Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification. Bulk Metered Postage delivered on-demand remotely to IDES' leased and owned Pitney Bowes postage equipment. IDES currently owns and leases Pitney Bowes meters, which are the only meters capable of applying postage at the high speed needed to meet the department's monthly requirements. These Pitney Bowes meters are also compatible with other equipment used in the IDES mailroom. Due to proprietary restrictions, Pitney Bowes is the only company able to load postage onto its own meters, and the meters in IDES’ mailroom—either purchased or leased from Pitney Bowes—are fully compatible with the mail inserters in our offices. Additionally, postage payments are made using federal funds, and under federal law, such funds cannot be disbursed until services or goods have been delivered. Because IDES is not permitted to prepay for postage (which would be required if purchasing directly from USPS), the department needed to establish a mechanism to pay for postage after it has been applied. Pitney Bowes is the only provider able to offer this solution due to the proprietary nature of the equipment currently in use by IDES. Because postage is paid using federal money, under federal law, federal funds can not be paid until services or goods have been received. Since IDES is not allowed to prepay for postage, which would be required if IDES purchased postage from the USPS, IDES was required to find a mechanism that will allow it to pay for postage after the fact. Pitney Bowes is the only company that can meet this need and whose equipment is compatible with the mail inserters and postage meters currently owned and leased by IDES. It should be noted that due to proprietary issues, only Pitney Bowes can load postage onto Pitney Bowes' mail meters.
