Quality of Service Fund

The Quality of Service Fund (QSF) was set up in 2001 following a decision of the 22nd Congress in Beijing in 1999. The Fund finances projects aimed at improving the quality of inbound letter-mail flows, making national postal services and international mail flows more speedy, reliable and secure.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2011, the QSF has been a stable source of funding for the developing and least advanced countries. Financing is used, amongst others, to purchase software, equipment and vehicles that lead to improvements in mail processing and delivery.

At the end of 2012, the QSF Board of Trustees had approved 600 projects since the Fund’s creation, benefiting some 150 Posts. Of these, 400 projects have been fully completed and 218 projects have been evaluated and are ongoing.

Although most projects normally involve one specific operator, the QSF also promotes a regional approach and solidarity between countries. Operators can pool their financial resources to set up a joint project for the benefit of an entire region.

Who finances the Fund?

With 50 million dollars available today for new projects, the Fund is maintained by mandatory contributions payable by all countries and territories, with the exception of the least developed countries, and by voluntary contributions, income from investments and other sources of revenue.

The way the QSF operates ensures a fair distribution of financial resources to the neediest operators, particularly the least developed.

The QSF secretariat based at the International Bureau provides member countries with guidance and assistance in the preparation of project proposals, which are then submitted to the QSF Board of Trustees for approval.

Practical guide

Project templates

The following templates are examples of project proposals only.

They should not be considered as a legal part of the Project Management Manual or as samples to be copied when submitting an application.

The examples have been designed to aid in understanding the project application procedure and the documentation relating to it.

The detail and quantity of the information provided in these examples is indicative only. Applicant designated operators (DOs) or restricted unions will be required to submit proposals commensurate with the size of the project for which they are applying. All aspects of the project application form must be adapted to match the real situation of the applicant operator.

All information provided by these examples is for illustrative purposes only. Any similarity with an existing situation is unintentional.

IPS templates

In cooperation with the Postal Technology Centre (PTC) of the UPU's International Bureau, the QSF is pleased to provide you with the following IPS templates:

  • Relevant for DOs that are currently using an old version of the IPS system (e.g. 4.24) and that need to migrate to the latest IPS version to improve performance, make use of new features (e.g. EDI messages and operational and accounting functions), and conform to regulations and standards.
  • Relevant for DOs that need to extend the mail-item tracking system to post offices and provide customers with an item tracking service (via a website).
  • Relevant for DOs that are still using IPS Light and that wish to migrate to IPS.post in order to benefit from new features such as accounting and customs forms and new versions of EDI messages, and from the ability to analyze and implement electronic verification notes (eVN).
    Please note that there is no cost (apart from the PTC's annual licence fee) for switching from IPS Light to IPS.post.
  • Relevant for and beneficial to DOs that process lower volumes of mail items and, therefore, that do not need to implement the full version of IPS.

Security templates

In cooperation with the Postal Security Expert of the UPU's International Bureau, the QSF is pleased to provide you with the following security templates:

  • Relevant for DOs that do not have the necessary equipment to screen mail items and letter-mail dispatches and that wish to purchase and install one or more X-ray scanning machines in order to improve security.
  • Relevant for DOs that are seeking to improve the security of international mail by installing a modern CCTV system at a given key location in order to enhance the ability to monitor and/or observe various mail processing activities and, as a result, prevent incidents of mail loss, pilferage and/or theft.

Training

How do you prepare a project proposal for submission to the Board of Trustees? How should you manage the projects approved and implemented in your country? How can you monitor ongoing projects? These are just some of the topics discussed at training seminars run periodically by the Quality of Service Fund secretariat.

Since the Fund's inception, the QSF team has been training national coordinators to show them how to formulate, manage and oversee all aspects of projects set up in their countries. Sessions are held periodically to train new people or provide updates on certain aspects of QSF operations. Regional training is normally organized in conjunction with the local restricted union.

In addition, national coordinators and any other participants in QSF projects are invited to follow the online training course provided via the UPU's TRAINPOST system. This four-module course aims to strengthen the knowledge and skills of managers responsible for QSF in the areas of project development and implementation. It is available in English, French, Arabic and Spanish.

QSF report 2001-2016