Harris: CLEAR Transition Is Being Delayed

CLARIFICATION: Two sections of this story have been modified to remove potentially confusing elements
 

The Postal Service is hitting the pause button on its rollout of the CLEAR contracting system, according to a USPS official.

According to Surface Transportation CMC Director Keith Harris, the Postal Service’s schedule for migrating carriers onto its CLEAR contracting platform has been delayed for an unspecified period.

Harris, who notified NSRMCA of the change in an August email, said the delay was due to a renewed focus on revamping USPS’ delivery network under the Delivering for America plan.

Some of the planned changes include consolidating the delivery network and diversifying the Postal Service’s supplier base, according to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who spoke on the topic back in May.

Harris did not provide an updated timeline for the CLEAR rollout, nor did he say which delivery regions would be impacted by the delay. 

Some contractors have already moved over to CLEAR, though the exact number is unknown. During an Aug. 10 presentation at the NSRMCA National Convention, Harris noted that “a couple of test contracts went live in August” and others were slated to move over to the new system in September.

These early adopters are supposed to be the first of eight planned waves of PNT and LDT contract migration to the system. The Postal Service had planned to have the last wave of contracts on the system sometime in November 2023, though the delay could affect that timeline.