Upcoming Audit Work

In September 2019, the Postal Service adopted a new centralized hiring process. The goals of this initiative include shortening the time for extending job offers and getting applicants on the rolls, as well as eliminating interviews for most bargaining positions. The Human Resources Shared Service Center is the central processing center for these hiring activities, in coordination with district human resources personnel. Our objective is to assess the Postal Service’s hiring practices for bargaining employees (excluding peak season hires), specifically for mail handlers, clerks, city carriers, and rural carriers.
 

Under Delivering for America, the Postal Service is redesigning its legacy network to create a best-in-class mail and package processing network. Central to this redesign is the creation of approximately 60 Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDC) to consolidate mail processing operations and create fewer points in their transportation networks. The Richmond, VA RPDC opened in August of 2023, centralizing outgoing mail and package processing in the greater Richmond metropolitan area. The objective of this audit is to assess the operational impacts related to the launch of this RPDC and identify successes, opportunities, and lessons learned.

The U.S. Postal Service is obligated to maintain the safety and security of its employees, mail, and assets to preserve the public’s trust. As part of its Delivering for America’s 10-year strategic plan, the Postal Service is building upon current safety programs to create the safest and healthiest environment possible for their employees. Our objective is to assess the safety and security of the Postal Service’s surface transportation network. We will conduct an assessment of highway contract route (HCR) and Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) drivers’ safety and security during fiscal year 2022.

The U.S. Postal Service conducts physical inventories of its capital assets primarily through the annual capital property review. Capital assets are items acquired through purchase, transfer, or donation with a service life of more than 1 year; are a stand-alone item of property throughout its useful life; unit cost is $10,000 or more; and depreciates in value. This review occurs every March where all capital assets are physically located and counted over a four-year cycle. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls over the Postal Service’s annual capital property review at network and processing distribution centers.