Greeting Cards

The United States Postal Service (USPS) will partner with a supplier who has NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION AND WAREHOUSING CAPABILITIES to introduce a range of greeting card formats to be sold at postal retail locations. This initiative will: • Determine retail sales opportunity of offering greeting cards in Post Offices • Evaluate SKU level sales to optimize product mix for launch • Evaluate merchandising solutions o Flexibility of solutions for varied office configurations o Aesthetically pleasing in USPS retail environment o Meets USPS requirements (i.e., Safety & Heath Equipment Guidelines) • Increase single-piece First Class Mail volume • Provide added convenience to USPS customers • Provide added support to USPS retail employees Interested suppliers will use their expertise to provide recommendation(s) on how best to sell greeting cards. The following components are requirements needed as part of this initiative: • Provide a complete and sustaining product line with corresponding merchandising solutions that target select locations based on revenue, segmentation market potential, and available retail lobby space. • Develop an integrated promotional strategy to communicate the benefits of the new initiative to both employees and customers. • Maintain a database of all retail locations and accept changes electronically. • Provide an audit trail for all transactions. • Provide recommendation of a business model for offering greeting cards, such as, consignment or other recommended alternatives. The Postal Service will execute the Greeting Card test pilot in three (3) phases. Phase I will issue a RFP for the Greeting Card test, along with a Statement of Objective (SOO). SOO is defined as “a document that describes the basic, high-level objectives of the purchase, to allow potential suppliers the flexibility to develop cost-effective solutions and the opportunity to propose innovative alternatives to meet Postal Service objectives. “ Phase II is the actual Greeting Card Test Phase for the successful candidate. The Test will be performed in 1,500 Post Offices. The test phase is expected to run at least one (1) year, and is planned to start October 1, 2009. Phase III exercises the Option Period, which allows the supplier to update their proposals and write the final Statement of Work. USPS intends full implementation to approximately 15,000 Post Offices. To have your name added to our source list, please send an email with the following information. Note: supplier financial capabilities will be evaluated. Subject Line: Greeting Card Sources Sought To: joseph.a.shively @ usps.gov Please include in your email, 1) company name, 2) company classification, i.e. Small, Large, Woman-Owned business, etc., 3) Company point of contact and phone, 4) email address NO TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL BE ENTERTAINED.