USPS awards mail automation deal

The U.S. Postal Service awarded an $874.6 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp. to provide technology that will further automate mail processing.

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will provide 100 flats sequencing systems that further automate the flats mail stream. The flats mail stream includes large envelopes, catalogs and magazines.

Installation of the first flats sequencing systems is scheduled to begin in 2008. The company will complete the remaining installations by 2010.

The Los Angeles-based contractor’s first generation of flats sorting technologies is in operation at Postal Services processing center nationwide. The flats sequencing systems is the next generation of flats automation by sorting mail to the delivery sequence of each carrier, thus reducing manual sorting. Flat mail is a labor intensive category of mail to process and deliver due to variations in size and thickness.

William Welsh is the deputy editor of Government Computer News’ affiliate publication, Washington Technology.