1. Federal Mail Education Forum Data to Decisions Lois Mandell & Katherine Pearlman June 3, 2015

2. What You Will Learn Who must report and why What data we request
Why data is important
Reports and data analysis tools
Analysis we perform

3. Why Measure? Lord Kelvin, Scottish Physicist, 1883
“What gets measured gets managed.”
“What doesn’t get measured doesn’t get managed.”
“What gets measured gets done.”
“To measure is to know.”

4. Reporting Requirements
Who: Agencies that spend one million dollars
Your annual report must include:
Expenditures to all service providers
Employee mail certifications obtained
Submit data into SMART
Report from entire agency
Agency Mail Manager verifies & submits to GSA
Reporting Requirements
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§ Who must report to GSA annually?
Large agencies, as defined in § , must provide an annual Mail Management Report to GSA. If your agency is a cabinet level or independent agency, the agency mail manager must compile all offices or components and submit one report for the department or agency as a whole, for example, the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
§ What must we include in our annual mail management report to GSA?
You must provide an agency-wide response to the GSA requested data elements. GSA will provide the list of data elements in a Federal Management Regulation (FMR) Bulletin. GSA coordinates all mail management related FMR bulletins with the Federal Mail Executive Council and updates them as necessary. FMR bulletins are available at:
§ Why does GSA require annual mail management reports?
GSA requires annual agency mail management reports to—
(a) Ensure that Federal agencies have the policies, procedures, and data to manage their mail operations efficiently and effectively;
(b) Ensure that appropriate security measures are in place; and
(c) Allow GSA to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Records Act, especially with regard to sharing best practices, information on training, and promulgating standards, procedures, and guidelines.
§ How do we submit our annual mail management report to GSA?
You must submit annual reports using the GSA web based Simplified Mail Accountability Reporting Tool (SMART). Training is available from GSA to agency mail managers and other authorized users on how to use the SMART data reporting system. Contact the Office of Government-wide Policy, Mail Management Policy office for access and training at
§ When must we submit our annual mail management report to GSA?
Beginning with FY 2014, the agency's annual mail management report is due on October 31 following the end of the fiscal year.
SMART url

5. What expenditures should be reported?
Data Entry: Expenditures & piece count for:
USPS Mail
First Class, Priority, Standard
Package Services (expedited)
FedEx, UPS, Other couriers
Fees, contract fees, vendor fees, etc.
All the classes are listed:

6. Future Reporting Closer alignment with reporting in mail systems
Clarify definitions
Considering weight; costs for FTE & space
Add more training options
Explain yearly data variances (+/-10%)
Capture data from other sources directly
Better query capabilities

7. FY15 Performance Measures
Incoming mail
Outgoing mail
Management
Contracts & Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
More info:
Performance Measurement Requirements for All Agencies
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§ At what levels in our agency must we have performance measures?
You must have performance measures for mail operations at the agency level and in all mail facilities and program levels.
§ Why must we use performance measures?
Performance measures gauge the success of your mail management plans and processes by comparing performance over time and among organizations. Performance measures—
(a) Define goals and objectives;
(b) Enhance resource allocation; and
(c) Provide accountability.

8. Reports & Data Analysis Tools

9. SMART Queries

10. Employee certification
Are people knowledgeable about roles, responsibilities
Learning to control costs
Ensure safety
Minimize theft

13. FY2014 Government wide Agency Expenditures

14. Government wide Overview

15. Total Mail Expenditures FY2011-2014

19. What do we care about? (And so should you)
Trends
Knowledge of job responsibilities
Spend
Piece counts
Large fluctuations
Presort and consolidation
Vendor mix
Performance measures
Are we doing enough to control costs
Are agencies reporting
Sustainability
Cost per piece
Accuracy

20. Questions 20

21. Derrick is leaving

22. Contact Information
Lois Mandell Katherine Pearlman
Director of Transportation & Mail Policy Program Manager
(202) (202)
Office of Government-wide Policy
U. S. General Services Administration
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC