Home > About USPS & News > Forms & Publications > Postal Periodicals and Publications > Manuals > Supplying Principles and Practices

• General Overview of United States Postal Service Supplying Principles
• Postal Service Supplying Principles

• Appointment and Selection of Contracting Officers
• Develop Commodity Strategy
• Bonds, Insurance, and Taxes
• Supplier Disagreement Resolution
• Emergencies
• Deviations
• Laws
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Material and Property Accountability
• Continuous Improvement
• Supplier Debarment, Suspension, and Ineligibility
• Contracts with former Postal Service Officers, Executives, and Employees, and Employees and their Immediate Families
• Supply Chain Security
• Privacy Considerations

• Define and Understand Client Needs, Goals, and Strategies
• Form Purchase/SCM Team
• Identify Key Stakeholders
• Prepare Preliminary Business Justification for the Need
• Assess Resources
• Involve Suppliers Early
• Develop Preliminary Total Cost of Ownership Estimates
• Identify Cost Reduction Levers
• Develop Demand Management Strategy
• Conduct Market Research and Benchmarking Analysis
• Define Requirements
• Analyze State of Technology
• Revisit/Update Resource Assessment
• Develop, Issue, and Analyze Responses from Request for Information (RFI)
• Manage Risks
• Conduct Make vs. Buy Decision Analysis
• Analyze Unsolicited Proposals
• Develop Logistics Support Strategy
• Update Business Justification

• Develop Purchase Plan and Best Value Parameters
• Start Request for Proposals (RFP) Development
• Update/Refine Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis
• Formulate Project Budget and Request Funding
• Perform Value Chain Mapping and Analysis
• Involve Suppliers in Planning
• Conduct Should-Cost Analysis
• Conduct Spend Analysis
• Perform Switching-Cost Analysis
• Determine Extent of Competition
• Develop Life Cycle Support Plan
• Develop Preliminary Investment Recovery Plan
• Purchase From Mandatory Sources
• Clarify Data Rights and Intellectual Property Issues
• Consider Auctions
• Consider Performance-Based Contracting Arrangements
• Determine Need for Progress or Advance Payment
• Select Contract Type
• Consider Use of Renewals and Options
• Develop and Finalize Sourcing Strategy
• Define Supplier Diversity Objectives
• Prequalify Suppliers
• Define Contract Management Metrics
• Review and Finalize Request for Proposals (RFP)
• Form Proposal Evaluation Team
• Develop Proposal Evaluation Strategy
• Issue Request for Proposals (RFP) and Publicize Requirements
• Conduct Reverse Auctions Where Appropriate
• Issue Amendments
• Receive and Record Proposals
• Implement Proposal Evaluation Strategy
• Assess Technology Implications
• Perform Risk Analysis on Supplier Proposals
• Conduct Price/Cost Analysis
• Conduct Supplier Capability (Technical and Financial) Analysis
• Evaluate Foreign and Domestic Proposals
• Hold Discussions
• Negotiate with Suppliers
• Subcontracting with Small, Minority, and Women Owned Business
• Produce Contract Award Recommendation

• Award Contract and Notify Suppliers
• Announce Award
• Provide Feedback
• Conduct Postaward Orientation Where Applicable
• Appoint Contracting Officer's Representatives (CORs)
• Define and Initiate Contract Management Activities
• Finalize Investment Recovery Plan

• Ordering
• Shipping
• Receipt and Inspection
• Acceptance
• Returns

• Develop, Finalize, and Implement Cost Management Plan
• Conduct Material Planning Activities
• Implement Life Cycle Support Plan
• Develop, Finalize, and Implement Inventory Control Plan
• Implement Investment Recovery Plan
• Execute Quality Assurance Plan (QAP)
• Evaluate Contract Effectiveness
• Contract Modifications
• Share Lessons Learned
• Decide to Renew a Contract or Exercise Options
• Process Invoices
• Make Payment
• Terminate Contract
• Close Out Contract
• Recognize and Reward Supplier

• Dispose
• Write Off Inventory
• Other Topics Considered
• Evaluate and Analyze Actual TCO

• Design and Construction Purchasing
• Mail Transportation Purchasing
• Professional/Technical and Consultant Services
• Information Technology

• Provision 1-1 Supplier Clearance Requirements (March 2006)

• Clause B-1 Definitions (March 2006)