New postal service to help housing organisations go green » Housing » 24dash.com

The social housing sector could save up to 58% on mail delivery costs and significantly reduce its carbon footprint with a brand new Postal Services deal launched by Procurement for Housing (PfH).

PfH’s market research showed that housing organisations send an average of 194 letters per day, each spending in the region of £40,856 per year on the stationery, printing, collecting, processing and postal costs all involved in sending mail. As a whole the sector spends over £139 million per year on mailings.

Research indicated that there was little awareness in the sector of the true total cost of sending mail via ‘traditional’ routes and there was a lack of understanding about other mail options now available through advancements in technology and process.

PfH’s Postal Services Agreement will help housing organisations reduce their environmental impact by decreasing their transport requirements. This is done through electronic mail, a service which uses email to transmit documents for the greatest part of their journey before they are printed, folded, enveloped, addressed and sorted at the supplier’s plant, ready for final delivery.

This electronic mail service eliminates the hidden costs associated with mail production, printers, toner, stationery and franking – providing an alternative to traditional postal collections. Housing providers reduce their postal costs and increase their control over spend on mail. Staff can concentrate on their core activities rather than collating mailings.

Housing organisations using the Postal Services Agreement can make up to 58% savings on the true cost of sending one letter by using PfH’s electronic mail service.

Significant savings are also available on traditional mailings, with PfH’s prices 40% less than normal franked 1st class deliveries and 13% less than normal franked 2nd class deliveries.

Three suppliers have been appointed to the Agreement – Inkfish in partnership with hybrid mail specialist DeskDirect Global, Royal Mail and TNT Post. Royal Mail and TNT offer traditional mail services such as local and national collections, mail sorting options and secure deliveries through the Agreement.

All three suppliers offer electronic mail options, enabling users to send documents straight from their desktop. Inkfish, in partnership with DeskDirect Global will enable housing organisations to create all types of mail items including statement, bulk and one-off letters, and full colour marketing materials by using specialist document composition software.

Julie Craig, Director of PfH said: “Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for social landlords. We want to provide housing organisations with clear ways in which they can reduce their impact on the environment through procurement. The Postal Services Agreement presents the sector with an opportunity to reduce their postal costs AND meet their green objectives. Sustainability and efficiency – you can buy it!”