standard. 

Type of mail: Periodicals: destination entry; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 1 to 2 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 1 to 3 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: 1-
day and 2-day standards were revised to 3 days for mail entered at 
specified facilities. 

Type of mail: Periodicals: end-to-end; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 1 to 9 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 2 to 9 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: The 
1-day (overnight) standard was eliminated and generally revised to a 2-
day standard. 

Type of mail: Standard Mail: destination entry; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 2 to 5 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 2 to 5 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: The 
3-day standard was revised to 4 days for Standard Mail entered at a 
Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF) on Friday or Saturday. 

Type of mail: Standard Mail: end-to-end; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 3 to 10 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 3 to 10 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: No 
changes to standards. 

Type of mail: Package Services: destination entry; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 1 to 3 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 1 to 3 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: No 
changes to standards. 

Type of mail: Package Services: end-to-end; 
Delivery standards before July 1, 2012[A]: 2 to 9 days; 
Delivery standards as of April 10, 2014: 2 to 9 days; 
Highlights of changes to standards and related policies and plans: No 
changes to standards. 

Sources: USPS and Federal Register releases of final rules. GAO-14-
828R. 

[A] As part of its network rationalization initiative, USPS issued 
revised delivery standards for First-Class Mail and Periodicals that 
took effect on July 1, 2012. As part of its load leveling initiative, 
USPS revised delivery standards for Standard Mail that took effect on 
April 10, 2014. 

Note: Market-dominant mail is primarily First-Class Mail, Standard 
Mail (mainly advertising), Periodicals (mainly magazines and local 
newspapers), and Package Services (primarily Alaska Bypass Mail, 
Media/Library Mail, and Bounded Printed Matter). Destination entry is 
discounted bulk mail entered at postal facilities (e.g., delivery unit 
or mail processing plant) that generally are closer to the final 
destination of the mail; end-to-end is all other mail. Sectional 
Center Facilities (SCFs) are mail processing plants responsible for 
distribution of letters, flats, and small packages. The delivery 
standards presented in this figure apply to mail sent within the 
contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. 

[End of table] 

USPS Downgraded Delivery Standards for About One-Quarter of First-
Class Mail: 

Delivery standards are downgraded when USPS increases the number of 
days it can take to deliver mail on time; they are upgraded when USPS 
decreases the number of days. 

According to USPS estimates, 28 percent of all First-Class Mail volume 
was downgraded due to changes in delivery standards on or after July 
1, 2012, while about 1 percent was upgraded, and the remaining 71 
percent was unchanged.[A] 

[A] See enclosure 2 for more detail on these estimates and their 
limitations. 

Table 2: Delivery Standards for Single-Piece and Bulk First-Class Mail 
Volumes: 

According to USPS, the percentage of single-piece and bulk First-Class 
Mail volumes with 1-day delivery standards decreased from fiscal year 
2012 to fiscal year 2014, while the percentage with 3-5 day standards 
increased. 

Type of First-Class Mail measured: Single-piece letters and cards: 
Test mail pieces created for the External First-Class Mail Measurement 
System (EXFC)[A]; 
Volume of mail (percentage) by fiscal year (FY) and quarter: 
1-day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 45%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 35%; 
Change: -10%; 
2-day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 24%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 25%; 
Change: 2%; 
3-5 day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 31%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 39%; 
Change: 8%; 
Total: 
FY 2012 Q2: 100%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 100%; 
Change: N/A. 

Type of First-Class Mail measured: Bulk (presort) letters and cards: 
Actual mail pieces tracked by the Intelligent Mail Accuracy and 
Performance System (iMAPS)[B]; 
Volume of mail (percentage) by fiscal year (FY) and quarter: 
1-day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 15%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 10%; 
Change: -5%; 
2-day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 32%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 23%; 
Change: -9%; 
3-5 day standard: 
FY 2012 Q2: 53%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 67%; 
Change: 14%; 
Total: 
FY 2012 Q2: 100%; 
FT 2014 Q2: 100%; 
Change: N/A. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[A] According to USPS, these EXFC volume data simply represent the 
volume of mail measured by delivery standard. Because the statistical 
design for the EXFC study is destination based to manage the 
statistical precision of district level scores, the volume of mail 
measured to each district is similar. Thus, according to USPS, the 
measured volume information should not be used for inferences about 
real mail volumes. 

[B] According to USPS, these iMAPS volume data represent the measured 
volume for each quarter. Mailer adoption of Full-Service Intelligent 
Mail has not necessarily been random or geographically representative 
of the origin points of mail. Thus, according to USPS, the volume 
information should not be considered to be in proportion to total 
presort mail volumes. 

Note: The second quarter of fiscal year 2012 was the quarter that 
preceded USPS changes in delivery standards for First-Class Mail. Data 
for First-Class Mail Flats and Parcels are not shown in this table. 
See enclosure II for more detail on these estimates and their 
limitations. 

[End of table] 

Figure 2: Example of Change in Delivery Standards for First-Class 
Mail: Helena, MT: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 illustrated U.S. maps] 

Standards for First-Class Mail originating from Helena (596 3-digit 
ZIP Code): 

Scope of 1-day (blue) and 2-day (red) delivery standard areas 
decreased; the 3-day (green) delivery standard area increased: 

Maps depict 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day service areas for: 

Standards as of Quarter 1, FY 2008; 
Standards as of Quarter 3, FY 2014. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 3: Example of Change in Delivery Standards for First-Class 
Mail: Bismarck, ND: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 illustrated U.S. maps] 

Standards for First-Class Mail originating from Bismarck (585 3-digit 
ZIP Code). 
Scope of 1-day (blue) and 2-day (red) delivery standard areas 
decreased; the 3-day (green) delivery standard area increased. 

Maps depict 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day service areas for: 

Standards as of Quarter 1, FY 2008; 
Standards as of Quarter 3, FY 2014. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 4: Example of Change in Delivery Standards for First-Class 
Mail: Fargo, ND: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 illustrated U.S. maps] 

Standards for First-Class Mail originating from Fargo (580 3-digit ZIP 
Code). 

Scope of 1-day (blue) and 2-day (red) delivery standard areas 
decreased; 3-day (green) delivery standard area increased. 

Maps depict 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day service areas for: 

Standards as of Quarter 1, FY 2008; 
Standards as of Quarter 3, FY 2014. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 5: Example of Change in Delivery Standards for First-Class 
Mail: Kalispell, MT: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 illustrated U.S. maps] 

Standards for First-Class Mail originating from Kalispell (599 3-digit 
ZIP Code). 

Scope of 1-day (blue) and 2-day (red) delivery standard areas 
decreased; the 3-day (green) delivery standard area increased. 

Maps depict 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day service areas for: 

Standards as of Quarter 1, FY 2008; 
Standards as of Quarter 3, FY 2014. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 6: Example of Change in Delivery Standards for First-Class 
Mail: Chicago, IL: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 illustrated U.S. maps] 

Standards for First-Class Mail originating from Chicago (606 3-digit 
ZIP Code). 

Scope of 1-day (blue) and 2-day (red) delivery standard areas 
decreased; 3-day (green) delivery standard area increased. 

Maps depict 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day service areas for: 

Standards as of Quarter 1, FY 2008; 
Standards as of Quarter 3, FY 2014. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

[End of Objective 1] 

Objective 2: 

Objective 2: Describe operational changes USPS has made starting in 
2012 and how these changes may have affected delivery time. 

USPS's changes in delivery standards enabled it to make significant 
operational changes, including closing some mail processing facilities. 

* USPS stated that as a result, there are fewer facilities, and less 
need to rely on air transportation of mail between facilities to meet 
the 2-day delivery standard. Thus, USPS shifted long-distance 
transportation of some mail from air to surface transportation. 

USPS moved the deadline for entering some bulk business mail, referred 
to as the Critical Entry Time (CET), to earlier in the day; mail 
entered later than that time could be processed that same calendar day 
after the CET or the following day. 

* USPS took actions intended to balance its workload, notably by 
increasing the delivery time of some Standard Mail from 3 to 4 days. 

Operational Change: USPS Phase 1 Consolidation of Its Mail Processing 
Network: 

Effective July 1, 2012, USPS changed several delivery standards as 
part of its Phase 1 plan to modernize its mail processing network. 

* USPS stated that its network rightsizing was based on current and 
expected future mail volumes (an increase in Packages and a decrease 
in First-Class Mail and Periodicals volumes). 

* USPS added that since most First-Class Mail and some Periodicals 
would no longer be subject to a 1-day delivery standard, USPS could 
meet its delivery standard with fewer mail processing facilities. 

Based on the new delivery standards, USPS reported that it reduced the 
number of mail processing facilities by 141 in 2012 and 2013. 

Table 3: Mail Processing Consolidations in the Dakotas and Chicago 
Districts: 

To review examples of USPS's mail consolidation changes in specific 
geographic areas, we selected a rural (“Dakotas”) and urban 
(“Chicago”) district. 

Postal district and its geographic area: Dakotas – Montana, North 
Dakota, South Dakota, and western Minnesota; 
3-Digit ZIP Codes: 565, 567, 570-577, 580-588, 590-599; 
Number of mail processing facilities in fiscal year 2011: 21; 
Facilities closed since July 2011: 11. 

Postal district and its geographic area: Chicago – City of Chicago and 
several nearby suburban cities; 
3-Digit ZIP Codes: 606-608; 
Number of mail processing facilities in fiscal year 2011: 2; 
Facilities closed since July 2011: 0. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: See appendix I for specific facility information. 

[End of table] 

Figure 7: Dakotas District: Mail Processing Consolidations and 
Remaining Plants, 2011-2015: 

[Refer to PDF for image: illustrated map of Dakotas District] 

Map depicts the following: 

Closed in 2011: 
Havre, Jamestown, Miles City, Mobridge. 

Closed in 2012: 
Devils Lake. 

Closed in 2013: 
Aberdeen, Butte, Helena, Kalispell, Pierre, Wolf Point, 

To be closed in 2015: 
Huron, Minot 

Open: 
Billings, Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Great Falls, Missoula, Rapid 
City, Sioux Falls. 

Source: GAO based on USPS information. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

USPS Plans More Processing Consolidations, Which Could Further 
Increase Delivery Times: 

On June 30, 2014, USPS announced it would make more changes to its 
delivery standards, enabling consolidation of up to an additional 82 
mail processing facilities. (USPS refers to this action as “Phase 2 
network rationalization.”) 

* Pursuant to the delivery standard changes that go into effect on 
January 5, 2014, single-piece First-Class Mail will no longer be 
subject to a 1-day standard. 

USPS said it would implement Phase 2 consolidations starting January 
5, 2015, and complete them by the fall mailing season. 

Revised First-Class Mail Delivery Standards Increased Delivery Time 
and Allowed USPS to Make Transportation Changes: 

According to USPS, adding a day to the delivery standards allowed it 
to shift long-distance transportation of some First-Class Mail from 
air to surface transportation. 

* USPS explained that the new delivery standards allow for expansion 
or relaxation of processing entry times and greater reliance on less 
expensive and less expeditious surface transportation between plants. 

* USPS was unable to estimate the mail volume that shifted from air to 
surface transportation as a result of the July 2012 delivery standards 
change, but estimated that the volume that moved from air to surface 
transportation between May 2012 and September 2012 reduced annual air 
network costs by approximately $190,000. 

USPS Changes in Critical Entry Times May Increase Delivery Time for 
Some Bulk Mail: 

USPS moved the CET deadline for entering some bulk business mail to 
earlier in the day. 

* In July 2011, USPS implemented national CETs for Periodicals and 
some Standard Mail ranging from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., depending on how 
they are processed. 

- In July 2008, USPS implemented national CETs for destination-entry 
Standard Mail (entered at facilities that are generally closer to the 
final destination of the mail) that were noon or 4 p.m., depending on 
mail preparation. 

Processing of mail entered after the CET is to occur later the same 
day or on the next applicable day. 

USPS Actions to Balance Workload Increased Delivery Time for Some 
Standard Mail: 

USPS took action to balance its workload by increasing the delivery 
standard for some Standard Mail. 

* On March 5, 2014, USPS finalized revised delivery standards for some 
Standard Mail entered at specified mail processing facilities near the 
mail's final destination, which became effective on April 10, 2014. 

* The revisions extended delivery time from 3 days to 4 days for this 
mail when it is entered on Friday or Saturday. 

USPS stated that the change will improve delivery efficiency and 
reduce its traditional heavy Monday workload. 

The change may also reduce the number of USPS carriers delivering mail 
after 5 p.m. 

[End of Objective 2] 

Objective 3: Summary: 

Objective 3: Describe trends in delivery performance starting in 
fiscal year 2011. 

National delivery performance trends varied for the following types of 
mail: First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and Periodicals. 

* National delivery performance for single-piece First-Class Mail was 
generally improving until quarter 2 of fiscal year 2013 and then 
leveled off or declined, and 3-5 day performance declined throughout 
fiscal year 2014. 

* National delivery performance for bulk First-Class Mail improved in 
fiscal year 2012, but generally declined throughout fiscal year 2014. 

* Generally, delivery performance for Standard Mail improved with 
exceptions in quarter 3 of fiscal year 2013 and quarter 2 of fiscal 
year 2014 when it declined. 

* National delivery performance for Periodicals has fluctuated in 
recent years, with the most recent performance levels similar to those 
in fiscal year 2011. 

See appendix II for more detailed information on national delivery 
performance. 

Figure 8: Single-Piece First-Class Mail - National Delivery 
Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

National performance for single-piece First-Class Mail was improving 
until quarter 2 of fiscal year 2013 and then generally declined, and 3-
5 day performance declined in fiscal year 2014. 

Single-Piece First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 
to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 96.2%; 
2012: 96.5%; 
2013: 96.1%; 
2014: 96.6%. 

2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 93.3%; 
2012: 94.8%; 
2013: 95.3%; 
2014: 95.4%. 

3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 91.9%; 
2012: 92.3%; 
2013: 91.6%; 
2014: 87.4%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for first three quarters. 

[End of figure] 

Delivery Performance for Single-Piece First-Class Mail (Letters and 
Cards): Changes in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, 
Fiscal Years 2012 to 2014: 

Change in percent on time: 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard: 

1-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 0%; 
Q2 FY12: 1%; 
Q3 FY12: 0%; 
Q4 FY12: 0%; 
Q1 FY13: 0%; 
Q2 FY13: 0%; 
Q3 FY13: 0%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: 0%; 
Q2 FY14: -1%; 
Q3 FY14: 0%. 

2-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 1%; 
Q2 FY12: 3%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 2%; 
Q1 FY13: 1%; 
Q2 FY13: 0%; 
Q3 FY13: 0%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: 0%; 
Q2 FY14: -1%; 
Q3 FY14: 0%. 

3-5-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 0%; 
Q2 FY12: 3%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 1%; 
Q1 FY13: 0%; 
Q2 FY13: -2%; 
Q3 FY13: -2%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: -4%; 
Q2 FY14: -7%; 
Q3 FY14: -3%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 9: Bulk First-Class Mail - National Delivery Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

National delivery performance for bulk First-Class Mail improved in 
fiscal year 2012, but declined in fiscal year 2014. 

Bulk First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 90.8%; 
2012: 96.8%; 
2013: 97.2%; 
2014: 97.1%. 

2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 89.2%; 
2012: 95.7%; 
2013: 97.0%; 
2014: 96.3%. 

3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 90.7%; 
2012: 95.1%; 
2013: 95.1%; 
2014: 91.8%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for first three quarters. 

[End of figure] 

Delivery Performance for Bulk First-Class Mail (Letters and Cards): 
Changes in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal Years 
2012 to 2014: 

Change in percent on time: 

First-Class Mail: Bulk Letter & Postcard: 

1-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 11%; 
Q2 FY12: 6%; 
Q3 FY12: 2%; 
Q4 FY12: 6%; 
Q1 FY13: 1%; 
Q2 FY13: 0%; 
Q3 FY13: 0%; 
Q4 FY13: 1%; 
Q1 FY14: 0%; 
Q2 FY14: -1%; 
Q3 FY14: 0%. 

2-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 4%; 
Q2 FY12: 11%; 
Q3 FY12: 6%; 
Q4 FY12: 5%; 
Q1 FY13: 3%; 
Q2 FY13: 1%; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: 0%; 
Q2 FY14: -2%; 
Q3 FY14: -1%. 

3-5-Day: 
Q1 FY12: 7%; 
Q2 FY12: 6%; 
Q3 FY12: 3%; 
Q4 FY12: 3%; 
Q1 FY13: 1%; 
Q2 FY13: -1%; 
Q3 FY13: -1%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: -2%; 
Q2 FY14: -5%; 
Q3 FY14: -3%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for first three quarters. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 10: Standard Mail - National Delivery Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

Generally, performance for Standard Mail improved with exceptions in 
quarter 3 of fiscal year 2013 and quarter 2 of fiscal year 2014 when 
it declined. 

Standard Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2012 to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

Carrier Route: 
2011 (Q4): 46.2%; 
2012: 73.3%; 
2013: 80.5%; 
2014: 79.5%. 

High Density & Saturation Letters: 
2011 (Q4): 82.7%; 
2012: 87.6%; 
2013: 90.8%; 
2014: 91.5%. 

High Density & Saturation Flats/Parcels: 
2011 (Q4): 74.8%; 
2012: 91.3%; 
2013: 87.4%; 
2014: 86.2%. 

Letters: 
2011 (Q4): 72.2%; 
2012: 81.5%; 
2013: 86.0%; 
2014: 86.2%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for first two quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Standard Mail: Changes in On-Time Delivery 
from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal Years 2012 to 2014: 

Change in percent on time: 

Standard mail: 

Carrier Route: 
Q4 FY12: 33%; 
Q1 FY13: 22%; 
Q2 FY13: 4%; 
Q3 FY13: -2%; 
Q4 FY13: 5%; 
Q1 FY14: 4%; 
Q2 FY14: -2%; 
Q3 FY14: 2%. 

High Density & Saturation Letters: 
Q4 FY12: 10%; 
Q1 FY13: 12%; 
Q2 FY13: 3%; 
Q3 FY13: -2%; 
Q4 FY13: 0%; 
Q1 FY14: 5%; 
Q2 FY14: -1%; 
Q3 FY14: 1%. 

High Density & Saturation Flats/Parcels: 
Q4 FY12: 12%; 
Q1 FY13: -15%; 
Q2 FY13: -2%; 
Q3 FY13: -2%; 
Q4 FY13: 2%; 
Q1 FY14: 0%; 
Q2 FY14: -1%; 
Q3 FY14: -1%. 

Letters: 
Q4 FY12: 15%; 
Q1 FY13: 13%; 
Q2 FY13: 3%; 
Q3 FY13: 0%; 
Q4 FY13: 2%; 
Q1 FY14: 4%; 
Q2 FY14: 0%; 
Q3 FY14: 1%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 11: Periodicals -National Delivery Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

National delivery performance for Periodicals has fluctuated in recent 
years, with the most recent performance levels similar to those in 
fiscal year 2011. 

Periodicals Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

All Periodicals: 
2011: 75.5%; 
2012: 68.7%; 
2013: 82.0%; 
2014: 80.1%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for first three quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Periodicals: Changes in On-Time Delivery from 
Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal Years 2012 to 2014: 

Change in percent on time: 

Periodicals: 

Outside County	
Q1 FY12: -30%; 
Q2 FY12: -12%; 
Q3 FY12: 6%; 
Q4 FY12: 10%; 
Q1 FY13: 34%; 
Q2 FY13: 17%; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 1%; 
Q1 FY14: -2%; 
Q2 FY14: -4%; 
Q3 FY14: 1%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

[End of section] 

Appendix I: 

Table 4: USPS Mail Processing Plants in the Dakotas and Chicago 
Districts, Fiscal Years 2011-2014: 

Name: Fargo P&DC/P&DF; 
City: Fargo; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58102; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 580, 581, 584; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Grand Forks CSMPC
City: Grand Forks; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58201; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 582-583; 
Current 3-digit Service area: [Empty]; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Devils Lake CSMPC; 
City: Devils Lake; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58301; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2012; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 583; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 7/1/2012
Date destination consolidation completed: 7/1/2012 

Name: Jamestown CSMPC; 
City: Jamestown; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58401; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2011; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 584; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 12/1/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 12/1/2011 

Name: Bismarck P&DC/P&DF; 
City: Bismarck; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58504; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 576, 585-586; 
Current 3-digit Service area: [Empty]; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Minot CSMPC; 
City: Minot; 
State: ND; 
5-digit ZIP: 58701; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: 2015; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 587-588; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Billings P&DC; 
City: Billings; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59101; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: 590-593, 597; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: [Empty]; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Wolf Point CSMPC; 
City: Wolf Point; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59201; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 592; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 4/20/2013
Date destination consolidation completed: 4/20/2013 

Name: Miles City CSMPC; 
City: Miles City; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59301; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2011; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 593; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 9/30/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 9/30/2011 

Name: Great Falls P&DF; 
City: Great Falls; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59404; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 594-596; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Havre CSMPC; 
City: Havre; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59501; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2011; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 595; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 9/30/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 9/30/2011 

Name: Helena CSMPC; 
City: Helena; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59601; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 596; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 12/3/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 5/4/2013 

Name: Butte CSMPC; 
City: Butte; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59701; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 597; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 12/3/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 6/17/2013. 

Name: Missoula CSMPC; 
City: Missoula; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59801; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 598-599; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Kalispell CSMPC; 
City: Kalispell; 
State: MT; 
5-digit ZIP: 59901; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 599; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 2/18/2013
Date destination consolidation completed: 2/18/2013 

Name: Sioux Falls P&DC; 
City: Sioux Falls; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57104; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 500-513, 570, 571; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Dakota Central P&DF; 
City: Huron; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57399; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: 2015; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 573-575; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Aberdeen P&DF
City: Aberdeen; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57401; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 574; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 2/23/2013
Date destination consolidation completed: 2/23/2013 

Name: Pierre CSMPC; 
City: Pierre; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57501; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2013; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 575; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 2/23/2013
Date destination consolidation completed: 2/23/2013 

Name: Mobridge CSMPC; 
City: Mobridge; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57601; 
Status: Closed; 
Year closed or planned: 2011; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 576; 
Current 3-digit Service area: None; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 12/1/2011
Date destination consolidation completed: 12/1/2011 

Name: Rapid City P&DF; 
City: Rapid City; 
State: SD; 
5-digit ZIP: 57701; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 577; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 577; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Cardiss Collins P&DC; 
City: Chicago; 
State: IL; 
5-digit ZIP: 60699; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: 606-608; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 606-608; 
Date origination consolidation completed: 5/16/2012
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Name: Irving Park Road; 
City: Chicago; 
State: IL; 
5-digit ZIP: 60701; 
Status: Open; 
Year closed or planned: [Empty]; 
3-digit ZIP consolidated: [Empty]; 
Current 3-digit Service area: 606-608; 
Date origination consolidation completed: [Empty]; 
Date destination consolidation completed: [Empty]. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of table] 

[End of section] 

Appendix II: 

Mixed Delivery Performance in Areas of the Dakotas District Affected 
by Consolidations: 

Delivery performance was mixed for specific areas in the Dakotas 
District affected by processing facility consolidations. 

The next slide shows on-time delivery performance for single-piece 
First-Class Mail in the two quarters before and after the 
consolidations, for areas that had been served by the processing 
facilities that were consolidated. 

* For example, on-time performance improved 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day 
single-piece First-Class Mail for the area served by the Jamestown, ND 
facility after it was consolidated; conversely, on-time performance 
declined for the areas served by the Wolf Point, MT, Devil's Lake, ND, 
and Kalispell, MT facilities. 

Figure 12: Effect of Consolidations on Delivery Performance in Dakotas 
District, Fiscal Years 2011-2013: 

[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph] 

Changes in On-Time Delivery of Single-Piece First-Class Mail for Areas 
Served by Consolidated Facilities in Dakotas District: 

Losing Plant: Butte MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: -1%; 
2-day delivery standard: 2%; 
3-day delivery standard: -2%. 

Losing Plant: Havre MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 2%; 
2-day delivery standard: -11%; 
3-day delivery standard: -9%. 

Losing Plant: Helena MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 2%; 
2-day delivery standard: 4%; 
3-day delivery standard: 1%. 

Losing Plant: Kalispell MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: -1%; 
2-day delivery standard: -3%; 
3-day delivery standard: -10%. 

Losing Plant: Miles City MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: -3%; 
2-day delivery standard: -5%; 
3-day delivery standard: 0%. 

Losing Plant: Wolf Point MT; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: -3%; 
2-day delivery standard: -11%; 
3-day delivery standard: -6%. 

Losing Plant: Devils Lake ND; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: -3%; 
2-day delivery standard: -6%; 
3-day delivery standard: -6%. 

Losing Plant: Jamestown ND; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 6%; 
2-day delivery standard: 6%; 
3-day delivery standard: 3%. 

Losing Plant: Aberdeen SD; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 9%; 
2-day delivery standard: 3%; 
3-day delivery standard: 4%. 

Losing Plant: Mobridge SD; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 2%; 
2-day delivery standard: 2%; 
3-day delivery standard: 11%. 

Losing Plant: Pierre SD; 
Change in Quarters Immediately Before/After: 
1-day delivery standard: 2%; 
2-day delivery standard: 2%; 
3-day delivery standard: -5%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Change in the percent of mail delivered on time in the two 
quarters before and after the facility consolidation was implemented. 

[End of figure] 

Table 5: National Delivery Performance Data: 

National Data: Percent on time: 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 96.5%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 96.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 97.0%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 96.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 97.3%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 96.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 96.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 97.1%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 97.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 96.3%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 96.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 97.2%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 93.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 93.2%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 95.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 94.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 93.7%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.4%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 94.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 95.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 96.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 95.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 94.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 96.6%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 90.0%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 90.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 94.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 93.4%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 89.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 93.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 94.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 90.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 91.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 93.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 94.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 86.1%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 85.1%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 91.0%. 

First-Class Mail: Bulk (Presort) Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 91.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 96.0%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 91.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 95.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 97.3%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 96.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 97.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 97.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 97.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 97.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 96.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 97.5%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 88.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 84.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 91.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 92.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 92.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 96.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 96.3%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 97.1%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 97.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 97.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 96.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 95.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 97.2%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 85.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 89.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 93.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 94.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 92.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 93.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 95.1%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 96.5%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 91.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 90.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.7%. 

First-Class Mail: Flats; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 90.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 90.1%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 91.0%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 89.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 88.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 90.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 90.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 89.8%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 86.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 86.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 86.6%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 86.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 83.6%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 83.8%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 85.7%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 83.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 83.3%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 85.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 83.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 81.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 84.9%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 85.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 87.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 83.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 83.9%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 84.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 84.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 81.6%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 80.5%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 84.1%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 78.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 78.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 82.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 80.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 74.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 79.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 83.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 81.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 76.2%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 76.9%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 78.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 78.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 69.5%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 69.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 74.9%. 

First-Class Mail: Parcels; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 89.0%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 89.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 92.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 90.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 86.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 89.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 92.4%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 92.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 87.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 88.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 89.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 86.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 86.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 90.1%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 79.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 81.9%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 86.6%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 84.4%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 78.7%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 85.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 90.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 91.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 85.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 87.5%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 90.6%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.5%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 84.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 84.0%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 89.1%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 83.4%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 85.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 89.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 88.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 82.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 88.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 91.7%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 90.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 84.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 87.3%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 90.3%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 91.2%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 80.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 80.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 87.1%. 

Standard Mail: Carrier Route: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 46.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 47.7%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 78.3%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 79.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 69.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 82.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 85.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 84.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 73.8%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 80.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 87.6%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Letters: FY 2011 Q1: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 82.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 74.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 88.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 94.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 93.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 86.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 91.3%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 92.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 92.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 91.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 90.1%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.3%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Flats/Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 74.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 94.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 90.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 92.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 86.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 80.0%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 89.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 91.2%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 89.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 80.1%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 88.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 90.7%. 

Standard Mail: Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 57.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 51.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 73.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 84.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 77.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 72.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 75.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 80.2%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 80.5%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 72.6%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 73.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 80.2%. 

Standard Mail: Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 72.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 68.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 82.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.7%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 87.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 81.7%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 84.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 88.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 88.9%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 85.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 84.5%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 88.9%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 66.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 65.2%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 80.4%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.8%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 87.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 81.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 83.9%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 90.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 84.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 85.0%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 90.9%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 50.6%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 44.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 70.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 82.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 78.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 72.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 81.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 83.1%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 85.6%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 50.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 47.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 87.3%. 

Periodicals: Outside County: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A[A]; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A[A]; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A[A]; 
FY 2011 Q4: N/A[A]; 
FY 2012 Q1: 45.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 65.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 82.1%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 82.6%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 79.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 83.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 82.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 83.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 77.7%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 79.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 83.4%. 

Package Services: Single-Piece Parcel Post: 
FY 2011 Q1: 77.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 83.1%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 85.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 81.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 79.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 87.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 91.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 89.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: N/A. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 42.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 40.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 60.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 49.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 67.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 57.2%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 56.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 63.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 72.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 68.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 55.8%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 59.1%. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 83.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 89.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 99.6%. 

Package Services: Media Mail/Library Mail: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 86.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 92.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 87.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 87.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 92.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 94.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 94.7%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[A] N/A are quarters for which data were not available using the same 
system that started to measure delivery performance in quarter 1, 
fiscal year 2012. 

Note: Results are not shown in this table for Within County 
Periodicals, Standard Mail Parcels, and Inbound Surface Parcel Post 
(at UPU rates) because no data were available that measured the on-
time performance of these types of mail. 

[End of table] 

Table 6: Dakotas District Delivery Performance Data: 

Dakotas District: Percent on time: 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 96.5%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 95.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 97.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 97.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 96.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 96.2%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 96.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 97.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 97.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 97.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 97.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 96.9%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 92.5%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 92.2%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 95.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 94.5%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 93.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.1%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 95.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 95.5%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 94.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 93.3%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 96.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 95.5%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 87.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 90.1%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 94.3%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 93.6%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 87.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 90.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.6%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 88.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 89.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 91.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 91.2%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 80.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 81.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 89.3%. 

First-Class Mail: Bulk (Presort) Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: 97.2%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 97.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 99.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 99.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 99.3%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 99.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 99.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 99.2%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 99.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 99.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 99.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 98.8%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 99.2; 
FY 2014 Q3: 99.2%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.0%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 95.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 96.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 95.4%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 98.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 98.1%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 98.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 97.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 98.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 98.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 98.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 97.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 98.6%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 98.8%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 78.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 89.4%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 94.3%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 95.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 91.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.8%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 93.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 92.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 94.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 93.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 87.3%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 89.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 92.3%. 

First-Class Mail: Flats; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 93.6%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 93.7%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 93.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 90.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 91.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 92.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 92.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 92.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 89.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 88.6%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 92.4%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 88.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 85.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 90.1%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 82.7%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 85.7%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 86.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 88.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 90.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 85.1%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 88.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 93.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 88.5%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 86.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 85.9%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 77.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 81.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 87.9%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 74.0%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 76.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 82.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 73.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 72.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 80.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 80.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 78.8%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 70.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 71.6%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 78.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 77.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 66.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 70.8%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 73.7%. 

First-Class Mail: Parcels; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 96.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 95.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 97.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 96.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 93.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 96.1%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.0%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 86.1%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 88.7%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 89.4%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 81.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 88.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 92.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 96.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 94.6%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 84.3%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 88.4%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 92.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 92.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 82.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 88.9%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 93.8%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 92.1%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 89.3%. 

Standard Mail: Carrier Route: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 20.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 74.0%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 77.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 87.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 82.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 83.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 82.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 87.3%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 82.5%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 90.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 92.8%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Letters: FY 2011 Q1: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 87.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 98.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 99.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 90.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 82.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 79.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 80.3%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 91.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 91.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 95.0%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Flats/Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2012 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2012 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2012 Q3: 86.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 87.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 84.7%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 80.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 85.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 89.9%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 84.7%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 93.0%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 94.6%. 

Standard Mail: Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 73.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 51.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 81.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 91.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 86.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 84.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 82.5%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 79.2%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 80.5%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 77.7%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 79.8%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 87.2%. 

Standard Mail: Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 85.3; 
FY 2012 Q1: 80.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 91.3%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 94.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 92.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 87.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 87.0%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 86.3%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 89.1%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 90.0%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.3%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 59.8%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 73.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 86.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 94.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 92.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 88.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 80.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 87.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 93.5%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 91.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 94.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 96.2%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 50.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 59.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 78.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 92.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 88.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 90.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 88.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 77.8%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 88.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 49.5%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 50.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 64.8%. 

Periodicals: Outside County: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2012 Q1: 54.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 67.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 80.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 85.1%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 84.8%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 85.0%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 82.3%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 84.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 81.8%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 84.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: N/A. 

Package Services: Single-Piece Parcel Post: 
FY 2011 Q1: 75.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 78.6%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 81.7%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 80.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 73.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 84.4%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 90.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 86.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: N/A. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 47.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 48.2%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 79.9%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 81.4%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 79.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 85.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 71.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 37.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 78.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 79.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 64.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 82.7%. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 94.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 95.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 94.2%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 94.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 99.0%. 

Package Services: Media Mail/Library Mail: 
FY 2011 Q1: 82.6%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 81.7%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 87.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 84.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 82.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 88.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 94.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 91.7%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.3%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Results are not shown in this table for Within County 
Periodicals, Standard Mail Parcels, and Inbound Surface Parcel Post 
(at UPU rates) because no data were available that measured the on-
time performance of these types of mail. 

[End of table] 

Figure 13: Dakotas District: Single-Piece First-Class Mail Delivery 
Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

District performance for single-piece First-Class Mail generally 
improved until quarter 2 of fiscal year 2013, followed by declines 
through quarter 3 of fiscal year 2014. 

Single-Piece First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 
to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 96.6%; 
2012: 96.8%; 
2013: 96.8%; 
2014: 97.2%. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 93.6%; 
2012: 95.6%; 
2013: 95.4%; 
2014: 95.1%. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 91.2%; 
2012: 92.0%; 
2013: 90.1%; 
2014: 83.9%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for the first three quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Single-Piece First-Class Mail (Letters and 
Cards): Change in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal 
Years 2012-2014: 

Change in percent on-time: 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard: 1-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 0; 
Q2 FY12: 1%; 
Q3 FY12: 0; 
Q4 FY12: 0; 
Q1 FY13: 0; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 0; 
Q4 FY13: 0; 
Q1 FY14: 1%; 
Q2 FY14: 1%; 
Q3 FY14: -1%. 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard: 2-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 1%; 
Q2 FY12: 3%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 3%; 
Q1 FY13: 2%; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 0; 
Q4 FY13: -2%; 
Q1 FY14: -2%; 
Q2 FY14: 1%; 
Q3 FY14: -1%. 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard: 3-5-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 1%; 
Q2 FY12: 1%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 0; 
Q1 FY13: 1%; 
Q2 FY13: -2%; 
Q3 FY13: -5%; 
Q4 FY13: -2%; 
Q1 FY14: -8%; 
Q2 FY14: -8%; 
Q3 FY14: -2%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 14: Dakotas District: Bulk First-Class Mail Delivery 
Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

District performance for bulk First-Class Mail improved through 
quarter 1 of fiscal year 2013, with declines for 3-5 day mail starting 
in quarter 2 of fiscal year 2013. 

Bulk First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 98.0%; 
2012: 99.3%; 
2013: 99.3%; 
2014: 99.1%. 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 92.8%; 
2012: 97.8%; 
2013: 98.4%; 
2014: 98.3%. 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 89.2%; 
2012: 95.1%; 
2013: 93.4%; 
2014: 90.0%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for the first three quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Bulk First-Class Mail (Letters and Cards): 
Change in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal Years 
2012-2014: 

Change in percent on-time: 

First-Class Mail: Bulk Letter & Postcard: 1-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 0; 
Q2 FY12: 2%; 
Q3 FY12: 2%; 
Q4 FY12: 0; 
Q1 FY13: 0; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 0; 
Q4 FY13: 0; 
Q1 FY14: 0; 
Q2 FY14: 0; 
Q3 FY14: 0%. 

First-Class Mail: Bulk Letter & Postcard: 2-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 12%; 
Q2 FY12: 2%; 
Q3 FY12: 2%; 
Q4 FY12: 4%; 
Q1 FY13: 2%; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 0; 
Q1 FY14: -1%; 
Q2 FY14: 0; 
Q3 FY14: 0. 

First-Class Mail: Bulk Letter & Postcard: 3-5-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 13%; 
Q2 FY12: 6%; 
Q3 FY12: 2%; 
Q4 FY12: 2%; 
Q1 FY13: 2%; 
Q2 FY13: -3%; 
Q3 FY13: -3%; 
Q4 FY13: -3%; 
Q1 FY14: -6%; 
Q2 FY14: -3%; 
Q3 FY14: -2%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Table 7: Chicago District Delivery Performance Data: 

Chicago District: Percent on time: 

First-Class Mail: Single Piece Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 95.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 94.7%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 96.0%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 95.6%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 95.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.4%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 95.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 93.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 95.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.6%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 96.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 95.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 91.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 95.5; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 94.6%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 91.8%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 95.8%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 95.5%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 93.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 95.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.6%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 97.0%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 96.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 97.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 98.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 95.7%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 94.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 97.5%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 85.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 82.4%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 92.6%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 91.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 85.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 91.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 93.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 94.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 90.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 91.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 94.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 94.0%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 85.1%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 77.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 90.3%. 

First-Class Mail: Bulk (Presort) Letter & Postcard; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: 93.3%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 96.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 96.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 96.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 84.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 96.4%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 97.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.6%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 95.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 87.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 94.3; 
FY 2014 Q3: 97.1%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 75.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 72.1%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 94.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 86.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 91.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 94.9%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 96.7%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.8%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 95.7%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 96.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 96.8%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 96.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 93.8%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 92.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 96.9%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 82.5%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 81.2%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 94.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 93.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 90.7%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 94.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 95.4%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 94.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 94.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 96.2%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 93.8%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 93.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 87.7%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 81.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 91.8%. 

First-Class Mail: Flats; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 90.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 86.4%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 88.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 83.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 81.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 85.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 84.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 82.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 82.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 74.0%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 81.8%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 81.3%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 78.8%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 76.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 79.2%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 80.7%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 80.4%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 83.6%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 79.6%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 83.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 83.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 87.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 89.2%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 87.5%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 80.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 87.2%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.2%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 90.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 81.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 86.8%; 
3-5 day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 74.5%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 66.6%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 83.7%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 74.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 78.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 79.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 83.4%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 84.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 77.3%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 77.7%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 76.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 75.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 71.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 60.7%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 77.1%. 

First-Class Mail: Parcels; 
1-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 70.3%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 75.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 85.4%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 82.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 80.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 77.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 76.2%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 71.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 42.0%; 
2-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 78.3%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 78.5%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 88.2%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 86.5%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 84.1%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 89.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 90.7%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 91.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 77.0%; 
3-day: 
FY 2011 Q1: 79.9%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 80.3%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 87.5%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 85.9%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 80.8%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 87.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 89.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 86.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 67.9%. 

Standard Mail: Carrier Route: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 37.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 41.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 71.0%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 87.8%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 85.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 79.0%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 89.9%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 89.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 86.8%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 64.0%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 60.0%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 81.2%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Letters: FY 2011 Q1: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 75.4%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 30.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 82.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.1%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 91.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 98.0%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 92.0%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 90.2%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 92.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 91.4%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 86.7%. 

Standard Mail: High Density & Saturation Flats/Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 96.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 96.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 91.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 91.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 66.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 62.9%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 91.3%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 77.7%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 75.6%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 44.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 77.8%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 80.2%. 

Standard Mail: Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 39.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 29.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 59.8%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 84.8%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 74.5%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 72.0%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 73.1%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 72.3%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 77.3%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 52.4%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 47.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 62.9%. 

Standard Mail: Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 53.5; 
FY 2012 Q1: 42.6%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 75.5%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 89.1%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 90.3%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 84.2%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 90.1%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 90.2%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 88.3%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 89.3%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 82.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 88.8%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Letters: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 52.2%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 45.7%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 71.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.9%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 89.8%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 83.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 89.6%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 91.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 86.7%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 93.3%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 90.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.4%. 

Standard Mail: Mixed Product Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 42.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 32.4%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 64.9%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 84.8%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 80.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 74.6%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 80.4%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 79.8%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 87.4%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 19.9%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 22.3%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 39.5%. 

Periodicals: Outside County: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2012 Q1: 45.2%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 73.1%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 88.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 89.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 88.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 90.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 89.27%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 89.2%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 77.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 66.2%; 
FY 2014 Q3: N/A. 

Package Services: Single-Piece Parcel Post: 
FY 2011 Q1: 72.1%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 76.7%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 87.1%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 85.1%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 83.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 90.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 93.6%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 91.4%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: N/A. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Flats: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 27.3%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 10.5%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 19.4%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 47.3%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 69.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: 24.1%; 
FY 2013 Q2: 32.8%; 
FY 2013 Q3: 43.9%; 
FY 2013 Q4: 40.1%; 
FY 2014 Q1: 43.2%; 
FY 2014 Q2: 44.9%; 
FY 2014 Q3: 72.5. 

Package Services: Bound Printed Matter Parcels: 
FY 2011 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2011 Q4: 89.0%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 94.3%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 96.7%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 98.5%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 97.0%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 72.5%. 

Package Services: Media Mail/Library Mail: 
FY 2011 Q1: 80.2%; 
FY 2011 Q2: 80.9%; 
FY 2011 Q3: 93.0%; 
FY 2011 Q4: 90.7%; 
FY 2012 Q1: 91.9%; 
FY 2012 Q2: 94.6%; 
FY 2012 Q3: 97.0%; 
FY 2012 Q4: 95.9%; 
FY 2013 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q3: N/A; 
FY 2013 Q4: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q1: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q2: N/A; 
FY 2014 Q3: 93.2. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Results are not shown in this table for Within County 
Periodicals, Standard Mail Parcels, and Inbound Surface Parcel Post 
(at UPU rates) because no data were available that measured the on-
time performance of these types of mail. 

[End of table] 

Figure 15: Chicago District: Single-Piece First-Class Mail Delivery 
Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

District performance generally improved through quarter 1 of fiscal 
year 2013, marginally improved through quarter 4 of fiscal year 2013, 
and 3-5 day mail declined in quarter 1 and quarter 2 of fiscal year 
2014. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 
to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 95.5%; 
2012: 95.6%; 
2013: 95.5%; 
2014: 94.1%. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 94.4%; 
2012: 95.8%; 
2013: 97.4%; 
2014: 95.8%. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail: 3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 87.8%; 
2012: 91.2%; 
2013: 92.5%; 
2014: 84.3%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for the first three quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Single-piece First-Class Mail (Letters and 
Cards): Change in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal 
Years 2012-2014: 

Change in percent on-time: 

First-Class Mail: Singe Piece Letter & Postcard: 1-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 0; 
Q2 FY12: 1%; 
Q3 FY12: 0; 
Q4 FY12: 0; 
Q1 FY13: 0; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 1%; 
Q1 FY14: 2%; 
Q2 FY14: -4%; 
Q3 FY14: -1%. 

First-Class Mail: Singe Piece Letter & Postcard: 2-Day; 
Q1 FY12: -1%; 
Q2 FY12: 4%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 2%; 
Q1 FY13: 4%; 
Q2 FY13: 1%; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 0; 
Q1 FY14: -1%; 
Q2 FY14: -3%; 
Q3 FY14: 0. 

First-Class Mail: Singe Piece Letter & Postcard: 3-5-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 0; 
Q2 FY12: 9%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 3%; 
Q1 FY13: 5%; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 0; 
Q1 FY14: -5%; 
Q2 FY14: -14%; 
Q3 FY14: -4%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

Figure 16: Chicago District: Bulk First-Class Mail Delivery 
Performance: 

[Refer to PDF for image: 2 vertical bar graphs] 

District delivery performance trends varied for bulk First-Class Mail, 
particularly for 1-day mail, and with declines for 2-day and 3-5 day 
mail starting in quarter 4 of fiscal year 2013. 

Single-piece First-Class Mail Delivery Performance, Fiscal Years 2011 
to 2014: 

Percent delivered on time: 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 1-day delivery standard; 
2011: 95.2%; 
2012: 93.4%; 
2013: 96.6%; 
2014: 93.7%. 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 2-day delivery standard; 
2011: 81.9%; 
2012: 95.3%; 
2013: 96.5%; 
2014: 94.4%. 

Bulk First-Class Mail: 3-5-day delivery standard; 
2011: 87.5%; 
2012: 94.2%; 
2013: 94.8%; 
2014: 86.7%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

Note: Fiscal year 2014 data are for the first three quarters. 

Delivery Performance for Bulk First-Class Mail (Letters and Cards): 
Change in On-Time Delivery from Same Quarter Last Year, Fiscal Years 
2012-2014: 

Change in percent on-time: 

First-Class Mail: Presort Letter & Postcard: 1-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 12%; 
Q2 FY12: 3%; 
Q3 FY12: 0; 
Q4 FY12: -12%; 
Q1 FY13: 0; 
Q2 FY13: 1%; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: 12%; 
Q1 FY14: -9%; 
Q2 FY14: -4%; 
Q3 FY14: 1%. 

First-Class Mail: Presort Letter & Postcard: 2-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 16%; 
Q2 FY12: 23%; 
Q3 FY12: 2%; 
Q4 FY12: 12%; 
Q1 FY13: 4%; 
Q2 FY13: 2%; 
Q3 FY13: 0; 
Q4 FY13: -1%; 
Q1 FY14: -2%; 
Q2 FY14: -4%; 
Q3 FY14: 0. 

First-Class Mail: Presort Letter & Postcard: 3-5-Day; 
Q1 FY12: 8%; 
Q2 FY12: 13%; 
Q3 FY12: 1%; 
Q4 FY12: 3%; 
Q1 FY13: 4%; 
Q2 FY13: 0; 
Q3 FY13: 1%; 
Q4 FY13: -3%; 
Q1 FY14: -7%; 
Q2 FY14: -13%; 
Q3 FY14: -4%. 

Source: USPS. GAO-14-828R. 

[End of figure] 

[End of section] 

Enclosure 2: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

Our objectives were to describe (1) changes to delivery standards 
starting in 2012 and how they affected the number of days it takes for 
mail to be delivered (i.e., delivery time); (2) operational changes 
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has made starting in 2012 and how these 
may have affected delivery time; and (3) trends in delivery 
performance starting in fiscal year 2011. 

To conduct this performance audit, we reviewed USPS regulations that 
define its delivery standards and operational changes. We also 
reviewed relevant reports from USPS and the Postal Regulatory 
Commission (PRC) as well as USPS's Federal Register notices and 
written responses from USPS about its operational changes and changes 
to delivery standards for major types of market-dominant 
mail.[Footnote 9] We used mail delivery performance and mail volume 
data provided by USPS to analyze performance trends. We compared the 
data before and after delivery standard changes, from fiscal years 
2011 to the second quarter of fiscal year 2014, at the national level, 
and for one rural ("Dakotas") and one urban ("Chicago") postal 
district; "Dakotas" was chosen primarily due to its relatively large 
size and rural nature, while "Chicago" was chosen primarily for its 
relatively small size, and urban nature. We selected the Dakotas and 
Chicago districts on a judgmental basis, and therefore, the results 
cannot be generalized across all postal districts. 

With respect to reviewing the impact that changes to delivery 
standards had on mail volumes, USPS estimated the percent of First-
Class Mail volume that had delivery standards upgraded (i.e., 
standards changed with fewer days to deliver the mail) or downgraded 
(i.e., standards changed with more days to deliver the mail). To 
develop its estimates, USPS compared First-Class Mail delivery 
standards from the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 to the third 
quarter of fiscal year 2014 to determine which 3-digit ZIP Code pairs 
were upgraded or downgraded. USPS then estimated mail volumes which 
were sent between ZIP Code pairs that were upgraded or downgraded, 
using data collected by the Origin Destination Information System-
Revenue, Pieces, and Weight (ODIS-RPW) in the second quarter of fiscal 
year 2014. The ODIS-RPW statistical sampling system is a national 
probability sampling system of mail destinating or exiting from USPS 
stations, branches, associate offices and mail processing plants used 
for estimating mail revenue and volume by product, and for other 
purposes. In the process of collecting these data, the ODIS-RPW data 
collectors record the origin ZIP Code on the mail piece. The origin 
ZIP Code is present on all single-piece First-Class Mail allowing the 
measurement of volume between 3-digit ZIP Code pairs between origin 
cancellation and destination locations and thus volume by delivery 
standard. However, the ODIS-RPW sample design is not designed to 
collect information for every 3-digit ZIP Code pair. Sampled mail that 
only had information for the 3-digit ZIP Code where the mail 
destinated (and not where it originated) was excluded from the 
analysis of the impact of changes in delivery standards on mail 
volume. For this reason, 35 percent of First-Class Mail pieces sampled 
by ODIS were excluded from the analysis, including 9 percent of single-
piece First-Class Mail and 50 percent of bulk First-Class Mail that 
consisted of mail with a Permit imprint that had no origin ZIP Code on 
the mail piece.[Footnote 10] We assessed the reliability of the ODIS 
data through a review of related documents, such as written responses 
from USPS. We found the ODIS data on volume sufficiently reliable as 
the data source for providing a general description on the impact 
changes to delivery standards had on First-Class Mail volumes. 

With respect to reviewing the volumes of market-dominant mail subject 
to different delivery standards (e.g., 1-day standard, 2-day standard, 
etc.), USPS provided data on volumes for single-piece First-Class Mail 
and bulk (presort) First-Class Mail subject to different delivery 
standards for each quarter from fiscal year 2011 to the second quarter 
of fiscal year 2014. These data included: 

* External First-Class Mail Measurement System (EXFC) data: EXFC is a 
system in which a USPS contractor creates test mail pieces to measure 
on-time delivery performance in 892 3-digit ZIP Code areas among which 
virtually all single-piece First-Class Mail originates and destinates. 
We assessed the reliability of the EXFC data through a review of 
related documents, such as written responses from USPS. We found the 
EXFC data on volume sufficiently reliable as the data source for 
providing a general description of single-piece First-Class Mail 
volumes with different delivery standards. According to USPS, the 
volume data provided for single-piece First-Class Mail letters and 
postcards "simply represents the volume of mail measured by service 
standard. Because the statistical design for the EXFC study is 
destination based to manage the statistical precision of district 
level scores, the volume of mail measured to each district is similar. 
Thus the measured volume information should not be used for inferences 
about real mail volumes." USPS further explained that "the EXFC system 
design dictates the planned minimum number of pieces by service 
standard going to each district each quarter to meet desired 
statistical precision targets for each reported service standard group 
and to achieve other coverage criteria. The service standard is 
determined by comparing the entry location 3-digit [ZIP Code] (where 
mail is entered) and 3-digit of destination/routing ZIP Code of the 
mail piece to the USPS service standards directory." Although USPS 
could have used a national sampling system to provide more 
representative data on the impact that changes to delivery standards 
had on single-piece First-Class Mail volumes, it did not do so because 
this would have required special computer programming, unlike EXFC. 
USPS explained that the sample design for ODIS-RPW is not set up to 
obtain information from all origin-destination ZIP Code pairs and in 
their right proportion to delivery standard groupings. 

* Intelligent Mail Accuracy and Performance System (iMAPS) data: This 
internal measurement system measures on-time delivery performance for 
bulk (presort) First-Class Mail pieces that have Full Service 
Intelligent Mail Barcodes and that meet other data rules. We assessed 
the reliability of the iMAPS data through a review of related 
documents, such as written responses from USPS. We found the iMAPS 
data on volume sufficiently reliable as the data source for providing 
a general description of bulk (presort) First-Class Mail (FCM) volumes 
with different delivery standards. However, according to USPS, the 
volume of these barcoded pieces with 1-day, 2-day, and 3-to-5 day 
standards should not be considered to be in proportion to total 
volumes of bulk First-Class Mail. USPS explained that "Mail volume 
information provided for Presort First-Class Mail letters and cards 
represents the measured volume for each quarter. Mailer adoption of 
Full-Service Intelligent Mail has not necessarily been random or 
geographically representative of the origin points of mail. Thus, the 
volume information should not be considered to be in proportion to 
total presort mail volumes. The lack of participating mailers in 
locations is most impactful on the overnight volumes, particularly in 
the early quarters of the data provided." USPS noted that iMAPS was 
not designed to include all bulk (presort) First-Class Mail letters 
and cards in measurement. USPS said, "Instead, the system uses only 
the Full Service Intelligent Mail pieces to represent service 
performance for all Presort FCM. Data exclusion rules remove pieces 
that do not have the basic elements required for accurate measurement 
(start-the-clock date/time and location and stop-the-clock date/time 
and location) or which have inconsistencies in the data indicating 
that accurate measurement is not possible." In the second quarter of 
fiscal year 2014, 55 percent of Full Service and 43 percent of 
Commercial Mail was "in measurement." These exclusions could further 
affect the representativeness of the measured mail. 

In addition, USPS projected the percent of all First-Class Mail volume 
that would be subject to different delivery standards after 
implementation of Phase 2 of its plan to consolidate its mail 
processing operations and network, which is scheduled to begin January 
5, 2015, and posted these projections on its Web site.[Footnote 11] In 
explaining how its projections were compiled, USPS told us that: "The 
expectation of 20% of First-Class Mail delivered overnight under Phase 
2 represents a high level analysis of potential First Class overnight 
in the future network. Mailer behavior based on the future network is 
currently unknown, and reasonable assumptions were made to estimate 
the impact. This analysis looked at First-Class Mail volume from ODIS 
broken down to 3-digit [ZIP Code] pairs, expected service standards at 
the completion of planned consolidations, planned processing windows 
(incoming primary [sortation of mail] starting at 0800, [Delivery 
Point Sequencing] DPS between 1200 and 0600, etc.),[Footnote 12] 
processing capacity (expected number of machines and expected 
throughput) and expected mail arrival profile to determine how much 
mail could potentially receive overnight service based on the future 
network." Thus, USPS projections for First-Class Mail volumes subject 
to different delivery standards after Phase 2 were based on different 
sources and methods than USPS data for single-piece and bulk First-
Class Mail volumes subject to different delivery standards for each 
quarter from fiscal year 2011 to the second quarter of fiscal year 
2014. 

To further illustrate how changes to delivery standards affected the 
number of days it takes for mail to be delivered, we included maps 
that illustrate examples of delivery standards for First-Class Mail 
that were in effect before and after USPS changed its delivery 
standards on July 1, 2012. These maps show standards in effect as of 
the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, and the third quarter of fiscal 
year 2014. The maps for the third quarter of fiscal year 2014 were 
generated using USPS software accessible on its Web site. The maps for 
2008 were generated using USPS data and software that GAO obtained in 
conjunction with a previous review. We requested mapping software to 
produce comparable maps for delivery standards in effect as of third 
quarter fiscal year 2012, which was the most recent quarter before the 
July 2012 change in delivery standards. USPS said the requested data 
were not available because the source data are updated each quarter 
and maps from previous quarters are not archived. Since the maps do 
not consist of underlying data and provide only a visual 
representation of delivery standards--which enabled us to provide a 
visual illustration for how changes in delivery standards affected 
delivery--we did not assess the reliability of this information. 

To analyze trends in delivery performance starting in fiscal year 
2011, we analyzed delivery performance data for each type of mail 
based on comparing how long it takes for the mail to be delivered with 
the applicable standard; mail delivered within the delivery standard 
is considered to be on time. These are the only available delivery 
performance data for these types of mail. We assessed the reliability 
of the data through a review of related documents, such as written 
responses from USPS. We found these data sufficiently reliable for 
illustrating general trends in mail delivery performance before and 
after USPS changed mail delivery standards. 

* To analyze the impact changes in delivery standards had on the on-
time delivery of single-piece First-Class Mail, we used EXFC data. As 
noted above, EXFC is a system in which a USPS contractor creates test 
mail pieces to measure delivery performance in 892 3-digit ZIP Code 
areas among which virtually all single-piece First-Class Mail 
originates and destinates. Senders record the time they place test 
pieces in a collection box or lobby chute. Those test mail pieces are 
sent to a nationwide panel of receivers who record the date when the 
mail piece was delivered. Actual transit time is then compared against 
First-Class Mail delivery standards. The 2006 Postal Accountability 
and Enhancement Act required USPS to, among other things, use an 
external system to measure delivery performance of market-dominant 
products, but also authorized the PRC to approve a qualified internal 
system as a replacement for an external system.[Footnote 13] EXFC is 
an external measurement system that USPS has used to fulfill this 
requirement. 

* To analyze the impact changes in delivery standards had on the on-
time delivery of bulk (presort) First-Class Mail, Periodicals, 
Standard Mail (letters and flats), and Bound Printed Matter flats (a 
type of market-dominant Package Services), we used measurement data 
USPS generated from iMAPS. 

* To analyze the impact changes in delivery standards had on the on-
time delivery of various types of market-dominant Package Services 
(i.e., single-piece Parcel Post, Bound Printed Matter Parcels, and 
Media Mail/Library Mail), we used measurement data USPS generated from 
its Product Tracking System, which was replaced with the Product 
Tracking and Reporting System effective April 21, 2013. This internal 
measurement system measured delivery performance using barcode scans, 
including Delivery Confirmation scans. We assessed the reliability of 
these data through a review of written responses from USPS. We found 
this data sufficiently reliable for providing a general description on 
mail delivery performance for various types of market-dominant Package 
Services before and after USPS changed mail delivery standards. 

* The data on on-time delivery performance for bulk First-Class Mail, 
Standard Mail, Periodicals, and market-dominant Package Services 
included in this report are limited to mail pieces tracked with 
barcodes that meet certain USPS business rules. These on-time 
performance data are not from a random sample and therefore may not be 
representative of all mail. These data also are not complete for all 
periods from the first quarter of fiscal year 2011 through the third 
quarter of fiscal year 2014. In some cases, measurement did not occur 
at all for a type of mail in a given period or was insufficient to 
report results.[Footnote 14] In other cases, measurement did not occur 
for a given district because there was no measured volume originating 
from or destinating from that district during the period, even though 
volume was measured in other locations. 

* The data on on-time delivery performance included in this report are 
limited to market-dominant products. According to USPS officials, USPS 
considers delivery performance data for competitive products (e.g., 
Priority Mail) to be commercially sensitive and therefore the data are 
not made publicly available. Additionally, USPS considers delivery 
performance data as commercially-sensitive and non-public for Single 
Piece Parcel Post (now identified as Standard Post) after its transfer 
from the market-dominant product list to competitive product list on 
January 27, 2013. 

* National on-time delivery performance data presented in this report 
are based on results for mail sent within the United States. Delivery 
performance data for each postal district included in this report are 
composite performance data that include performance of mail 
originating and/or destinating in a given postal district. 

We conducted this performance audit from April 2014 to September 2014 
in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe 
that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our 
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

[End of section] 

Comments from the United States Postal Service: 

United States Postal Service: 
David E. Williams: 
Vice President, Network Operations: 
475 L'Enfant Plaza SW: 
Washington, DC 20260-7100: 
202-268-4305: 
Fax: 202-268-3331: 
[hyperlink, http://www.usps.com] 

September 18, 2014: 

Mr. Phillip Herr: 
Managing Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues: 
United States Government Accountability Office: 
Washington, DC 20548-0001: 

Dear Mr. Herr: 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments to the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO) report titled, U.S. Postal Service: 
Information on Recent Changes to Delivery Standards, Operations and 
Performance, The report reviews service standard and operational 
changes implemented by the Postal Service since July 1, 2012 and 
summarizes service performance beginning in fiscal year 2011. The GAO 
did not offer any recommendations to the Postal Service. Our comments 
to this report are below. 

First, as noted on page 2, the sample rural (Dakotas District) and 
urban (Chicago District) Postal Districts selected as the focus of 
this audit were chosen on a judgmental basis. The comparative analysis 
of service performance, service areas and service standards for these 
two districts are not representative of performance, service areas and 
service standards across all Postal Districts and the results of this 
audit in the sample rural and urban districts cannot be generalized. 

Second, as noted in footnote 7, a variety of factors influence service 
performance, many of which were not analyzed in this review. We 
appreciate that the GAO did note that quarters 1 and 2 for each fiscal 
year generally have lower service performance due to increased volume 
and inclement weather. We caution, however, against drawing 
conclusions based on comparisons of recent performance (i.e., quarters 
1 and 2 of fiscal year 2014) against prior fiscal years. We note that 
quarters 1 and 2 of fiscal year 2014, which were used repeatedly as a 
basis for comparison through the report, had historically severe 
winter weather. For example, from October 1, 2013 to March 30, 2014, 
the Postal Service experienced more than 17,880 more flight 
cancellations due to weather than during the same period the previous 
year. 

Furthermore, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), the Northwest, Northern Rockies, much of the 
Great Plains, Midwest, and Northeast experienced above-average 
snowfall this past winter and many cities, including Chicago, Illinois 
and Billings, Montana, experienced more than twice the average 
snowfall.[Footnote 1] In contrast, NOAA reports that the winters of 
2012 and 2013 were relatively warm and mild. Specifically, NOM 
describes the winter of December 2011 to February 2012 to be "non-
existent".[Footnote 2] 

In addition to the current positive national service performance 
trends, we are continually improving efficiencies by making better use 
of space, staffing, equipment and transportation to process the 
nation's mail. Through initiatives such as Network Rationalization, we 
can adapt our network and infrastructure to the realities it is facing 
today. 

Sincerely, 

Signed by: 

David E. Williams: 

cc: Sally K. Haring, Manager, Corporate Audit and Response Management: 

Comment letter footnotes: 

[1] NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Winter Snowfall Departure from 
Average, available at: [hyperlink, 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/nationa1/2014/2/supplemental/page-4/]. 

[2] NOM National Climatic Data Center, National Snow & Ice for Annual 
2012, available at [hyperlink, 
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/snow/2012/13]. 

[End of section] 

Footnotes: 

[1] In July 2009, GAO added USPS's financial condition to the list of 
high-risk areas needing attention by Congress and the executive branch 
to achieve broad-based restructuring. Subsequently, GAO retained USPS 
on the high-risk list in fiscal year 2011 and fiscal year 2013. GAO, 
High-Risk Series: Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service to Achieve 
Sustainable Financial Viability, GAO-09-937SP (Washington, D.C.: July 
28, 2009); High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-11-278 (Washington, D.C.: 
February 2011); High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-13-283 (Washington, 
D.C.: February 2013). 

[2] For purposes of this report, delivery standards refer to USPS 
regulations and rules for determining on time delivery of market-
dominant products--which primarily include First-Class Mail (e.g., 
correspondence, bills, payments, statements, and advertising); 
Standard Mail (mainly bulk advertising and direct mail solicitations); 
Periodicals (mainly magazines and local newspapers); and some types of 
Package Services (primarily Alaska Bypass Mail, Media/Library Mail, 
and Bound Printed Matter). See 39 CFR Part 121. USPS refers to our 
description of delivery standards as "service standards." 

[3] Consolidation involves combining two or more originating and/or 
destinating mail processing operations in a single postal processing 
facility. Originating mail refers to outgoing and local mail that 
enters the point of origin for mail processing. Local mail remains 
within the facility and is combined with destinating mail from other 
origin facilities. Destinating mail refers to mail arriving at the 
point of entry for distribution and dispatch to a post office for 
delivery. 

[4] Single-piece letters refer to letters sent individually versus 
bulk letters which are generally multiple or batches of letters mailed 
at the same time by commercial mailers. USPS will implement further 
changes to the delivery standards on January 5, 2015. 

[5] First-Class Mail delivered within the 48 contiguous states has a 3-
day delivery standard, while First-Class Mail delivered from the 48 
contiguous states to the noncontiguous states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. 
Virgin Islands, or Guam has a 4-5 day delivery standard. 

[6] End-to-end mail is mail that USPS processes through its entire 
network, as opposed to "destination-entered" mail that bypasses most 
of USPS's processing network for entry at a USPS facility closer to 
the mail's final destination. 

[7] Based on the new delivery standards, USPS reported that it reduced 
the number of mail processing facilities by 141 in 2012 and 2013, from 
461 to 320 facilities. 

[8] A variety of factors can affect delivery performance, such as 
operational changes and efficiency; however, we did not analyze these 
factors in our review. According to USPS, quarters 1 and 2 of each 
fiscal year generally have lower delivery performance scores than 
quarters 3 and 4 of the same fiscal year and the delivery performance 
score for the entire fiscal year due to increased volumes and 
inclement weather. USPS specifically noted that inclement weather 
negatively affected delivery performance during quarters 1 and 2 of 
fiscal year 2014. 

[9] The major types of market-dominant mail include First-Class Mail, 
Standard Mail, Periodicals (mainly magazines and local newspapers), 
and Package Services (primarily Alaska Bypass Mail, Media/Library 
Mail, and Bound Printed Matter). Carrier Route Standard Mail is 
organized according to letter carrier routes. Standard Mail that 
qualified for saturation and high density rates consists of mailings 
that are to exceed minimum percentages or numbers of addresses on a 
mail delivery route. 

[10] A Permit imprint displays an authorization to mail by using 
indicia or an imprint in place of stamps or meter impressions. Mail 
with a Permit imprint does not have an origin ZIP Code on the mail 
piece. 

[11] See USPS answers to frequently asked questions about Phase 2, 
available as of Sept. 2, 2014, at [hyperlink, 
http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-
network/ofn-phase-2-faqs.htm]. 

[12] Incoming primary sortation of mail is a mail processing operation 
that sorts mail destinating in the area served by the processing plant 
for dispatch to local post offices and retail facilities, where 
carriers typically pick up their mail. Delivery Point Sequencing sorts 
mail into the order it is to be delivered on a carrier route. 

[13] Pub. L. 109-435, § 301, 120 Stat. 3218 (Dec. 20, 2006), codified 
at 39 U.S.C. § 3691. 

[14] For example, Standard Mail results were not available in the 
first two quarters of fiscal year 2011 because too few mailers were 
certified to provide reliable measurement results. In the third 
quarter of fiscal year 2011, some Standard Mail was measured but 
scores were not calculated for specific types of Standard Mail. 
Starting in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013, no Standard Mail 
parcels were measured--in prior quarters only proxy data were 
reported; such data are not included in this report. Similarly, only 
proxy data were reported for Within County Periodicals and Inbound 
Surface Parcel Post at Universal Postal Union (UPU) rates; these data 
also are not included in this report. In addition, results on First-
Class Mail parcels were based solely on single-piece retail parcels 
because no data were available for commercial First-Class Mail Parcels. 

[End of document]