Upcoming Audit Work

The U.S. Postal Service delivers over 110 billion mail pieces each year, and these mailings should include Postal Service authorized stamps (or other postage) to verify payment. However, counterfeit stamps—enabled by advanced printing technologies and proliferating online marketplaces—pose a growing threat to Postal Service revenues, operations, and customers. The Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) engage in prevention, education, and enforcement efforts to mitigate this growing threat, and they reported seizing counterfeit stamps worth $16 million in fiscal year 2025. This audit will evaluate the Postal Service and USPIS’s efforts to address counterfeit stamps. 

Contract Delivery Services (CDS) are a contractual agreement between the Postal Service and an individual or company for the delivery and collection of mail to and from homes and businesses. CDS offers a cost-effective way for the Postal Service to extend its reach while maintaining control over business expenses. In many cases, CDS routes provide an efficient method for delivering mail to communities, especially in rural or underserved areas.

Our audit will evaluate the management, efficiency and safety of CDS operations. Specifically, we will evaluate supplier costs, vehicle requirements, driver safety, and security measures for CDS routes.

The Postal Service faces persistent difficulties in both meeting its service performance targets and achieving financial sustainability. These challenges stem from a complex mix of internal and external factors. The internal environment is marked by ongoing network restructuring, aging infrastructure and equipment, labor issues, and struggles with organizational culture and management effectiveness. Externally, it must contend with declining mail volume, a surge in e-commerce and package volumes, regulatory constraints, and policy changes.

Our audit will evaluate the operational and financial performance of selected postal districts, specifically examining how operational culture impacts key performance indicators.

The Postal Service must thoroughly screen and evaluate prospective employees to ensure suitability and maintain the integrity of the organization. The level of clearance required is based on the type of position; however, most positions are considered low risk and require a background investigation called a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI). Our objective is to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s employee background screening process to determine whether the Postal Service properly granted NACI clearances to employees.

The mission of the Postal Service is to provide the nation with trusted, safe, and secure communications and mail services. Recently, news media have often reported concerns about mail theft. Congress has focused on mail theft during congressional hearings and as a result, sent inquiries to the OIG. In a previous OIG report, U.S. Postal Service’s Response to Mail Theft, dated September 28, 2023, we identified several mail theft concerns including management not having actionable milestones, lack of arrow key accountability, and challenges with employee staffing and postal inspector mail theft training. Our objective is to follow up on U.S. Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service’s response to mail theft, and the scope of our audit will be from October 2023 through September 2025.