Opinion ID: 2481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Manchester CPU

Text: For more than 15 years, the Postal Service has relied on CPUs to supplement postal service in Manchester, Connecticut. Prior to 2001, the CPU was located in the Community Place, an outreach organization. When Community Place suspended operation in 2001, the USPS solicited bids. There were two bidders: Manchester Hardware, Inc., and the Full Gospel Interdenominational Church. The Postal Service assigned scores to each based on location, premises, and ability to provide services. The Church earned a suitability score of 97 to Manchester Hardware's 91, and the CPU contract was awarded to the Church on November 21, 2001. The Church then incorporated a not-for-profit business, Sincerely Yours, Inc. (SYI), for the purpose of operating the CPU. The sole business of SYI is the operation of the CPU; other than offering USPS products and services, it serves no commercial function. The standard CPU contract requires that all Contract Postal Units ... reflect a uniform image. For example, the contract specifies that [a]mbient lighting shall be at least 80 footcandles anywhere at the service and/or work counter areas, and individual CPU owners/entities must [c]learly indicate any [and] all deviations from [the] noted ... requirements on submitted drawings/documents so they may be evaluated along with the balance of the proposal. In order to achieve the desired uniform image, the USPSper the CPU contractagrees to pay for (among other things) the construction of postal service counters and other build-out requirements, all according to detailed specifications. The USPS paid for the construction of such items at SYI. All money collected at the CPU is the property of the Postal Service, and SYI is paid for its share of contractual earnings at the end of the relevant accounting period: 18% of sales of USPS products and services, and 33% of post office box rental fees. Employees of SYI are trained by the USPS, and must be professionally attired, wear name tags, and project a favorable image of the supplier as the operator of the Contract Postal Unit, but SYI retains the authority to hire and fire all SYI employees. The USPS reserves the right, without prior notice, to conduct audits and customer surveys and to review and inspect the supplier's performance and the quality of service at any time during the operating hours of the [CPU]. The USPS also appoints a Contracting Officer's Representative (or COR) as a liaison between the USPS and the CPU, to ensure compliance with the CPU contract and governing regulations, and to provide general oversight. Defendant Ronald Boynethe Manchester Postmaster (and a Church member)was appointed to this position at SYI. At his deposition, he testified that one of his responsibilities was to ensure that SYI projected a positive image of the USPS and complied with all postal regulations. When asked to name items which would not present a positive image or were not permitted to be displayed or sold in a CPU, Boyne replied that through his COR training he learned that only two items were prohibited by regulation: alcohol and pornography. As for the displays at the CPU, the contract states that SYI will be posting advertisements for local nonprofit community outreach agencies such as MARC, Inc., Heart Association, Flu Clinics, Cancer Agencies, etc. Religious displays are not mentioned. SYI opened in June 2002. It is located on Main Street in Manchester and is marked with various signs identifying it as the Sincerely Yours, Inc. Contract Postal Unit. The exterior of the building (which faces the street) has one such sign along with the familiar eagle logo of the Postal Service. The interior of the CPU contains (among other things) a postal counter manned by SYI employees, a waiting area for customers, post office boxes, and a shelving unit containing official USPS postal supplies, paperwork, and mailing boxes. SYI offers a variety of postal services including Express, Priority, and First Class domestic mail; international mail; insurance, certification, and delivery confirmation services; Post Office Box rentals; and sales of stamps, stationery, and other packaging products. The prices for these products and services are set by the USPS.