Project Title: Delayed Mail Reporting in the Great Lakes Area
Start Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Estimated Report Release Date: July 2018

The U.S. Postal Service considers mail to be delayed when it is not processed in time to meet the established delivery day. Postal Service personnel count mail daily, self-report delayed mail, and enter the information into the Mail Condition Reporting System. Delayed mail reporting is important because it helps Postal Service management make mail distribution decisions, identifies problems in achieving operational targets, and provides data to analyze operational trends.

Delayed mail at the Michigan Metroplex Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) and the Lansing P&DC increased by over 100 percent in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 over the same period last year. In addition, the delayed mail at the Detroit Network Distribution Center (NDC), which processes Priority Mail destined for six different mail processing facilities, increased by over 200 percent during the same time.

Our objective is to determine the accuracy of delayed mail reporting at selected sites in the Great Lakes Area. These include the Detroit NDC, as well as the Michigan Metroplex and Lansing P&DCs.

• How accurate is the Postal Service’s delayed mail reporting in the Great Lakes Area?

• How can the Postal Service improve delayed mail reporting in this area?

• How has delayed mail in this area affected you?

Source: USPS OIG