Priority Mail Express (PME), formerly Express Mail, was introduced in the 1970s as the U.S. Postal Service’s fastest product, and as the best option for customers to send time-sensitive documents and packages by offering a next-day to two-day service guarantee. Recent transformations to postal operations under the Delivering for America plan are changing the service standards for this premium product. Specifically, in October 2023, the Postal Service deployed a major operational change called Local Transportation Optimization (LTO) that reduced the number of transportation trips to and from select post offices. With LTO, mail collected at optimized post offices remained overnight, delaying its entry into sorting operations. As a result, most optimized post offices can no longer offer PME with a next-day service guarantee. To support this change, on April 1, 2025, the Postal Service revised PME to a one-to-three-day service guarantee.
Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
U.S. Postal Service OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
U.S. Postal Service
Report Number
25-056-R25
Report Description
Report Type
Audit
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
77
Questioned Costs
$189,601
Funds for Better Use
$0
Report updated under NDAA 5274
No
Open Recommendations
This report has 4 open recommendations.
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Implement policy and procedures that require coordination with all responsible parties to create and display notices in retail lobbies on any changes to service by the date the change becomes effective. | |||||
| 2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Identify and implement the best method for updating retail signage that aligns with the Priority Mail Express service guarantee offered by individual post offices. | |||||
| 5 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Develop policy and procedures to communicate mail product changes to retail personnel, ensuring they can accurately advise customers on those changes. | |||||
| 7 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| Establish standard operating procedures for requesting approval and implementing a Priority Mail Express service guarantee suspension expeditiously once impacts to nationwide operations are identified. | |||||
