OIG: S&DC Performance a Mixed Bag So Far

A recent audit of USPS’s sorting and delivery centers (S&DC) found that the facilities fared well in some metrics but came up short in others. 

The Sept. 25 report from the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) analyzed the 29 S&DCs that opened prior to Sept. 30, 2023, studying performance metrics USPS already uses to evaluate the facilities. 

Of the studied facilities, OIG found they “met goals for only three of the 17 metrics reviewed, but were within five percentage points of the goal for an additional eight metrics.” 

Also noteworthy is the S&DCs outperformed the nationwide average for delivery units in eight of 14 comparable metrics. 

“For example, S&DCs performed better in all three first mile- and last mile-performance metrics reviewed related to service performance, but underperformed in four metrics related to city carrier efficiency,” according to the report. 

The report also found issues with city carrier route performance goals not being met. OIG noted that “none of the 29 S&DCs met the goal of no carriers returning after 7 p.m.” The watchdog attributed these issues to mail arriving late, poor mail quality received and a lack of oversight. It recommended that USPS develop monitoring processes for quality and supplemental training for S&DC supervisors. 

Postal agreed with the monitoring recommendation but disagreed with the second because it “already utilizes a developed training regime.” 

OIG also flagged issues with the operation of small delivery unit sorters, claiming that appropriate staffing levels aren’t defined. In response, USPS disagreed, stating that those protocols are already in place. 

Overburden on rural routes was also observed, with 28 percent of the 776 rural routes exceeding the weekly standard of 55 hours and 47 minutes. USPS said “these routes have been overburdened since S&DC implementation,” but must be manually adjusted because of system constraints. Postal said it’s working to develop a new technology within the system to fix this issue, with a pilot tentatively scheduled for summer 2025.