Our firm’s Government Contracts practice includes a special focus on companies that do business with the U.S. Postal Service.  The Postal Service spends about $12 billion annually on goods, services, and facilities, but is exempt from many bedrock federal procurement rules. Created as an “independent establishment,” the Postal Service is still very much a  federal agency.  But unlike other federal agencies, the Postal Service has its own special purchasing and contracting rules.

We understand the Postal Service procurement environment, from the agency’s Supplying Principles and Practices manual to its hybrid contract clauses and special disagreement resolution process.  We have advised and represented hundreds of companies – large and small – on postal issues ranging from A to Z, literally:

• Administration of contracts; Audits
• Bid and proposal submission; Breach of contract
• Claims; Contract Interpretation; Cost and Pricing Data; Compliance
• Debarment and suspension; Disputes; Due Diligence
• Equitable adjustments
• Fraud investigations; False Claims Act matters
• Indefinite Quantity contracts; Intellectual Property clauses
• Justification for non-competitive purchases
• Knowledge of USPS purchasing rules
• Litigation of protests and claims
• Modifications
• Negotiations
• Options
• Protests (“disagreements”); Privacy Considerations
• (Pre)-Qualification of suppliers
• Renewals
• Subcontracting; Socio-Economic clauses
• Terminations; Terms and Conditions
• Unequal playing field
• Vehicles; (Best) Value
• Waivers
• (e)Xamination of Records
• Yearly reporting
• ZIP Codes

Our Postal Service practice is led by David Hendel, who started his career as an Honors Attorney in the U.S. Postal Service Office of General Counsel.  He advised senior procurement officials, litigated claims, and adjudicated protests.  In private practice, he advises small, medium, and large companies on issues arising under their USPS contracts.  He presents seminars and writes articles on understanding and succeeding within the Postal Service’s special procurement environment.  He annually compiles and publishes a list of the Top 150 USPS suppliers, and has served as the Association Attorney for the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association.

To aid postal contractors in finding key information about the Postal Service, David created a special website:  www.postalcontractor.com.  The website contains public, but sometimes difficult to find, information on the Postal Service, including organization charts, reports and presentations, and USPS purchasing rules and policies. David enjoys hearing from postal contractors, so if you have any questions or would like to learn more about this practice area, feel free to contact him at dhendel@cm.law.