Tag: Royal Mail

Postcomm consults on Royal Mail's request for exemption from some publication requirements for its Tailor Made Incentives

Posted by | Feb 28, 2008 | |

– On 17 August 2007, Royal Mail applied for a Direction from Postcomm for exemption from certain aspects of Condition 7, regarding publishing on its website particular details relating to Tailor Made Incentives (TMIs).
– On 28 February 2008, Postcomm issued a “minded to” consultation letter seeking views on Royal Mail’s request for exemption and Postcomm’s initial assessment of this request.
It is important for Postcomm to get the views of stakeholders including other licensed postal operators, postal users, Postwatch, trade associations and other interested parties in the postal sector, and we will consider carefully these views in making our decision on Royal Mail’s request.

The consultation will be open for three months and closes on Friday 30 May 2008. Postcomm will then assess the responses received and meet interested parties to discuss the consultation as necessary. A final decision on this application is expected in the summer of 2008.

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Royal Mail needs consultants (UK)

Posted by | Feb 28, 2008 | |

Royal Mail is tendering for up to GBP 40m-worth of IT consultancy services as part of plans to improve the efficiency of its GBP 1.5bn-worth of technology outsourcing contracts.

Increased investment in IT is playing a key part in helping Royal Mail adapt to a more competitive business environment, according to a spokesman.

The business is in a period of modernisation, and part of that programme is upgrading our IT infrastructure, he said.

The scheme, which started last year, involves operational restructuring, as well as new salary and pension schemes for employees.

But the rise of email has eroded Royal Mails letters business, and rival parcel couriers are also increasingly competitive.

The tender is for an initial period of one year, with the option of three year-long extensions.

But Royal Mail already has in place a 10-year outsourcing deal with a consortium led by CSC, which includes subcontractors BT and Xansa.

In the light of these contract provisions, it is surprising that Royal Mail needs extra consultancy, according to Eric Woods, public sector practice director at analyst Ovum.

The organisation obviously needs extra IT capacity, and has been obliged to put it to tender ­ though it is unusual to do this when the company has existing outsourcing contracts, he said.

The current crops of contracts were set up as part of a major technology overhaul between 2001 to 2004.

At the time, the company implemented SAP software for its finance and purchasing systems, and Siebel software for its customer relationship management. It also put in automation tools to improve productivity.

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Postcomm consults on licence application for Mr Aaron Leitner (trading as Post 123) (UK)

Posted by | Feb 27, 2008 | |

Postcomm today began a 30-day consultation on the proposed grant of a postal operator’s licence to Mr Aaron Leitner (trading as Post 123).

Under the licensing framework that took effect from 1 January 2006, and was amended in January 2008, the licence would:

– allow Mr Leitner to provide all types of postal service;
– be issued for a rolling ten year period; and
– require the company to comply with copdes of practice on mail integrity (safety and security of the mail) and common operational procedures (designed to ensure the multi-operator market works well in practice).

The consultation notice and proposed licence can be found on the Post 123 consultation page.

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China’s currency sprints into the fast lane in UK Post Office bureaux de change to meet rocketing demand

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

Rocketing demand for the Chinese yuan suggests that China may be making the leap from a niche to a mainstream holiday destination, according to Post Office Travel Services.

In response, the UK’s largest provider of foreign currency is gearing up for the Olympic Games by making the yuan available on demand at its major bureaux de change branches.

Over the past three years Post Office bureaux de change across the UK have tracked a growth in sales for Chinese yuan of more than 337 per cent. This trend tallies with the experience of tour operators, who report a quadrupling of China bookings in the same period.

With the Beijing Olympic Games now less than six months away and interest in holidays to China reaching a peak, the Post Office expects demand to mushroom during 2008. It has responded by adding Chinese yuan to its top tier of currencies, available on demand in 1,400 Post Office® bureaux de change branches nationwide.

China also looks to be one of 2008’s better value destinations for UK holidaymakers. According to the Post Office, sterling’s drop in value of less than eight per cent against the Chinese yuan compares favourably with falls of over 13 per cent against the euro and other major currencies.

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Opinions over GBP 4.5m Royal Mail bonuses

Posted by | Feb 26, 2008 | |

Royal Mail bosses received more than GBP 4.5 million in bonuses last year – enough to prevent the closure of dozens of post offices.

Royal Mail accounts released yesterday show that Adam Crozier, the chief executive, was paid GBP 1.3 million in salaries and bonuses in the financial year 2006/07.

Overall, the company’s board received GBP 3.1million in “long-term incentive plans” on top of their GBP 4.1 million remuneration, of which GBP 2.5 million was salaries and the rest other bonuses.

The payouts prompted unions to ask why senior executives were getting such large bonuses while post offices were being closed and sub-postmasters were losing their jobs.

Earlier this week, Royal Mail announced a six-week consultation on plans to close 169 post offices in London by the summer. The move comes after a string of closures in rural areas.

Critics pointed out that the bonus figure was equivalent to a GBP 26,000 subsidy for each London branch facing closure.

Campaigners have said that depriving villages of rural post offices will cut a vital lifeline, particularly for elderly people.

But the Government says many offices are not profitable enough to justify a large subsidy from the taxpayer.

A spokesman for the Post Office said: “This is not simply about saving running costs – the problem facing Post Office branches is that there are too many chasing too few customers and too little income.”

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