The group awarded the Postal Service its "Innovation in Technology Award" at its Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) Summit on Nov. 13, citing the agency's use of advanced sourcing technology to reduce costs and increase efficiencies across its supply chain.

 Award winners were determined by Aberdeen's research over the past 12 months. The research group cited the Postal Service's use of flexible bidding with optimization, an "expressive" bidding process that matches suppliers' competitive advantages to buyers' business needs.

 The Postal Service's bidding process enables suppliers to define specific bid bundles, which creates new volume discounts, as well as production schedule changes, flexible delivery times, supply locations and payment terms. In one example cited by Aberdeen, allowing suppliers to define the market for pallets enabled the Postal Service to save 9 percent.

 "Enterprises that employ advanced sourcing strategies are building stronger supplier relationships by making better, more-informed decisions," said Andrew Bartolini, vice president of global supply management research at Aberdeen Group. "Aberdeen is pleased to award our 'Innovation in Technology' Award to the United States Postal Service for the visible, positive impact of technology on its performance."

 "Through cutting-edge technology and aggressive supply-chain management strategies, the Postal Service is reducing costs, increasing efficiencies and improving service. We are pleased to be recognized by the Aberdeen Group for our innovative use of technology to achieve our supply management goals," said Susan Brownell, Postal Service vice president of supply management.