U.S. Postal Service: Information on Centralized Procurement of Uniforms

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Postal Service's (USPS) planned change from a decentralized system for procuring postal uniforms to a centralized system, focusing on the: (1) requirements USPS plans to impose on contractors to ensure that uniforms are made with American materials and labor; (2) requirements USPS plans to impose on contractors with regard to standards for working conditions and wages; (3) mechanisms that USPS plans to use to ensure that the requirements for materials and labor, and the standards for working conditions and wages, are met; (4) anticipated number of contractors USPS plans to use under the centralized purchasing program; (5) anticipated savings from centralized purchasing; (6) potential impact on current retail vendors; and (7) extent of USPS coordination with the Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce to minimize the impact on current vendors.