A couple of years ago Negotiated Service Agreements (NSAs) between the USPS and major mailers were generally public and much discussed within the postal community. Today, there’s little being said, or can be found, on current NSAs. There are several major NSAs of note that are sometimes discussed, including those for Amazon, Valassis and Stamps.com. In December 2016 the USPS OIG issued a report stating that between October 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016 the USPS approved, self-certified and filed with the PRC 100 domestic competitive product NSAs. The information about those NSAs is apparently not readily or easily available.
Also of interest is who is approving current NSAs if there are any? The USPS Negotiated Service Agreements Web page states that all proposed NSAs must be reviewed and recommended by the PRC and approved by the Postal Service Board of Governors. Currently there are no members on the board except Postmaster General Brennan and Deputy Postmaster General Stroman. Do those two have the authority to approve NSAs in the absence of board members? If not, is the Postal Service missing out on revenue generated by NSAs? If they do have the authority, are they approving NSAs without the proper oversight and governance that a full board would bring?
Just a couple of questions to ponder.