The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012

Article 5(1)(c)

SCHEDULE 1 End-to-end services at affordable prices

Single piece service

1.  “Single piece service” means a postal service for the conveyance of an individual postal packet to the addressee, for which the price per postal packet is not subject to any discounts related to—

(a) the number of postal packets sent in connection with the person who paid for the service;

(b) the positioning or formatting of text on the postal packet;

(c) the use of markings which facilitate the use of machines to sort postal packets;

(d) presortation into geographical areas for delivery; or

(e) the purchase of any other conveyance of the same or any other postal packet.

Priority services

2.  One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets other than insured items, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 1;

(b) are capable of purchase by postage stamp and by meter and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods;

(c) include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) do not include provision of a tracking facility.

Standard services

3.  One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets other than insured items, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 3;

(b) are capable of purchase by postage stamp and by meter and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods;

(c) include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) do not include provision of a tracking facility.

Registered and insured services

4.—(1) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of insured items weighing no more than 10 kilograms and registered items weighing no more than 10 kilograms, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 1;

(b) have a target delivery time of 1pm, except where this is not reasonably possible;

(c) include provision of a tracking facility;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) are paid for in advance.

(2) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of registered items weighing more than 10 kilograms and insured items weighing more than 10 kilograms which convey the postal packet to the delivery point within a reasonable period.

Return to sender services

5.—(1) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets back to the sender within a reasonable period, where—

(a) the postal packet has been conveyed in the provision of a universal postal service and delivery to the addressee named on the postal packet has not been effected; and

(b) the sender’s address is legibly marked on the postal packet.

(2) For the purpose of this paragraph, the definition of “single piece service” shall apply as though the words at sub-paragraph (e) of that definition were replaced with “the purchase of a conveyance of any other postal packet”.

Outgoing European Union services

6.  One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to EU offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country within the European Union other than the United Kingdom, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the EU office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of an end-to-end service of D + 3;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

Outgoing rest of world services

7.—(1) One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to ROW offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country of the world other than countries within the European Union, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the ROW office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 7;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

(2) One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to ROW offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country of the world other than countries within the European Union, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the ROW office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 72;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

Incoming European Union services

8.  One or more single piece services for the onward conveyance and delivery within the United Kingdom of postal packets collected from EU offices of exchange, where the postal packet is conveyed from the EU office of exchange to the delivery point within a period that is—

(a) reasonable; and

(b) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 3.

Incoming rest of world services

9.  One or more single piece services for the onward conveyance and delivery within the United Kingdom of postal packets collected from ROW offices of exchange, where the postal packet is conveyed from the ROW office of exchange to the delivery point within a reasonable period.