SIST-TP CEN/TR 14709:2007

Postal services - Quality of service - Guide for the implementation of EN 13850

This Technical Report is an implementation guide to EN 13850 and its amendments for use by postal operators, regulators and those responsible for commissioning, carrying out, or auditing the measurement of postal service quality. It gives information, which will facilitate the implementation of EN 13850. It gives an overview of the processes required and factors to consider when measuring quality of service. It provides guidance on alternative approaches allowed in the EN 13850 including how to select and calculate alternative or additional discriminant factors and methods for weighting of strata. It describes a process for implementation of the measurement system, and provides examples and clarification on specific requirements of EN 13850. It gives information on how to interpret the test results obtained by measurement according to the standard.
In all places where references in this Technical Report are made to EN 13850 it should be understood that it includes all amendments to EN 13850. This Technical Report does not alter in any way the requirements of EN 13850. It is concerned with technical issues in the implementation of the measurement system. The Technical Report provides guidance but it does not specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the use of the standard since this is the responsibility of the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities themselves.
Parts of this Technical Report may also be considered for guidance when implementing the following quality of service standards:
-   CEN/TS 14773, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of loss and substantial delay in priority and first class single piece mail using a survey of test letters
-   EN 14508, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for single piece non-priority and second class mail
-   EN 14534, Postal services - Quality of service - Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for bulk mail

Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Leitfaden für die Anwendung von EN 13850

Services postaux - Qualité de service - Guide pour la mise en oeuvre de l'EN 13850

Le présent Rapport Technique est un guide de mise en oeuvre de l’EN 13850 et de ses amendements destiné à être utilisé par les opérateurs postaux, les régulateurs et les parties chargées de mettre en service, réaliser ou  faire l’audit de la mesure de la qualité des services postaux. Il fournit des informations qui faciliteront la mise en oeuvre de l’EN 13850. Il donne un aperçu des processus requis et des facteurs à prendre en compte lors de la mesure de la qualité de service. Il fournit des indications sur les méthodes alternatives autorisées dans l’EN 13850, y compris la manière de sélectionner et de calculer des facteurs discriminants alternatifs ou supplémentaires et des méthodes de pondération des strates. Il décrit un processus permettant la mise en oeuvre du système de mesure, et fournit des exemples et des éclaircissements relatifs à des exigences spécifiques de l'EN 13850. Il donne des informations sur la manière d’interpréter les résultats d’échantillon test  obtenus par une mesure conformément à la norme.
Chaque fois qu’il est fait référence à l’EN 13850 dans le présent Rapport Technique, il est entendu que tous les amendements à l’EN 13850 sont inclus. Le présent Rapport Technique ne modifie en aucune manière les exigences de l’EN 13850. Il s’intéresse aux questions techniques soulevées par la mise en oeuvre du système de mesure. Le Rapport Technique fournit des recommandations, mais il ne spécifie pas la manière dont les régulateurs doivent faire appliquer et contrôler l’utilisation de la norme, car cela relève de la responsabilité de la Commission Européenne et des autorités nationales de régulation elles-mêmes.
Les parties du présent Rapport Technique peuvent également servir de guide lors de la mise en oeuvre des normes suivantes relatives à la qualité de service :

Poštne storitve - Kakovost storitve - Vodilo za uvajanje EN 13850

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 31-Dec-2006
• Withdrawal Date: 02-May-2016
• ICS: 03.240 - Postal services
• Technical Committee: SS SPL - Technical Board for the general field
• Current Stage: 9900 - Withdrawal (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 25-Apr-2016
• Due Date: 18-May-2016
• Completion Date: 03-May-2016
• Mandate: M/312 - Standardization mandate addressed to the CEN in the field of the postal services and equipment
• Ref Project: CEN/TR 14709:2006 - Postal services - Quality of service - Guide for the implementation of EN 13850

Relations

• Replaces: SIST-TP CEN/TR 14709:2006 - Postal services - Quality of service - Guide for the implementation of EN 13850
• Effective Date: 01-Jan-2007

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-januar-2007
1DGRPHãþD
SIST-TP CEN/TR 14709:2006
Poštne storitve - Kakovost storitve - Vodilo za uvajanje EN 13850
Postal services - Quality of service - Guide for the implementation of EN 13850
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Leitfaden für die Anwendung von EN
Services postaux - Qualité de service - Guide pour la mise en oeuvre de l'EN 13850
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 14709:2006
ICS:
03.240 Poštne storitve Postal services
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

TECHNICAL REPORT
CEN/TR 14709
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
April 2006
ICS 03.240 Supersedes CEN/TR 14709:2003
English Version
Postal services - Quality of service - Guide for the
implementation of EN 13850
Services postaux - Qualité de service - Guide pour la mise Postalische Dienstleistungen - Dienstqualität - Leitfaden für
en oeuvre de l'EN 13850 die Anwendung von EN 13850
This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 17 November 2005. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 331.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2006 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 14709:2006: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents page
Foreword.3
Introduction .4
1 Scope .5
2 Purpose and use of postal quality of service standards.6
3 Considerations before implementing the EN 13850.8
4 Implementing EN 13850 and its amendments .10
5 Information regarding the interpretation of specific clauses and formulae in EN 13850 .16
Annex A Implementation timetable.24

Foreword
This Technical Report (CEN/TR 14709:2006) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 331
“Postal services”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This Technical Report supersedes CEN/TR 14709:2003.

Introduction
nd
This 2 edition of CEN/TR 14709 is supplementary to EN 13850 Postal services — Quality of service —
Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for single piece priority mail and first class mail and its
amendments. This revised version of CEN/TR 14709 includes information related to the extension of the EN
13850 to cover flows with smaller mail volumes in an enlarged EU. The text related to multiple operators is
updated according to new developments.
CEN/TR 14709 provides information to be considered when implementing the EN 13850 and its amendments.
It has been developed to guide postal operators and regulators as to the use, benefits and restrictions of the
EN 13850 Postal services — Quality of service — Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for
single piece priority mail and first class mail. The first part of this Technical Report contains general
information to guide regulators and operators in their decision on how and when to implement the standard.
The second part of the report contains detailed information on how to interpret specific clauses in EN 13850
and its amendments and should be read in parallel with the standard.
In addition to referencing this technical report, those seeking to implement EN 13850 are advised to consult
requirements and guidance from the national regulators and legislation that apply in their jurisdictions.
EN 13850 provides a defined set of minimum requirements to satisfy the information interests of the national
regulatory authorities, postal customers and postal service providers for quality of service measurement, and
to allow postal service providers to comply with the requirements of the 1997 Postal Directive of the European
Commission.
1 Scope
This Technical Report is an implementation guide to EN 13850 and its amendments for use by postal
operators, regulators and those responsible for commissioning, carrying out, or auditing the measurement of
postal service quality. It gives information, which will facilitate the implementation of EN 13850. It gives an
overview of the processes required and factors to consider when measuring quality of service. It provides
guidance on alternative approaches allowed in the EN 13850 including how to select and calculate alternative
or additional discriminant factors and methods for weighting of strata. It describes a process for
implementation of the measurement system, and provides examples and clarification on specific requirements
of EN 13850. It gives information on how to interpret the test results obtained by measurement according to
the standard.
In all places where references in this Technical Report are made to EN 13850 it should be understood that it
includes all amendments to EN 13850. This Technical Report does not alter in any way the requirements of
EN 13850. It is concerned with technical issues in the implementation of the measurement system. The
Technical Report provides guidance but it does not specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the
use of the standard since this is the responsibility of the European Commission and the national regulatory
authorities themselves.
Parts of this Technical Report may also be considered for guidance when implementing the following quality of
service standards:
 CEN/TS 14773, Postal services — Quality of service — Measurement of loss and substantial delay in
priority and first class single piece mail using a survey of test letters
 EN 14508, Postal services — Quality of service — Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for
single piece non-priority and second class mail
 EN 14534, Postal services — Quality of service — Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for
bulk mail
2 Purpose and use of postal quality of service standards
2.1 General
EN 13850 Postal services — Quality of service — Measurement of transit time of end-to-end services for
single piece priority mail and first class mail has been developed in order to provide a standardised method
that can be used throughout Europe for measuring the transit time of end-to-end mail services and to assist
postal service providers in complying with the requirements of the 1997 Postal Directive of the European
Commission.
For the implementation of EN 13850 and to guide the user of this and other quality of service standards the
following facts and precautions may be considered.
EN 13850 contains a number of requirements which may be agreed with or should be approved by national
postal regulators.
EN 13850 specifies technical requirements for the measurement including the preparation of reports on the
results of measurement. However EN 13850 does not state how and when results should be shared with
postal customers and users, who will order measurement to take place, and who will pay for the
measurement; these subjects are outside the standard and will be determined by legal and regulatory
requirements.
2.2 Benefits of the quality of service standards
The standardised qualities of service measuring methods provide a uniform way for measuring the end-to-end
transit time of postal items. Postal regulators can refer to the standard when requiring information about
quality of service for postal operators. For any minimum service levels required by the European Commission
or by national Directives for operators in the universal service, requirements can be made that the service be
measured according to EN 13850 and its amendments.
Standardised measurement methods may help to keep the cost of measuring down. They could also make it
easier to find contractors familiar with the methods and to evaluate the work of contractors for measuring and
auditing. The standardised measuring methods may also eliminate debates and uncertainties about results
from varying measuring methods.
Using standardised measuring methods will assure that the measurement will be done in an objective and
equal way for all operators in accordance with the requirements of the 1997 Postal Directive of the European
Commission.
Use of the standard will ensure that reliable and correct information can be collected which can be presented
to regulators and the public in an understandable way. It also allows the regulator to collect this information.
2.3 Limitations of EN 13850 and its amendments
EN 13850 considers only the measurement of transit time (expressed as the percentage of mail delivered
within J + n days end-to-end) and does not consider other aspects of service performance. For example, the
date of deposit is defined by the last collection of the day but the standard does not measure whether the
timing of the last collection of the day meets customers’ requirement, nor how the times compare for different
service providers. Similarly EN 13850 considers the date of delivery but does not take into account the time of
day when the item was delivered, whether or not there are more than one delivery each day, the condition of
items when delivered or the queuing time at post offices etc.
The method for end-to-end measuring specified in EN 13850 is not designed to provide for detailed results for
the measuring of parts of the distribution chain, when more than one operator is involved in the collection,
processing and delivery of mail.
Although the EN 13850 specifies a method that will be used by many postal operators, it shall be noted that
the overall transit time quality of service result does not measure the postal operator’s overall performance in
a way that provides direct comparison of postal service operators.
2.4 Interpretation of results
Results from the quality of service measuring cannot always be used for direct comparison of the overall
quality of service. Neither can the results be used to compare the service of each operator in a multiple
operator environment.
Direct comparison of two operators can be difficult to make. Frequently one is interested in comparing two
operators covering the same geographical area, i.e. the quality that a customer receives when using one or
other of the operators for collecting and distributing mail within an area. To do this, it is necessary to compare
the transit time of the operators over similar studies of domains. The two overall figures of the operators’ on-
time performance may be misleading. Consideration in case of multiple operators is described in 4.2.
When interpreting the results from the measurement it is important also to consider the stratification and
national and other peculiarities that apply in each specific case.
2.5 Use of survey results for quality improvement.
EN 13850 sets out minimum requirements in order to produce one overall figure. It is recognised that
operators or other bodies may wish to go beyond these minimum requirements in order to produce information
to identify and correct specific areas of poor performance. The survey design can be expanded to collect this
information.
EN 13850 provides minimum requirements and allows measurement systems to be enhanced. It should be
noted that other methods are available to find problematic areas and that the standard may not be the only
method to use for this purpose.
EN 13850 allows the use of test items containing electronic chips or other advanced technology so that each
test item can be monitored at pre-defined points or throughout its whole journey to allow for more detailed
diagnostic analysis of the transit time. If these are used, the organisation operating the measuring system
shall take steps to ensure that the diagnostic system does not introduce biases in the end-to-end
measurement system.
When using the results of end-to-end measurements according to EN 13850 for quality improvements in a
multiple operator environment additional considerations regarding causes of delays and their allocations to
operators need to be made in order to see how each part of the process affect the total end-to-end quality of
service.
3 Considerations before implementing the EN 13850
3.1 Regulations
The standard itself is not meant to specify how the regulators shall enforce and monitor the use of EN 13850.
This is to be done through the European and national regulatory work. In particular it does not specify how
results shall be published by the regulator.
3.2 Measuring body (contractors for survey operation)
EN 13850 states that measurement shall be carried out by an independent performance-monitoring
organisation. This is defined as a body charged with the monitoring of the quality of service which is “external
to, and having no links of ownership or control with the postal service providers thus monitored. The
independent performance-monitoring organisation is responsible for undertaking the survey. Usually this
performance-monitoring organisation will act as a contractor for a sponsoring organisation which may be, for
example, the postal service providers themselves or a national regulatory authority.
The independent performance monitoring organisation provides a guarantee that results of the measurement
have not been wrongly influenced by the postal service providers. Factors normally taken into account in
choosing a performance monitoring organisation include the capability – with strong emphasis on panel
management skills –, experience and reputation of the organisation as well as any legal or regulatory
requirements and, of course, cost. To cover all these points it is common to go through a formal tender
process. Organisations which may have undertaken quality of service measurement include e.g. research
institutes, consultancies, market research companies, universities and government organisations.
The performance monitoring organisation is required to ensure that the panel of senders and receivers is
independent of postal operators and to manage the panel according to the International Chamber of
Commerce/ESOMAR International Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice. This is intended to
ensure that postal operators cannot influence either the behaviour or reporting of the panellists, or the quality
of service provided specifically to them. These codes of practice also require among other things that the
identity of the panellists is not revealed to anyone outside the monitoring organisation, except with the prior
permission of those panellists (see the comments on 5.1 in Clause 5 of this Technical Report).
3.3 Real mail information
The purpose of real mail studies is to collect information on the flows and other characteristics of mail.
Management systems or surveys specifically designed for the purpose may be used. In a multiple operator
environment there may be no real mail information available for all parts or the total chain. In this case the
standard can not be used.
It may not be necessary to wait for all real mail information before starting to use the standard as weighting
can be applied after the event
5.3 of EN 13850:2002 “Real mail studies” lays down that the frequency of real mail studies shall be
determined in accordance with the national regulatory authority and shall be performed at a minimum once
every third year. For smaller mail flows, measured according to the extended measuring time as described in
the Annex F in the EN 13850 Amd1 the collection of real mail information may take up to 3 years.

The reason why real mail studies shall be repeated at intervals is that type of senders, type of mail,
distribution channels, volumes of posted mail and other factors may have changed over time.

The review of the real mail studies aims at reflecting changes in the postal environment. Reasons to review
and perform new real mail studies may be the following events:

a) General
- substantial increase/decrease of the economy in general
- substantial increase/decrease of the number of (a specific type of) postal items
b) Operational
- introduction of new postal products with considerable market share
- introduction of new logistics that affect the acceptance/distribution of mail or the weight/number of
strata
- change of tariff structure
c) Legislative
- decrease of the reserved area
- increase/decrease of the universal service area

d) Others
- increasing/decreasing market share of other postal operators with branch or regional oriented
customers and/or specialised services
- substantial changes in distribution between rural and urban populations (e.g. drift to the city)

This list is only exemplary. There might be many more reasons based on national peculiarities and/or general
effects that may prove the need for the performance of additional real mail studies.

Real mail studies can be expensive which is why EN 13850 allows up to 3 years between studies.
Nevertheless there may be situations where real mail studies should be made more often, such as rapidly
changing events in the areas a) to d) above. It is also necessary to consider the effect on the measured
quality of any changes in the real mail parameters. If a factor is not very discriminant in practice then big
changes in the real mail parameter may have little effect and three years would be sufficiently frequent.
However, if a factor is very discriminant then small changes in the real mail parameter could have such a big
effect on quality of service that more frequent real mail studies are needed.
4 Implementing EN 13850 and its amendments
4.1 Steps to consider before implementation
In principle the following steps are required in order to implement quality of service measurement in
accordance with EN 13850. Indicative time periods are shown for each stage. GANTT charts showing the
different stages are contained in Annex A.
a) Study EN 13850 and this implementation guide and produce an outline specification for the survey. This
specification should identify, in particular, the geographical stratification that will be used and the discriminant
parameters that will need to be considered. (up to 6 months)
b) Organise real mail studies to collect the information required for the survey. The real mail studies shall
cover different days of the week and periods of the year. (between 6 and 12 months)
c) It is possible to proceed with call for tender processes, the selection of an independent survey operator,
and begin contract negotiations before the final results of the real mail studies are known (preliminary
estimates can be used instead). (up to12 months, at the same time as b. is performed)
d) Once full results of the real mail studies are available the design of the survey can be finalised and
contractual negotiations with the survey operator completed. (up to 4 months)
e) A period will be necessary for set up and testing of the survey. (up to 9 months)
The timetable for activities a. through e. should be planned so as to have them completed at the end of a
calendar year.
f) Full survey operation will start at the beginning of a calendar year and is required to last for 12, 24 or
36 months in order to meet the requirements of EN 13850. (12 months)
g) Reports shall be available within 3 months of the end of a measurement period of 12 months for large
sized cross-border mail flows. For medium sized cross-border mail flows reports need to be available within 3
months of the end of a measurement period of 24 months. For small sized cross-border mail flows reports
need to be available within 3 months of the end of a measurement period of 36 months. (up to
3 months)
Many universal service providers already have some system in place for measuring end-to-end quality of
service.
If there is no existing real mail study in place but a system to measure quality of service already exists, it may
be possible to speed up the collection of information on real mail by using existing management information
available to the postal service provider. In other words the real mail studies would run in parallel with the
quality of service survey, and the results of the quality of service survey would be adjusted retrospectively
using weighting at the end of the first year of operation. It could then take 16 to 24 months to the start of the
measurement period and a further 15 months before results for the calendar year are available (see
Table A.1).
In a number of cases faster implementation may be possible:
 If systems to measure quality of service already exist with designs already based on real mail studies and
concepts, with minor modifications required, it should be possible to make the modifications required for
compliance with EN 13850 with little delay (6 to 12 months to start of measurement period, see Table
A.2).
 If systems to measure quality of service already exist with designs already based on real mail studies and
concepts, but major modifications are required before the surveys are compliant with EN 13850, there
may be significant contractual issues with the survey operator. Time will have to be allowed for this, more
time being required for a bigger survey (12 to 18 months to start of measurement period, see Table A.3).
Where there is neither systems to measure quality of service nor existing real mail studies in place it could
take up to about 30 months to the start of the measurement period and a further 15 months or more before
results for the calendar year are available (see Table A.4).
4.2 Considerations in case of multiple operators
4.2.1 General
EN 13850 can be used both by universal service providers and by other postal service providers operating in
a liberated market for the measurement of the full process of the pipeline end to end.
4.2.2 Field of study
The first step in designing the measurement system is to decide on the field of study. EN 13850 provides for a
number of alternatives.
 For domestic services, the field of study defines the parts of the country in which items will be posted and
the parts of the country where they will be delivered. Thus if postal service providers only offers a service
in certain parts of the country, the field of study may be restricted to those parts of the country. On the
other hand it is important to make sure that all parts of the country served by these service providers are
covered in the field of study, including those parts served through collection or delivery agents.
 For cross border services, the posting or the delivery field of study may, for example, be defined as the
whole of a single country or as a group of countries. It may be useful to measure the overall service
to/from a group of countries in order to reduce the work in the case of an operator forwarding or receiving
small amounts of mail to/from several countries.
 For both domestic and cross-border services the standard may also be used to measure the end to end
service provided by a group of operators.
4.2.3 How and when to use EN 13850 or other quality of service standards
For technical reasons EN 13850 may not in all parts be suitable for the measurement of very small volumes of
mail and for operators with limited coverage. For these reasons the following technical points should be
considered by service providers operating in a liberated market.
 The geographical stratification and discriminant factors should be examined to ensure that they are
appropriate. For example, addressing characteristics may be highly discriminant if the operation is highly
automated. EN 13850 allows discriminant characteristics to be changed if necessary.
 The types and numbers of customers who can take part in the survey should be examined. If operators
are only offering service to limited numbers of customers, it may be difficult to recruit sufficient panellists,
particularly since the survey requires co-operation from customers.
 The types of induction should be examined. For example, if preferential treatment is offered to certain
classes of customers, then the class of customer becomes an important discriminant characteristic.
 It is important to consider how dates of induction and delivery can be recorded accurately and without
bias. For example, if receivers receive high volumes of real mail each day there may be problems in
intercepting test items. Alternatively if the volume of real mail per poster or receiver is very low, it may
become noticeable to the postal operators that a panellist in the survey is sending or receiving test letters
with a consequent risk of bias to the survey results.
 Information on real mail will be required for geographical stratification and the discriminant characteristics.
In a multiple operator environment real mail information for the total pipeline may be difficult to obtain and
an estimation should be made.
 Operators offering delivery by a specific time should note that the time of day of delivery is not measured
in EN 13850.
 If an operator is accepting mail only under special conditions of posting, it may be more appropriate to
use EN 14534 for bulk mail.
 If operators are using end-to-end track and trace systems it may be more appropriate to obtain quality of
service information from the track and trace systems.
 For cross-border mail, real mail information is required for both posting and delivery countries. In many
cases the operators in the two countries will collect and share information on real mail flows in their own
countries. If shared information is unavailable the operator commissioning the survey will have to collect
information about the flows in both countries.
 If more than one operator is involved in the total operation, information may be obtained similarly as for
cross-border mail by shared information on real mail flows.
 Other ways of collecting real mail information in a multiple operator environment is by using electronic
tags for the whole chain.
Note that in the above, it is assumed throughout that the measurement is carried out end to end from the
customer perspective. This may be the measurement of the end-to-end service provided by:
 an individual operator providing a fully end to end service;
 a group of parallel operators, all providing fully end to end services (parallel operations);
 more than one operator, who, in combination, provide an end to end service, each carrying out only part
of the pipeline (partial pipelines);
 a group of operators, who, in various combinations, provide end to end services, with different operators
carrying out different parts of the pipeline (may include both parallel and partial pipelines).
For an example of the third alternative above, operator A might collect, process, and partially distribute the
mail, whilst operator B and C might further distribute and deliver the mail in different parts of the country.
From the customer’s perspective, they are only interested in the end-to-end service provided. EN 13850
would be suitable to measure this service, but would not in itself be suitable to measure the service provided
within this pipeline by the individual operators.
To measure the transit time for only part of pipeline would require additional information about the handover
point that is not covered in EN 13850. If such measurement is desired, it would be necessary to decide
whether reliable information can be provided (e.g. by the use of electronic tags), or, if not, to consider whether
another standard, such as the bulk mail standard would be more useful.
The results from the quality of service measurement will provide as a minimum a single overall figure for each
provider. When interpreting the quality offered by different providers (see 2.4) it should be borne in mind that
there may be several factors affecting the comparison. For example, one provider may be providing a service
for local mail posted and delivered within a city whilst another provider offers a national service. Similarly two
providers may both offer a national service but in practice have different patterns of real mail.
For closer comparisons between operators, it may be necessary to compare their performance in similar
circumstances. EN 13850 allows this to be done by calculating transit times for particular study domains which
form subsets of the field of study. The geographical stratification, e.g. local mail, long distance mail, or rural
mail, and the methods of induction and delivery may be useful as study domains.
4.3 Extension to a wider EU
In May 2004 the European Union was enlarged by the accession of a number of additional European
countries, making it necessary to adjust EN 13850 to suit the needs for the additional countries and for any
future expansion and to cover for flows with smaller mail volumes in an enlarged EU. In parallel with the
revision of this report an amendment to EN 13850 has therefore been produced.
According to requirements from the European Commission for the domestic measurement system every
single member state will have to undertake these steps on its own. To ensure that all EU member countries
are able to comply with the EN 13850 all countries should start to undertake the necessary steps (4.1 a-e) as
soon as possible. As far as cross-border flows are concerned this will also need to be done by all EU
members.
EN 13850 includes flexibility areas for adapted implementation; however it has been considered that further
flexibility had to be provided for in order not to get too high costs for the monitoring system for small cross-
border flows or for small operators.
In the amendment to EN 13850 this relaxation for small mail volumes is described.
4.3.1 Domestic
In principle all countries have a domestic market with postal volumes large enough to apply EN 13850 without
modification. To reach the full application, principally in the area of the real mail studies, a transitional period
may however be required.
4.3.2 Cross-border
The enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 members would have increased the monitoring of 210 links to the
monitoring of 600 links. In addition, priority mail volumes on a large number of the additional links are very
limited. This prompted the EN 13850 to be amended in order not to get unacceptable high measuring costs.
One practical area for solutions to limit the size of the cross border study and for cost effectiveness is the
concept of grouping countries by geographical regions. EN 13850 already allows for a field of study to contain
a group of countries. If the field of study covers a group of countries, the country of posting and/or delivery
may need to be included in the geographical stratification. Another method now specified in the amendment to
EN 13850 is the extension of the measuring period. This redesign of the requirements for the cross-border
study is not limited to the new links with the new EU members, but applies on a similar basis to all EU
countries.
4.4 General guidelines for regulators
In a number of places in EN 13850 there is room for some modifications expressed by the wording “by
agreement with / in accordance with / if required by the national regulatory authority” (NRA). These points are
summarised below:
 in the case of “force majeure” events such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks the period affected may
be removed from the reporting period (see 4.2.2 in EN 13850:2002);
 for domestic mail, the transit times may be calculated according to the weekend collection and delivery
pattern provided, in accordance with one of the calculation rules of B.2 (see 4.2.3 in
EN 13850:2002);
 published regional holidays may be subtracted in the calculation of transit time (see 4.2.3 in
EN 13850:2002);
 frequency of the real mail studies shall be determined in accordance with the NRA (see 5.3 in
EN 13850:2002);
 minimum geographical stratification specified in the standard may be replaced by other geographical
parameters if it is demonstrated by auditable proof, that these are more discriminant (see 5.4.1 in
EN 13850:2002);
 definitions of outskirts, urban, rural, local and distances may take national peculiarities into account (see
5.4.2 in EN 13850:2002);
 distribution of the panel shall be done according to random sampling. There shall be at minimum
30 postal areas evenly spread over the whole field of study and the postal areas shall be defined by
agreement with the national regulatory authority (see 5.5 in EN 13850:2002);
 for the domestic measurement systems, the list of all discriminant mail characteristics from one operator
may be revised based on the results of empirical studies on the subject (see 6.1 in EN 13850:2002);
 PO boxes may be excluded from the measurement system by agreement with the national regulatory
authority (see 6.2 in EN 13850:2002).
Additional reasons, backgrounds and appropriate solutions for each point are described in Clause 5 in this
Technical Report.
4.5 Adjustments to design requirements to take account of national peculiarities.
EN 13850 sets out, in 5.4, minimum requirements for the geographical factors to be taken into account in the
survey design. These factors were determined after studying the results of a number of domestic and cross-
border quality of service surveys. The factors are:
 distance travelled by a letter: local, short distance, or long distance;
 whether the letter was posted in an urban or rural area;
 whether the letter was delivered in an urban or rural area.
EN 13850 recognises that there may be national peculiarities for which the definitions of the geographical
parameters may not be fully appropriate. In particular the definitions of ‘urban’ and ‘rural’, ‘local’ and ‘distance’
may need to be changed in order to reflect national conditions. If that is the case, they can be changed by
agreement with the national regulatory authority.
The geographical stratification specified in 5.4 is a minimum requirement. This stratification may be expanded
to include other geographical factors provided that the minimum requirements are still met. For example, the
part of the country where an item was posted or delivered could be taken into account, or a larger number of
‘distance’ categories could be used.
EN 13850 sets out, in Clause 6, the discriminant factors which should be taken into account in the survey
design: day of week and time of day of induction, methods of delivery, type of induction, formats, weight
breaks, addressing methods and types of payment. These factors have been included because they have
been found frequently to be discriminant. The factors which are discriminant depend in practice on the
detailed operation of the postal system, and it is possible that factors which are important for some service
providers may not be important for others. For domestic measurement systems, the list of discriminant factors
may therefore be revised based on the results of empirical studies on the subject.
When considering whether additional geographical factors or mail characteristics should be included in the
survey design, the following should be taken into account.
 Are the new factors discriminant? To what extent do the factors affect the quality of the service provided?
 Can the factors be defined and applied consistently? Is there a nationally established definition which can
be used?
 Can relevant information be provided? For example, is information on real mail characteristics available,
can factors such as ‘distance’ and ‘urban’ be determined easily for an individual letter or panellist, and is a
suitable sampling frame available if needed?
 Are the factors easy to understand? For example, technical terms like ‘machine readable’ may not be
understood.
 How will the cost of the survey be affected?
4.6 Reporting of results
Minimum requirements for the reporting of results are set out in Clause 7 of EN 13850:2002. This states that
reports should be provided “at least once a year, based on the calendar year” and issued within 3 months of
the end of the test period. For measurement extended over a longer period of time as explained in Annex F in
the amendment to EN 13850:2002 the reporting of results will be as follows:
End of year 2: No reporting of results.
End of year 3: Reporting of results based on accumulated period from year 1 to year 3.
End of year 4: Reporting of results based on accumulated period from year 2 to year 4.
End of year 5: Reporting of results based on accumulated period from year 3 to year 5.

Clause 7 gives detailed requirements for the information to be included in the report.
 Results are presented in terms of on-time performance and cumulative percentage of mail delivered
within n days for n = 1 to 10. On-time performance is measured against the service standard, i.e. the
number of working days within which items should be delivered. This service standard may be set by
regulatory authorities or by the service providers. (The European Commission has proposed service
standards of 1 day and 3 days for domestic and cross-border priority mail respectively within the
Universal service obligation.)
 For domestic mail EN 13850 allows a number of different methods of calculating the transit time,
depending on the service offered at weekends and on whether delivery takes part on 5 or 6 days of the
week. For cross-border mail only one calculation method is allowed for the purpose of the standard.
 The report should describe the mail types and categories measured in the survey.
 The total sample size and the accuracy of the results should be given in the report. EN 13850 states
minimum requirements for the accuracy of domestic and cross-border on-time performance.
 The period of the measurement should be stated.
 The report should also describe any failures to meet the requirements of EN13850, and give the identity
of the independent performance monitoring organisation and the audit.
To assist in the interpretation of results, the following points should be noted.
 Results need to be compared against the same service standard. If the results have been reported using
different service standards, the cumulative distribution of mail delivered within n days can be used to
obtain consistent results.
 The calculation method used will affect the on-time performance. It should also be noted that the standard
is only concerned with the measurement of transit time. It does not consider other aspects of service
which are relevant to customers and users, such as the time of collection and delivery or the days on
which deliveries are made.
 The minimum requirement of EN 13850 provides for one figure. Additional information may be provided
for different study domains. The most useful factors to be considered as study domains are the
geographical and the discriminant mail characteristics stated in EN 13850.
 Some operators may not cover all discriminant factors. This should be clear from the types and
categories of mail covered in the report.
 If results are presented for study domains, information should also be given on the accuracy of those
results.
 The period of measurement should include a description of any exclusion due to force majeure.
 The minimum requirement in EN 13850 is to provide figures for the calendar year. In Annex F of the
amendments to EN 13850, covering an extended measuring period and reporting of a longer period of
time is described. Results may also (but do not have to) be reported for other periods of the year and
information should be given on the accuracy of those results. (For multiple operators within the Universal
service obligation, the same frequency of end-to-end reporting as in EN 13850 applies. For services
falling outside the Universal service obligation the reporting should be in agreement with other contracts).
5 Information regarding the interpretation of specific clauses and formulae in
EN 13850
This clause provides guidance on the interpretation of specific clauses of EN 13850. It should be studied in
parallel with the standard.
No. Item concerned and comment
4.2.1 “The transit time of a postal item shall be measured in units of days and expressed as (J +
n) days. (J) is the date of deposit provided posting takes place before the published last
collection time at the point of induction of the mail.”
Comment Date of Deposit:
The date of deposit (J) is the date on which a postal item is posted, providing posting takes
place before the last collection time of that day. Therefore, provision has to be made for
items posted after the last collection. Confirmation of posting time relative to the advertised
or contracted latest time of posting is a usual requirement.
‘Last collection’ refers to the advertised last time for collection (not the actual time) or to
the contracted latest time for collection. Additionally, if a postal item is posted after the last
collection then J should be adjusted to the next working day for that type of mail.
In practical terms, panellists may sometimes need to post on a calendar day ahead of the
date of deposit to meet a specific requirement. For example, in some rural areas there may
be an early last collection time, particularly at weekends. In these circumstances, panellists
may be permitted, for example, to post a planned Sunday deposit test item on Saturday
evening provided it is posted after the last Saturday collection and before the Sunday
collection; the test item will be counted as having a Sunday date of deposit.
Restricted collections, e.g. later collection times for delivery within a local area, may be
taken into account provided they have been advertised to customers.
Comment Date of Delivery:
There are three key points here:
1. It is necessary for the organisation conducting the monitoring to ensure that panellists
can identify the delivery of the item to the address, not the receipt of the item to a
named individual. This is particularly important in the case of businesses in order to
avoid the so-called ‘mailroom effect’, but could also apply in the case of residential
premises with a central delivery point from which residents need to collect their mail. (It
may require that time-locked
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