Irradiation of Government Mail SOO Rev 1.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

PREEMPTIVE IRRADIATION OF

GOVERNMENT MAIL

REV -

APRIL 17th, 2026

THIS DOCUMENT INCLUDES DATA THAT SHALL NOT BE DISCLOSED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN

APPROVAL OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE AND SHALL NOT BE DUPLICATED, USED, OR DISCLOSED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO

THE POSTAL SERVICE. THIS RESTRICTION DOES NOT LIMIT ANY RIGHT TO USE INFORMATION

CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IF IT IS OBTAINED FROM ANOTHER SOURCE WITHOUT

RESTRICTION.

PREEMPTIVE IRRADIATION OF GOVERNMENT MAIL SOO REV - 04/17/2026

ii THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS SUBJECT TO THE RESTRICTIONS STATED ON THE TITLE PAGE.

REVISION TABLE

REV DATE BY COMMENTS

- 04/17/2026 USPS INITIAL RELEASE

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. MAIL PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

2.1. X-RAY PROCESSING WITH PALLET-FED SYSTEMS

2.2. X-RAY PROCESSING WITH OTHER SYSTEMS

2.3. E-BEAM PROCESSING

3. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

3.1. PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES

3.2. PROCESSING DOSAGE

3.3. SERVICE LOCATIONS

3.4. SERVICE FREQUENCY

3.5. SERVICE VOLUMES

3.6. INBOUND INSPECTION

3.7. PERFORMANCE TRACKING

3.8. NOTIFICATION PROCESSES

3.9. AD HOC TESTING

3.10. SYSTEM UPKEEP

3.11. QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QMS) AUDITING

1. INTRODUCTION

Since 2001, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has instituted specific handling and treatment procedures for mail that is destined to government agency addresses. This mail (letters, flats, and parcels), is known collectively as “Government Mail” or “Mail Product”.

Mail Product is contained within sealed containers and can be treated via a combination of E- Beam and X-Ray processes or all X-Ray processing. Once these processes are completed, the processed mail is transported to the USPS Government Mail Facility in Washington, DC, for subsequent processing and delivery. These mail irradiation processes offer the advantages of effectively sanitizing the mail while generating no residual radioactivity once treatment is completed.

The USPS desires THE SUPPLIER to provide irradiation treatment services, associated reporting and notifications, as outlined in Section 3 – Objectives and Requirements of this document.

All X-Ray processing with a pallet-fed conveying system is preferred by the USPS to mitigate damage to Mail Product and to increase processing efficiency.

2. MAIL PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS

Regardless of technology or conveying system, Mail Product shall be presented to THE SUPPLIER in sealed containers. THE SUPPLIER shall only handle and process these containers and not Mail Product directly. Presentation of Mail Product depends on the process being utilized by THE SUPPLIER. The USPS currently has container units available for irradiation use should THE SUPPLIER’s system accept them. Specifics for these units are detailed in the following section(s). New container units may be developed for THE SUPPLIER’s specific system.

2.1. X-RAY PROCESSING WITH PALLET-FED SYSTEMS

Mail Product shall be contained within sealed stainless-steel container (rack) units. These units are mounted to pallets. The specifications of the units are as follows:

Max Product Weight (est.) = 800lbs Max Gross Weight (est.) = 1,200lbs Overall Dimensions WxDxH = 48”x40”x77” Product Dimensions WxDxH (est.) = 48”x28”x69”

2.2. X-RAY PROCESSING WITH OTHER SYSTEMS

Mail Product shall be contained within sealed stainless-steel container (totes) units. These units are placed on pallets for transport but not fixed to the pallet. The specifications of the units are as follows:

Max Product Weight (est.) = 300lbs

Max Gross Weight (est.) = 575lbs Overall Dimensions WxDxH = 44”x28”x38” Product Dimensions WxDxH (est.) = 40”x24”x33”

2.3. E-BEAM PROCESSING

Due to the penetration depth of E-Beam technology, Mail Product shall be packaged and sealed in smaller cardboard boxes (overshippers). Specifications of the overshippers are as follows:

Letter Mail Overshippers

Weight Range = 15-20lbs Overall Dimensions WxDxH = 12”x26”x6.5”

Flat Mail Overshippers

Weight Range = 15-20lbs Overall Dimensions WxDxH = 12”x26”x4.5”

3. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

3.1. PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES

THE SUPPLIER shall supply all personnel, supplies, and equipment necessary to provide irradiation services for Mail Product as described with this document.

The preferred method of irradiation is with X-Ray technology as it can process each type of Mail Product and limit the damage inherent to irradiation. The X-Ray system shall be at least 5MeV.

THE SUPPLIER may propose a combination of E-Beam processing to irradiate letters and flats, as well as X-Ray processing to irradiate parcels. The E-Beam system shall be at least 10MeV and the X-Ray system shall be at least 5MeV.

3.2. PROCESSING DOSAGE

THE SUPPLIER shall achieve a minimum dose of 53 kilograys (kGy) for each run of Mail Product. THE SUPPLIER shall include dosimeters placed on the Mail Product containers which will be analyzed and recorded post-processing. THE SUPPLIER shall furnish a Certificate of Irradiation or similar for each processing run as well as run-specific data (i.e. actual dose levels, temperature, humidity, etc.). Multiple passes may be required to achieve the minimum dosage.

3.3. SERVICE LOCATIONS

THE SUPPLIER shall maintain a single, primary irradiation facility that will be used for standard processing. In the event the primary facility is unable to provide irradiation services for an extended period of time, THE SUPPLIER will provide irradiation treatment of Mail Product at an alternate (secondary) facility. THE SUPPLIER may propose more than one alternate facility if it is within their network. Any facility used for Mail Product must be qualified and approved in advance including, but not limited to, dose mapping.

Switching to an alternate site shall be upon concurrence of the USPS Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

THE SUPPLIER’S chosen service locations shall be within reasonable driving distance from The Government Mail Facility (Zip Code 20018).

THE SUPPLIER’s facilities must be permitted to operate in their respective geographical locations by all applicable governing bodies. THE SUPPLIER shall maintain any applicable permits, licenses, etc. according to state or local law.

THE SUPPLIER’S service locations must also be reviewed and approved by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) prior to handling Mail Product.

3.4. SERVICE FREQUENCY

THE SUPPLIER should expect deliveries of Mail Product to be processed on a daily basis for the duration of the period of performance (PoP). No deliveries will be made on federal holidays or if The Government Mail Facility is not operating. THE SUPPLIER shall be notified by the USPS if this were to occur.

THE SUPPLIER shall process all deliveries within the same day of receipt, with the pickup of the processed Mail Product occurring the following day alongside the drop-off of the next batch of Mail Product ready for processing.

3.5. SERVICE VOLUMES

Mail Product volumes are variable throughout the year but averages 1,100lbs of Mail Product per day. The quantity of Mail Product containers to process is dependent on the technology and conveyor system THE SUPPLIER is able to provide. For reference, THE SUPPLIER should expect a range of 1-3 palletized containers as detailed in Section 2.1 each day.

3.6. INBOUND INSPECTION

The USPS shall be responsible for transporting Mail Product to and from THE SUPPLIER. THE SUPPLIER shall inspect the inbound shipment for unsealed containers.

In the event a container is unsealed, the shipment is to be rejected and returned to the

USPS. If there the inbound shipment is rejected, but there is room in the trailer to return processed Mail Product, THE SUPPLIER shall return as much Mail Product as possible.

3.7. PERFORMANCE TRACKING

The USPS and THE SUPPLIER shall develop and track performance metrics throughout the PoP of the contract. Reviews of performance data will be conducted on a monthly basis. Metrics shall include processing efficiency, system uptime, product turnaround time, and damaged product counts.

3.8. NOTIFICATION PROCESSES

THE SUPPLIER shall develop and maintain a notification/reporting process to relay information to The USPS regarding site incidents, system outages, and Mail Product damage.

3.9. AD HOC TESTING

THE SUPPLIER may be asked to support testing of Mail Product or Mail Product containers for root cause analysis or other Engineering activities. These ad hoc testing activities will be agreed upon by both parties prior to testing and would be coordinated in a way to avoid impact on the scheduled processing runs.

If the scope of the ad hoc request is deemed to be too great, then THE SUPPLIER may submit a proposal for the request.

3.10. SYSTEM UPKEEP

THE SUPPLIER shall maintain processing equipment associated with the processing of Mail Product and shall include regular preventative maintenance routes. If not already in place, THE SUPPLIER shall conduct semi-annual and/or annual reevaluations of the processing equipment to determine remaining service life or areas for improvement.

3.11. QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QMS) AUDITING

THE SUPPLIER shall have and maintain a QMS. The USPS may audit THE SUPPLIER’s QMS once per year with members of The USPS’ Quality Management team.