Upcoming Audit Work

In October 2023, the Postal Service deployed a major change to operations when it began piloting its Local Transportation Optimization (LTO) initiative. The initiative was designed to reduce the number of transportation trips to and from select post offices and increase the amount of mail transported on each trip. As of November 18, 2024, the Postal Service implemented the LTO initiative in 16 regions, including the New Orleans region on August 12, 2024. Our audit objective is to determine the impacts associated with the Postal Service’s LTO initiative in the New Orleans region.

The Postal Service has been transporting live, day-old chicks since 1918. As the only shipper that accepts day-old chicks, the Postal Service provides an essential service for hatcheries, farmers, and backyard hobbyists. Last year, the Postal Service handled over 40-million-day-old chicks. The Postal Service requires mailers of live animals to comply with set guidelines to ensure safe, effective, and efficient transportation. In turn, the Postal Service prioritizes them through their processing and logistic networks. This audit will assess the effectiveness of the Postal Service’s procedures for acceptance, handling, and delivery of day-old chicks.

The U.S. Postal Service is redesigning its surface transportation network to reduce costs by moving more mail volume in fewer “middle mile” trips. To achieve this, the Postal Service implemented Regional Transfer Hubs (RTHs) where mail volume is consolidated before dispatch to the network and incoming volume is sorted for regional distribution. RTHs enable the Postal Service to increase trailer utilization, a measurement of how full trailers are, reducing the number of trips needed to move mail in the network.
Our objective is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Postal Service's Regional Transfer Hub initiative.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) administers pension, health insurance, and life insurance benefits for federal agencies. This annual attestation engagement is performed at the request of the OPM through Agreed-Upon Procedures and in accordance with U.S. Office of Management and Budget audit requirements. Our objective is to perform procedures agreed to by the OPM’s Office of Inspector General and Financial Services Office to assist the OPM in assessing the reasonableness of retirement, health benefits, and life insurance withholdings and contributions as well as enrollment information submitted via the Semiannual Headcount report.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Postal Service has an obligation to provide its employees with a safe and healthful place to work. The Postal Service proactively meets its obligations to the Act by implementing policies, procedures, special teams, and reporting tools for workplace violence at facilities. The established zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence outlines no employee should have to work in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and the organization will address every threat or act of inappropriate behavior with an immediate and firm response. These threats or acts can result in corrective action up to removal from the Postal Service.  Our objective is to assess the effectiveness of the Postal Service's Workplace Violence Prevention Program from fiscal year 2022 through 2024.