SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Grant the U.S. Postal Service the necessary infrastructure to be the federal government's go-to domestic shipper instead of giving contracts to Fed Ex or UPS. USPS, after all, is a highly capable government agency and it makes good sense to recognize and utilize this service, particularly at a time when postal revenue is decreasing. Doing so could save federal agencies money on shipping and even save postal jobs in... more »

Various components of the federal government utilize UPS, Federal Express (and possibly still DHL?) for shipping of files and documents while the US Postal Service continues to languish financially. US Postal Service Express Mail is a cost-effective alternative to the UPS and Federal Express. Were US Postal Service to be the primary express courier for federal agencies, the agencies would realize cost savings while helping... more »

Last week, I received a UPS package from an office which is co-located in the building where I work. Although the package was Confidential in Nature, I was willing to pick it up in person.

In addition to saving the shipping cost of $47, delivery in-person saves processing time, and improves sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint for transportation and packaging.

A technique to promote sustainability and cost... more »

For offices that sell items, we should really charge for shipping. Sometimes we send out $4 maps and abosrb $3 in shipping charges. We already have POS systems in place, it would not be difficult to set them up to process shipping charges. Most people over the phone are ready to pay for shipping, they are actually shocked when there is no charge. We should also utilize USPS more. For anything that is larger than a manilla,... more »

There should be a web site where employees can enter official government travel by vehicle. To ship a heavier object across the state costs a significant amount of money. If there were a way to find out another group has a vehicle going in a similar area as what I need, and is only half full, we could save money on the shipping. This could be within our own Department, or run over all at a higher level. Many government... more »

We are currently required by our shipping contract to use Fedex to ship packages. We should use the US Post Office at their cost instead of using an outside contract with a for profit company.

USPS Priority and Express Mail are very cost effective and dependable shipping solutions. Yet, USPS is not even available as a shipping option in some federal government facilities. USPS shipping supplies and training should be available to anyone military or civil servant. Granted, not everything can be shipped using USPS, but it should be the preferable option when and where it's most cost effective. It will not... more »

In 2010, The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Florida District completed approximately 929 Domestic Inspections. The copying and distribution of these reports and exhibits were completed by technicians and required approximately 3716 man hours, 1,114,800 ($7300.00) pieces of paper , 550 toner cartages, use of limited filing space, and UPS shipping charges based on weight. Instead, these reports and exhibits could... more »

There should be some sort of guidlines about what type of shipping is to be used when sending mail from one office to another within our agency or even outside the agency and I would suspect other agencies & departments. In the USFS many offices are just not in a "next day" location but yet we still utilize next day or express knowing it will take at least two days to get to it's destination. I can fully understand... more »

The Department of Defense (DOD) can reduce Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses by offering incentives to servicemembers to ship fewer household goods (HHG).

Title 37 US Code Section 406 establishes maximum HHG weight allowances per servicemember based on grade and status of dependents. Servicemembers are penalized for exceeding this maximum weight, but have no incentive to minimize the weight of their shipments.... more »

Have all federal agencies use the USPS to ship everything possible through Priority Flat Rate unless absolutely necessary to use overnight. Then use the Express Service through the Post Office. They're cheaper than any of the express services, and you can print out the signature form online.

Using the most efficient mailing/shipping method, as well as packaging could reduce spending and make it more environmentally friendly. I work in a 3-man post of duty. We regularly receive non-critical items sent via overnight carrier in much larger than necessary boxes (newletters, posters). Most recently, we received 4 credit card sized cards with emergency contact numbers in a shoe-box sized cardboard box from an... more »

Here at the Golden Field Office, we send grant documents to Intellectual Property in Chicago for every grant and modification that is completed. This results in anywhere from 20 to 60 pages being printed and shipped to Chicago. Instead of wasting paper, ink, and shipping costs (as well as the pollution byproducts), we should be able to send the digital files directly to Chicago via email or upload. This would have... more »

A majority of gov't agencies use fedex or ups as the main way to mail everything. The USPS should be used for small packages and parcels that doe not require overnight shipping. The USPS could allow all gov't mail to be done at a reduced rate.

Paper nautical charts are distributed to Coast Guard Cutters and other units on a regular basis by the Defense Logistics Agency. Many times these charts are not applicable to a unit's Area of Responsibility are discarded or placed in storage, never to be used. A large-scale review of chart distribution through the organization could save a significant amount of money in printing and shipping costs.