U.S. Postal Service: Postal Activities and Laws Related to Electronic Commerce
GGD-00-188
Published: Sep 07, 2000. Publicly Released: Sep 07, 2000.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) electronic commerce (e-commerce) initiatives, focusing on USPS': (1) e-commerce initiatives that have been implemented or are being developed; (2) goals and strategies for the e-commerce area; (3) processes for approving these initiatives; and (4) expected performance and results to date related to e-commerce.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Postal Service | To help ensure more effective management and oversight of USPS' e-commerce activities, the Postmaster General should take appropriate actions to help ensure that e-commerce and related initiatives are appropriately identified and maintain accurate and complete information related to the status of these initiatives. |
Closed – Implemented
Since GAO issued a report in December 2001 (GAO-02-79), the Postmaster General has taken actions to address this recommendation. As USPS reported in its May 2004 report on its eCommerce activities, it has reviewed the product performance of each of its e-commerce and related initiatives, and has decided to discontinue or reconfigure all of its remaining e-commerce initiatives. USPS reported that the net effect of these changes will result in the elimination of losses associated with the remaining eCommerce services.
|
| United States Postal Service | To help ensure more effective management and oversight of USPS' e-commerce activities, the Postmaster General should follow processes and controls that have been established for developing and approving e-commerce initiatives. |
Closed – Not Implemented
GAO issued a report in December 2001 (GAO-02-79), that updated the status of these recommendations. GAO reported that USPS had taken some action to respond to GAO's recommendations, but inconsistency remained in the implementation of its processes and controls for developing its e-commerce initiatives. GAO made additional recommendations to address this issue in its December 2001 report.
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| United States Postal Service | To help ensure more effective management and oversight of USPS' e-commerce activities, the Postmaster General should provide complete and accurate information on costs and revenues for the financial data on e-commerce initiatives. |
Closed – Not Implemented
GAO issued a report in December 2001 (GAO-02-79), that updated the status of these recommendations. GAO reported that USPS had taken some steps to collect and report additional information on the costs and revenues associated with its e-commerce initiatives. However, GAO reported that the information provided was not complete because it did not include sufficient information on the direct and indirect costs associated with e-commerce initiatives. Also, some discrepancies in the information provided raised questions about data accuracy that need to be resolved. GAO made additional recommendations to address these issues in its December 2001 report.
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