Prepaid business reply envelopes may be furnished by NIST to respondents only if the reply is necessary for the accomplishment of an official function and the respondent is not required by law to reply. 214-2, Stationery Specifications and Standards, describes the envelopes and postcards which are to be used by agencies of the Department of Commerce. Special envelopes and postcards can be ordered only after permission is requested by the NIST Director and granted by the Assistant Secretary for Administration. This includes any mailing accomplished by contractors. The Leader, Mail and Distribution Group is responsible for determining the NIST postage paid to the U.S. Postal Service, for keeping an accurate record of the postage, and for negotiating with the Postal Service when any discrepancies occur.
Employees are responsible for following government regulations on mailing practices.
Requests for the establishment of mail stops are subject to the final approval of the Leader, Mail and Distribution Group. Mail stops must be kept to a minimum. Submit Form NIST-1221 to the Telecommunications Group for entry of the data into a computerized telephone directory system from which the Mail and Distribution Group obtains current mail addresses. Under normal conditions, mail collected on any pickup is delivered anywhere in NIST-Gaithersburg on the next scheduled delivery. Additional delivery service is available for interoffice mail originating in Building 101.