ORDER
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is currently working to reduce a growing budget deficit estimated at $587 million; and
WHEREAS, postage expenses account for over $5.15 million in the City of Chicago 2010 Budget; and
WHEREAS, presort mail is a reduced rate offered by the United States Postal Service for first-class mail; and
WHEREAS, individual firms specializing in presort mail services pass along the reduced rate to their customers while being compensated by the United States Postal Service for their sorting work; and
WHEREAS, firms specializing in presort mail services schedule pick up times with their customers and ensure that all pieces of mail are en route to their destination by 11:00 p.m. that same day; and
WHEREAS, the companies or firms that provide presort services rely on cutting-edge postal automation technology similar to the equipment used by the United States Postal Service; and
WHEREAS, these presorting machines can automatically read addresses, spray barcodes and sort mail to the final destination zip code; and
WHEREAS, the presorted mail allows for faster delivery with fewer mistakes by ensuring the accuracy of the addressed materials and sorting each piece of mail by its destination zip code, prior to it being forwarded to the United States Postal Service; and
WHEREAS, the City of Atlanta, the City of Berkeley, the Village of Glenview, Cook County and the Chicago Police Department are among the units of local government that have procured agreements with qualified firms to provide presort services at discounted rates; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best economic interest of the City of Chicago to contract with a qualified firm to process the City's first class mail in order to obtain a presort discount rate; NOW THEREFORE
BE IT ORDERED, that the City Council of the City of Chicago hereby directs the Commissioner of the Department of Procurement Services to make all necessary arrangements to allow operating departments to enter into agreements with q...
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