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the chances of misrouted or delayed mail, and the cost
of the overall mailing.
Under the postage rate structure, the first pound is
the most expensive. As weight increases, the cost per
pound decreases. The cost and weight of the container
and any package material is considered in the mailing
cost.
C o n s o l i d a t e d m a i l r e d u c e s t h e n u m b e r of
individual official mailings and thus the Navy’s
overall postage costs. Consolidated official mailings
will be made when they are cost effective. Savings will
increase if consolidated mailings are used.
To make the most of consolidation, each command
designates one office to process all outgoing mail. This
can be the command administrative office or an
official mail acceptance site. Commands with large
supply centers have an acceptable alternative by
designating two separate offices for processing
o u t g o i n g o f f i c i a l m a i l . O n e f o r p r o c e s s i ng
administrative correspondence, and the other for
processing supplies, parts, and materials.
The command will prevent individual offices,
sections, or divisions from depositing outgoing mail
directly into postal channels. Once control of the
official mail is established, cost savings can be
realized. Frequent surveys of outgoing mail can
identify those addressees for which several pieces of
mail can be consolidated. Set up groups of separate
holdout slots, boxes, or bins for these addressees. This
will allow a basic structure for consolidating outgoing
mail.
B e f o r e t h e f i n a l m a i l c l o s e o u t e a c h d a y,
consolidate all mail with the same address into the
minimum number of tie outs possible. At large shore
activities, or in other areas where several naval
commands are located, the Consolidated Mail Facility
(CMF) or mail metering site will be the single point of
consolidation for all outgoing official mail.
Q3. The OMM should conduct mandatory training
for a tenant command/activity OMMs how often?
Q4. Consolidated mail reduces the number of
individual official mailings and thus reduces
what other factor?
NAVY CONSOLIDATED MAIL
FACILITIES (CMFs)
The Navy has been at the forefront in exploring
new initiatives to reduce the cost associated with
handling and processing of official mail. One exciting
project is the establishment of consolidated mail
facilities.
CMFs are large official mail metering and
processing centers established to process all Navy
official mail in select areas where there is a large
concentration of government activities.
Through the centralization of functions that have
commonality, many naval activities have been able to
eliminate postage metering equipment requirements,
associated lease/maintenance costs, and duplication of
messenger services. Postage costs have also decreased
because the CMFs have expanded consolidation of
mail destined to more locations, at less cost than if
each individual activity consolidated. For example, a
40-pound pouch of consolidated letter mail originating
in San Diego and destined for naval activities in the
Washington, D. C., area costs approximately 45
dollars. If postage is paid on each individual letter
enclosed in the pouch (assuming each letter weighs
one ounce), the cost would be approximately 200
dollars. In this example the consolidated mailings will
save over 150 dollars.
Centralizing mail in one location standardizes
processing methods and increases the volume of letter
mail necessary to qualify mail for postal discounts
through presorting and barcoding.
The transportation network of a CMF can ensure
t h e d e l i v e r y o f c o r r e s p o n d e n c e b e t w e e n a r ea
government activities without applying postage. A
CMF can greatly reduce costs by establishing
p i c k - u p / d e l i v e r y r o u t e s a n d t h r o u g h t h e
sorting/distribution of guard mail.
L a r g e v o l u m e s o f o u t g o i n g o f f i c i a l m a il
consolidated by naval activities in the Washington,
D. C., and San Diego, California, areas have made it
cost effective for the CMFs in these locations to
purchase automated equipment that presorts and
barcodes mail. This allows the Navy to receive
additional discounts and savings from the U.S. Postal
Service.
The Department of the Navy currently operates six
CMFs. Four are under the management of the fleet and
industrial supply centers (FISCs). These CMFs are
located at Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California;
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Washington, D.C. The
CMF in New Orleans, Louisiana, is managed by the
Naval Support Activity, New Orleans, and the CMF in
Memphis, Tennessee, is managed by the Naval
Support Activity, Memphis. Additional areas under
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