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§ 222.5

Authority to approve personnel actions and administer oaths of office for employment.

(a) Delegation. The following are authorized to effect appointments, administer oaths, and take other personnel actions:

(1) Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Employee and Labor Relations, Assistant Postmasters General, Employee and Labor Relations Departments;

(2) Chief Inspector;

(3) Regional Chief Inspectors;
(4) Inspectors-in-Charge;

(5) Regional Postmasters General; (6) Heads of postal field installations including those reporting directly to specified departments in Headquarters or to Regional Postmasters General;

(7) Officials occupying personnel services postitions PMS-9 and above and PES positions when their positions include responsibility for functions such as recruitment, appointments, placement, position changes and separations, and related personnel processing.

(b) Personnel actions for employees of "other installations." As specifically authorized by either the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Employee and Labor Relations or a Regional Postmaster General, officers and employees listed in paragraph (a) of this section may approve personnel actions for employees in offices or installations other than their own as a cross-service, as a central personnel office, or on a special need basis. § 222.6 Authority to administer oaths other than for employment.

The following are authorized to administer caths concerning matters other than employment:

(a) Postal inspectors with regard to any matter coming before them in the performance of their official duties;

(b) Any member of a board who is assigned to conduct hearings or investigations in which sworn testimony, affidavits, or depositions are required and each officer or employee assigned to conduct such hearings or investigations;

(c) Postmasters. See § 244.2 of this chapter.

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(ii) disbursements for rewards based on Postmaster General Notices of Reward; (iii) payments from confidential funds; (iv) salary payments for Special Investigations Division; (v) advances of funds for confidential purposes; (vi) inspection service, travel advances, transportation of things; and (vii) payments for special analyses and services.

(2) The General Counsel certifies payments relating to tort claims and claims under 39 U.S.C. 2603.

(3) The Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, certifies all payments not covered by subparagraphs (1) and (2) of this paragraph.

(b) Redelegation. The officials named in paragraph (a) of this section are authorized to redelegate their authority to designate certifying officers. The redelegation shall be made by letter to the appropriate Postal Data Center disbursing officer and must bear the specimen signature of the person to whom the authority is redelegated.

(c) Designating certifying officers(1) Inspection Service and Law Department. Officials authorized to designate certifying officers (see paragraph (a) of this section) will complete SF 210, Signature Card for Certifying Officer, in duplicate for each Postal Data Center disbursing officer affected to show:

(i) Name of department for which vouchers will be certified.

(ii) Signature of certifying officer written exactly as he will sign vouchers. (iii) Class of vouchers to be certified. (iv) The official's signature and effective date.

(2) Other departments and offices. Other departments and offices requiring certifying officers will complete SF 210 in duplicate as prescribed in subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, except for signature and date. Both copies will be sent to the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance.

(3) Submitting SF 210 to Postal Data Center disbursing officers. The Chief Inspector, the General Counsel, and the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, or their designees shall send signed originals of SF 210 to each of the disbursing officers affected and retain duplicates. These documents will be the official designations of the employees named on the SF 210 as certifying officers.

(d) Maintaining designations. Each group, department and office must keep

current its designation of authorized certifying officers. When new or additional designations are made, the procedures for designating certifying officers contained in this § 212.7 shall be followed. § 222.8 Authority to designate certifying officers-Field.

(a) Delegation. The following are authorized to designate certifying officers in Postal Data Centers and Inspection Service regions and divisions:

(1) The Chief Inspector, for obligations of the Inspection Service.

(2) Postal Data Center Directors for obligations of all other regional functions.

(3) The New York Postal Data Center Director for obligations for Headquarters functions except those under § 222.7(a) (1) and (2) and those certified by the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, or his designee.

(b) Redelegation. The officials named in paragraph (a) of this section are authorized to redelegate their authority to designate certifying officers. Redelegations shall be by letter to each disbursing officer affected, with the specimen signature of the person to whom authority is redelegated.

(c) Designating certifying officers— (1) Regional Chief Inspectors and Inspectors-in-Charge. Regional Chief Inspectors and Inspectors-in-Charge are designated certifying officers, as limited by the Chief Inspector. They are authorized to designate certifying officers for obligations incurred by the Inspection Service. They will complete SF 210, Signature Card for Certifying Officer, in duplicate to show:

(i) Inspection Service region or division for which vouchers will be certified.

(ii) Signature of certifying officer written in the same manner that he will sign vouchers.

(iii) Class of vouchers to be certified. (iv) Signature of the designating official and effective date. Regional Chief Inspectors and Inspectors-in-Charge are not authorized to redelegate their authority to designate authorized certifying officers.

(2) Postal Data Center Directors. Officers under direction of Postal Data Center Directors will complete SF 210 in duplicate as in paragraph (c) (1) of this section except for signature and date. Both copies will be sent to the appropriate Postal Data Center Director for completion.

(3) Submitting SF 210 to disbursing officer. The Regional Chief Inspector, Inspector-in-Charge, and Postal Data Center Director (or his designees) will send the originals of SF 210 to each disbursing officer affected and keep the duplicates. These will be the official designations of the employees named on the SF 210 as certifying officers.

(d) Maintaining designations. Each office under jurisdiction of the officials named in § 222.8 must keep current its designation of authorized certifying officers. When new additional designations are made, this § 222.8 shall be followed. § 222.9 Delegation of authority_to_the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance.

(a) Delegation. The Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, may take final action in his own name on:

(1) Claims for overpayment of pay. (2) Relief of accountable officers of liability for loss.

(3) Relief of accountable officers of liability for illegal, improper, or incorrect payments.

(4) Certifying officers' accountability. (5) Deposit to and withdrawal from Postal Service fund.

(6) Collection of debts due the Postal Service with the exception of those falling under the jurisdiction of the Chief Inspector.

(7) Adjustment of claims of postmasters and Armed Forces postal clerks, including the loss of funds or valuable papers from their official custody resulting from burglary, fire, or unavoidable casualty, with concurrence by the General Counsel is cases involving doubtful questions of law or fact.

(b) Redelegation. The Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, is authorized to redelegate all or part of the authority vested in him by paragraph (a) of this section to such other officers or executives as he may deem appropriate.

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(a) Between Headquarters, Postal Regions, and Postal Data Centers. Each Headquarters group, department, and office shall provide guidance and policy interpretation to regional officials in its area of responsibility, except that the Employee and Labor Relations Group provides policy direction to the Assistant Regional Postmasters General for Employee and Labor Relations. The Finance Group shall provide guidance and policy interpretation to Postal Data Centers.

(b) Between Postal Region Offices and District Offices. The Regional Postmaster General shall provide guidance and direction to the respective District Managers within his region with the assistance of Assistant Regional Postmasters General and their staffs in their areas of specialization.

(c) Between District Offices and Sectional Centers. The District Managers and staffs shall provide guidance and direction to their respective Sectional Center Managers for the guidance of Postmasters under their respective jurisdictions. The Sectional Center Managers will provide guidance and direction to their respective associate Postmasters. § 223.2

Channels of communication.

(a) Headquarters and Postal Region Offices. (1) The heads of groups, departments, and offices formulate the necessary directives to provide guidance to regional officials. Direction of regional officials is provided on employee and labor relations matters by the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Employee and Labor Relations, and on other matters by the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Operations.

(2) Policy directives shall be issued over the signatures of the heads of the groups, departments, and offices covering matters within their responsibility, except when the Postmaster General or Deputy Postmaster General may wish to issue such directives personally. Policy directives shall be coordinated with other appropriate groups, departments and offices before issuance and reviewed and disseminated by the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Finance, and, if within the authority of the issuer, shall have the same effect as though sent by the Postmaster General or the Deputy Postmaster General.

(3) Guidelines and program implementation instructions and procedures

not involving policy shall ordinarily be issued over the signature of the group, department, or office head having jurisdiction.

(4) Regional staff officials may communicate directly with the corresponding functional group, department, or fice in Headquarters on matters within their area of jurisdiction. In addition, where authorized, they may also directly contact supporting Headquarters departments such as Law Department, Inspection Service, and Public and Employee Communications Department on technical matters not requiring administrative judgment of the Regional Postmaster General.

(b) Postal Region Offices and Postal Installations. The regular channels of communication are:

(1) Associate Office Postmasters, to and from Sectional Center Postmasters; (2) Sectional Center Postmasters, to District Managers;

(3) District Managers to and from their Regional Postmasters General;

(4) Heads of other Postal Installations, to and from their designated superiors as appropriate.

(c) Headquarters, Postal Region Offices, and other Postal Installations with Postal Data Centers. (1) The Finance Group provides the necessary directives to the Postal Data Centers. All other Headquarters communications to and from the Postal Data Centers shall be coordinated with the Finance Group. The Law Department and the Postal Data Centers shall maintain direct contact on matters relating to professional and policy guidance on claims.

(2) Postal Region Offices and Postal Data Centers may communicate directly with each other.

(3) Other Postal Intallations and Postal Data Centers may communicate directly on routine accounting matters. All other communications shall be coordinated with the regional staff.

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§ 224.1

Administration Group.

(a) The Administration Group supervises and has responsibility for the following functions: Procurement and supply, real estate and buildings, planning, research and engineering, customer services and the Judicial Officer.

(b) The Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Administration, participates in the planning and budget process and reviews and evaluates the budget requests of each region for the areas of his responsibility.

(c) In addition to the Judicial Officer, the Administration Group is divided into five departments. The head of each of these five departments and the Judicial Officer report to the Senior Assistant Postmaster General, Administration. The components of the Administration Group are:

(1) Procurement and Supply Department. The Procurement and Supply Department is headed by the Assistant Postmaster General, Procurement and Supply. It exercises policy authority over procurement activities in general, including those areas which are common to both mail transportation, the real estate and buildings functions, and other types of procurement, but excluding those issues which by reason of law or custom are unique to mail transportation contracting, or the real estate and buildings function. It is responsible for the direction and review of all procurement activities in the field and at Headquarters except mail transportation contracting and the real estate and buildings function. It publishes and maintains a Postal Contracting Manual containing procurement regulations covering all procurement activities of the Postal Service. It manages Headquarters operating services, including printing, library, telephone switchboard, and Headquarters building maintenance and repair. It controls and administers supplies and inventories for the entire Postal Service.

(2) Real Estate and Buildings Department. The Real Estate and Buildings Department is headed by the Assistant Postmaster General, Real Estate and

Buildings. It has overall responsibility, including the issuance of policies and procedures, for the acquisition, construction, maintenance, modification, management, and disposition of postal facilities, and for all real estate transactions. (3) Research and Engineering Department. The Research and Engineering Department is headed by the Assistant Postmaster General, Research and Engineering. It is responsible for providing engineering services to support postal operations. It also is concerned with development of new techniques and has overall responsibility for the research and advanced development work done by the Postal Service. It is responsible for keeping abreast of and evaluating state-of-the-art concepts for application to Postal Service requirements, and for maintaining contact with top level representatives of industry, education, appropriate Government agencies, and foreign postal services to obtain new concepts, ideas, and approaches related to postal research and development. It conducts original research to develop and evaluate state-of-the-art concepts and approaches to mechanization and methods for collection, processing, transportation, and delivery of mail. It is also responsible for design and development of new equipment based on state-of-theart technology. It operates the Postal Laboratory, conducting all phases of research up to and including simulated live-mail testing environment, and also conducts research with regard to preferential mail.

(4) Planning Department. The Planning Department is headed by the Assistant Postmaster General, Planning. It is responsible for business planning and strategic studies. It has the principal responsibility for insuring that comprehensive and effective plans are developed. This includes: Assisting top management in developing goals and objectives; assuring that supporting plans are developed to meet approved objectives; and measuring progress in the attainment of approved plans and objectives. It is also responsible for identifying alternative business and for conducting studies on which to base recommendations.

(5) Customer Services Department.

(i) The Customer Services Department is headed by the Assistant Postmaster General, Customer Services. It has overall responsibility for all of the retail, marketing, and customer contact activ

ities of the Postal Service. It carries out all of the product management functions, including the development and implementation of marketing programs, market reseach, and product development. It has program planning and field support responsibilities for customer cooperation activities. This includes programs for both the general public and major customers. It also has management responsibilities for merchandising programs. Other responsibilities include advertising, philatelic affairs, the design of postal lobbies, developing new forms of lobby equipment and improving present work methods in these areas. The Department also evaluates service levels.

(ii) The Customer Services Department's responsibilities include activities in the following areas:

(A) Consumer Advocate. The Consumer Advocate is the spokesman for the individual mail user. He provides an independent evaluation of mail service to the individual customer. He also expedites action on customer inquiries and complaints and is responsible for seeing that the responsible office takes corrective action. He makes recommendations for policy changes to improve the individual user's mail service and acts as liaison with consumer groups.

(B) Customer Marketing. The Customer Services Department is responsible for developing customer cooperation programs for mail users, developing program objectives, and setting cost savings targets for programs directed at large postal customers, such as presort and mail early. It provides staff guidance for regional services and sales staffs and customers service representatives in the field through sales methods, presentation kits, prototype sales letters, computerized ZIP code lists, and other support materials directed at large mailers. In conjunction with the Employees and Labor Relations Group, it develops and carries out sales training programs for both the regional direct sales forces and the customer service representatives in the field. It directs the work of a small direct sales force in Washington which sells postal services to businesses and other Government agencies, coordinating this effort with the field sales force. In conjunction with the Public and Employee Communications Department, it develops and executes a comprehensive program of cooperation from the general public; de

velops cost savings objectives; establishes promotional budgets; and secures advertising for such programs as ZIP code and Christmas mail early. It develops educational and promotional support materials such as ZIP code manuals. It is responsible for the National Postal Forum and activities of the Postmaster General's Mailers Technical Advisory Committee. It maintains the principal marketing and sales contact with associations and industry officials at the national level necessary to support marketing and sales objectives. It has broad responsibility for all of the Postal Service's retail requirements, contract stations, self-service and automated postal units, and merchandising. It establishes policies relating to the use of the Postal Service retail network and has overall budget review and program planning responsibility. It determines what products and services, in addition to postal products, will be offered to the public through the system. It develops national retail merchandising and promotion programs, lobby exhibits and graphic design for lobbies, and directs the national program for customer counter services. It is responsible for customer support equipment, and in conjunction with the Research and Engineering Department, for developing such alternatives to traditional window service as self-service units, and all retail locations outside traditional post office lobbies. It develops and tests new and improved vending equipment. In conjunction with the Employee and Labor Relations Group, it develops training programs and designs uniforms for window service personnel and develops policies relating to stock supply and credits.

(C) Product Development. The Customer Services Department has responsibility for developing new postal products, modifying current ones, and executing marketing programs for all products. It defines customer service policies and other product characteristics, works with the Finance Department to develop pricing recommendations for each postal product, and directs the work of product managers who have broad responsibility for day-to-day business of each product. This includes: setting sales volume objectives and monitoring performance against these objectives in conjunction with the Headquarters and field sales forces; and monitoring product profit and loss and recommending areas for improvement. To assist in establish

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