USPS posted the following notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website:

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is currently conducting market research and seeking to identify potential sources for a Phase II of our Flat Sequencing System (FSS) Program.  Our Phase I designed machine currently in deployment is a large system that was primarily intended to accommodate high mail volume processing runs and targeted for our most highly populated flats mailing markets.  Phase II is seeking and envisions a smaller footprint FSS (FSS Lite) machine as a solution to efficiently, reliably, and accurately sort and sequence flat mail to the order in which the mail is delivered on a letter carrier’s route (Delivery Point Sequence or DPS).  The USPS seeks a system which can be deployed nationally and incrementally to provide maximum flexibility and efficiency in the DPS of flat mail within the existing and future Postal Service infrastructure.

The desired system would automate the DPS of flat mail for the purpose of reducing costs, absorbing growth and stabilizing postage rates at the USPS.  Delivery point sequencing of flat mail reduces a carrier’s office time at the delivery unit by providing flat mail that is machine sorted, thereby avoiding manual casing.  DPS also reduces clerk manual handling at delivery units.

The intent of this initial notice is to seek information from suppliers that currently have a small footprint system that sequences flat mail, or that will have a fully functional system available for demonstration in calendar year 2011.  The USPS may request additional discussions relating to a responding supplier’s design, capabilities, and qualifications to manufacture production quantities of the proposed system.

Critical factors for flats DPS success include:  sort and sequence accuracy, time to market, price, system reliability, accept rate, operating costs, and overall machine space requirements.  As space is a cost consideration for the USPS, the solution should accomplish this task within the smallest footprint possible to allow for a wide range of implementation at USPS facilities.  The system would be required to maintain a consistent throughput and be volume independent concerning the number of delivery points processed.   We are seeking a solution which would maximize our ability to handle a high number of delivery points as a critical design element.

source: Federal Business Opportunities