[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 39, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 39CFR601.107]

[Page 179]
 
                        TITLE 39--POSTAL SERVICE
 
                 CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
 
PART 601_PURCHASING OF PROPERTY AND SERVICES--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  601.107  Initial disagreement resolution.

    It is the policy of the Postal Service and in the interest of 
suppliers to resolve potential disagreements by mutual agreement at the 
contracting officer or appropriate management level. Therefore, all 
disputes, protests, claims, disagreements, or demands of whatsoever 
nature (hereinafter ``disagreements'') against the Postal Service 
arising in connection with the purchasing process, except claims that 
arise pursuant to a contract under the Contract Disputes Act or claims 
concerning debarment, suspension, or ineligibility under Sec.  601.113, 
must be lodged with the responsible contracting officer for resolution 
within 10 days of the date the disagreement arose. If the matter is not 
resolved within 10 days following the lodging of the dispute, the 
disagreement may be lodged with the Ombudsman as described in Sec.  
601.108. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures may be used, if 
agreed to by both parties. The Postal Service supports and encourages 
the use of ADR as an effective way to understand, address, and resolve 
disagreements and conflicts. A person or organization disagreeing with a 
Postal Service decision and the Postal Service contracting officer must 
consider the use of ADR to resolve a particular purchasing disagreement, 
regardless of the nature of the disagreement or when it occurs during 
the purchasing process. ADR methods include informal negotiation, 
mediation by a neutral third party, and any other agreed-upon method.