Overview

Large and specialized mailings should be planned thoroughly in advance to be the most effective and to take advantage of significant discounts offered by the U.S. Postal Service. These guidelines should help you to properly and efficiently prepare these mailings in a timely manner. To qualify, bulk mail must meet certain standards, which are summarized below. Failure to comply explicitly with the U.S. Postal Service rules can cause your mailing to be reclassified to a higher rate or even to be rejected altogether.  You have two options for bulk mail – Manual preparation and addressing by the department or, for larger discounts and less time and labor expense, using your Print vendor or Mail Service Provider to prepare, process and submit your mailing.  UWF Postal Services can process and submit your properly prepared manual bulk mail free of charge or, your bulk mailings can be processed and submitted to the USPS by your off-campus Printer or Mail Service Provider for a fee.  Bulk mailings submitted to UWF Postal Services will be processed immediately after all First-Class Mail and Campus Mail, but in rare cases may take up to three days to process and submit to the U.S. Postal Service for entry into the U.S. Mail stream. Some offices, departments and organizations, especially those with very large mailings in which automation and barcoding discounts can be taken, will use an off-­‐campus printer, presort or mailing vendor to produce, prepare and submit their bulk mailings. If you need advice or guidance please call UWF Postal Services at 474-3211. UWF Postal Services establishes and maintains the University bulk mail Permit (Permit 183), budgets for and keeps sufficient funds in the advanced deposit permit account with the U.S. Postal Service, bills departments for bulk mailings as required, and is responsible for monitoring all University bulk mailings for nonprofit qualification and the adherence to mailing standards. UWF Postal Services must review all bulk mailings, including those submitted by vendors, prior to submission to the U.S. Postal Service. A sample must be provided to UWF Postal Services for filing with the Postage Statement for Postal Inspectors. Prior to submitting mail directly to the U.S. Post Office Bulk Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) in Pensacola through a vendor, departments must coordinate with UWF Postal Services at 474-3211 or 474-2437 to insure adequate funds are available. Departments can coordinate with UWF Postal Services and may provide a check in advance of the mailing for the approximate amount of postage to insure enough money is available in the advanced deposit bulk account.  For very large bulk mailings being deposited by vendors, departments should deposit a university or vendor check at the BMEU with the mailing for the exact amount of the postage charges and inform UWF Postal Services. 

What is Bulk Mail?  What we commonly call “Bulk” mail is actually large volume Marketing Mail (formerly called Third Class Mail or Standard Mail) or Presorted First-Class Mail depending on the contents. Large volumes of Package Services Mail (formally called Fourth Class Mail or Standard Mail B, which includes Bound Printed Matter, Parcel Post, Library, and Media Mail) can also be mailed as discounted bulk-rate mail.

Standard Mail

While the university is a nonprofit educational institution, not all mail is automatically considered “nonprofit” and eligible for the nonprofit discounts, which are substantial. Certain criteria must be met for nonprofit rates and for use of the nonprofit postage indicia on Marketing Mail. Therefore, before printing or stamping the nonprofit permit imprint on a large mailing, insure it meets the criteria listed below, or if in doubt have it reviewed for compliance by UWF Postal Services:

• The content must be substantially related to the primary purpose of the University
• Advertising for travel, insurance and credit/debit cards, is not allowed
• Advertising, in general, is not allowed unless it meets strict restrictions and is a non-promotional acknowledgement of donors, contributors or sponsor, or is a public service announcement, or meets the four content requirements for a periodical, or is substantially related to the purpose of the University
• Cooperative mailings with for-profit organizations are not allowed
• Cooperative mailings with other nonprofit organizations are not allowed unless they also are authorized to mail at nonprofit rates at the Pensacola Bulk Mail Entry Unit
• Any payments indicated must specify payment to the University of West Florida
• Nonprofit status cannot be lent or delegated to any person or organization

Mail that does not qualify as “Nonprofit” can be mailed at higher “Regular” Marketing (Bulk) Mail rates. For more detailed information, visit: U.S. Postal Service Publication 417, Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility. This publication is also available at UWF Postal Services. Violations of eligibility rules can result in fines and possibly loss of the university’s nonprofit permit.

Permit 183 (Indicia)

Ancillary Endorsements

Ancillary Endorsements, such as Address Service Requested, Return Service Requested, or Forwarding Service Requested are authorized for use on Standard Mail, but if used may be costly for the mailer when undeliverable mail is forwarded, returned or a new address notice is sent. For this reason endorsements are not recommended for Marketing Mail except for specific reasons. Unendorsed Standard mail will be disposed of by the U. S. Postal Service if it is undeliverable as addressed, will not be forwarded or returned, and no notification of new address will be provided.

Zip Code and Address Accuracy Requirements

UWF Postal Services can provide you advice in meeting address verification and barcoding required by the US Postal Service for automation (barcode) discounts.  In order to take advantage of the postage discounts using Standard Mail or First-Class Presort Mail, Postal Service Move Update Regulations require that you must have verified the accuracy of the addresses you are using within the last 95 days prior to the mailing date. You can accomplish this using several methods including using Ancillary Service Endorsements mentioned above and correcting the addresses when notified of a change. However, the simplest way to verify your address list is to provide it to an off-campus Mail Service Provider or your Printer, when you submit your mailing and have your list certified and validated. If you want to take advantage of deeper automation discounts you must have 100% of your mail barcoded with an Intelligent Mail Barcode and have the addresses verified within the 95 days prior to the mailing date. On all automation Marketing and Presorted First-­Class mailings, UWF Postal Services or your vendor is required to indicate by signature, and under penalty of law, that ZIP code accuracy has been verified or that addresses have been CASS certified and verified by an approved method. Call 474-2437 or 474-3211 for more information on these requirements.

Preparation Requirements for Bulk (Standard) Mail

Preparing bulk mailings can be confusing for the uninitiated, but if these preparation guidelines are read thoroughly and followed exactly by the mailer or a vendor, the process is painless, and you save money and frustration!

Summary of Bulk Mail Basics and Preparation Steps:

1. A minimum of 200 pieces or 50 pounds (flats) is required
2. The mail pieces must be of printed or duplicated material
3. The mail pieces must be identical in size, weight, similar in content, and qualify as Standard Mail
4. Always preprint or stamp a UWF return address with “University of West Florida” prominently located
5. Use an authorized nonprofit or regular pre-­‐printed or hand-­‐stamped Permit 183 imprint in the postage area, or use pre-­‐cancelled stamps
6. Verify ZIPs within the last 95 days using a method in F above for automation discounts.
7. Use of standardized address format described in Chapter V, Section H, is recommended
8. If you are submitting a “manual” bulk mailing (addressing and sorting it yourself):
   1. Presort letter mailing into 3 categories.  ZIP 325, 324 and the remainder.
   2. For flat mailing “Package” mail as instructed with rubber bands as shown in Section H below.  
   3. Place packages in containers in Zip code sequence. All flats must be packaged
9. If you are submitting your mailing for UWF Postal Services to address, process and barcode:
   1. Provide mail pieces to Postal Services
   2. Submit address list in Excel format if you are using a Mail Service Provider
10. Vendor submits mailing to the USPS or, if the department is doing a manual mailing, submit to UWF Postal Services with Charge Memo and a sample.

Presorting and Packaging of Flat-sized Bulk Mail - Departmental Manual Preparation

Any remaining mail pieces are packaged as mixed ADC packages in ZIP Code order. Label with a tan “MXD” label on the lower left corner of the top piece.

STEP 5.  SUBMIT MAILING

Sort Packages in ZIP Code order, place in trays, mail tubs or boxes and submit to UWF Postal Services with Campus Mail or have vendors deliver. If using a vendor, they can submit your mailing directly to the U.S. Postal Service BMEU in Pensacola (Jordan Street location). Have vendors notify UWF Postal Services when mailings are submitted and provide the postage amount, a completed postage statement and sample mail piece.

Submitting Bulk Mail to UWF Postal Services

Submitting Bulk Mail to the Pensacola Bulk Mail Entry

UWF Postal Services will submit the bulk mailings or vendors may also directly deposit UWF bulk mail with the Bulk Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) at the Main Pensacola Post Office at 1700 W. Jordan Street. If a vendor prepares the department’s mail they must submit the mailing with the electronic Postage Statement and a check for deposit into the Advanced Deposit Bulk Mail Permit 183 account for the cost of postage (if enough postage is not in the account). The deposit must be for the exact cost of the postage. A copy of the electronic Postage Statement submitted with the mailing using Permit 183 must be provided to UWF Postal Services by the vendor to ensure that it qualifies for the postage rate claimed, the postage charges are accurate, and the Advanced Deposit account balance is maintained accurately.  Smaller mailings submitted directly to the BMEU do not require a deposit and postage can be paid for with the Advanced Deposit Bulk Mail Permit Account. The following three items must be provided to UWF Postal Services prior to mailing:

• UWF Postal Charge Memo (if not depositing funds to Advanced Deposit Account)
• Postage amount to be charged to Permit 183 account
• Sample mail piece

Bulk Mail Supplies

Supplies including rubber bands, colored labels, nonprofit and regular postage indicia rubber stamps and ink pads, tubs, 1- and 2-foot trays, sacks and forms are available by calling these numbers:

• 474-3211 (Assistant Manager)
• 474-2437 (Manager)
• 474-2436 (General Information)

Departments are encouraged to notify UWF Postal Services in advance of requirements so that an adequate inventory of supplies will be available for all customers. Departments may also have their own bulk mail rubber stamps (nonprofit and regular) made for their own use if desired.

Bulk Mail Postage Charges

Payment of Postage to the U.S. Postal Service. Postage for bulk mailings using the University’s Permit 183 is paid at the time of mailing and submission to the U.S. Postal Service. Postage must be paid by cash, check or with money deposited in an advanced deposit account established with the Bulk Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). UWF Postal Services maintains and replenishes an Advanced Deposit Account with the Bulk Mail Entry Unit at the Pensacola Main Post Office at 1700 W Jordan Street for payment of postage for bulk Standard and Presorted First-Class mailings submitted by UWF entities using Permit 183. UWF Postal Services and vendors maintain sufficient funds in the account for normal bulk mailings deposited. However, some very large mailings, those over $1000.00, could deplete the funds, so a direct cash or check deposit by the department or vendor may be required to cover postage charges. If your mailing is very large, call the UWF Postal Services Assistant Manager (474-3211) or Manager (474-2437) to determine if a check is required or if sufficient funds are deposited to cover all current and incoming mailings for the University. The exact amount of the postage charges should be deposited based on the electronic Postage Statement at the time of submission, and the department or vendor depositing a check is required to notify UWF Postal Services of the amount of the check or cash deposit prior to submission of the mailing.

Monthly Billing. University mailers are charged back monthly for bulk mail postage paid through the advanced deposit account. The total bulk mail postage is calculated by UWF Postal Services using the Postage Statement copies on file for each mailing during the month. The total postage for each Banner Index is submitted to the UWF Controller and is charged back to the office, organization or department submitting the mailings. The charges are submitted to the UWF Controller at the beginning of each

Presorted First-Class Mail

Presorted First-­‐Class Mail is handled in the same way that Standard Mail is prepared and submitted with two major differences: 

1. To qualify for the discounted Presorted First-­‐Class rate, the mailer must have 500 or more mail pieces, or 50 pounds of flats and have Presorted First-Class indicia printed or stamped on the envelope.
2. Addresses on all pieces must have been updated within the last 95 days before mailing through a USPS approved method (vendor software or ancilliary endorsements described above).