System and method for securely disseminating and managing postal rates

A method for securely disseminating postal rates, comprising:

• receiving, by a postage vendor computer system, a transmission that includes one or more files containing custom postal rates from a postal service computer system, wherein the transmission further includes information that identifies a particular mailer associated with the custom postal rates;
• parsing the one or more files into one or more data fields by the postage vendor computer system, wherein the one or more data fields parsed from the one or more files represent the custom postal rates associated with the mailer;
• associating the custom postal rates with an account that the postage vendor computer system maintains for the mailer in response to the postal service computer system validating that the one or more data fields are identical to the custom postal rates;
• and
• enabling the mailer to use the account that the postage vendor computer system maintains for the mailer to generate postage indicia at the custom postal rates.

A system for securely disseminating and managing postal rates comprising:

• a postal service computer system having one or more processors;
• wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
• send a transmission that includes one or more files containing custom postal rates to a postage vendor computer system, wherein the transmission further includes information that identifies a particular mailer associated with the custom postal rates;
• execute a comparison between one or more data fields that the postage vendor computer system identified in the one or more files and the custom postal rates sent in the transmission, wherein the one or more data fields represent the custom postal rates associated with the mailer;
• determine whether the one or more data fields are identical to the custom postal rates transmitted to the postage vendor;
• and
• send to the postage vendor computer system an approval message if the one or more data fields are identical to the custom postal rates transmitted to the postage vendor, wherein the postage vendor enables the mailer to generate postage indicia at the custom postal rates in response to receiving the approval message.

A method for securely disseminating and managing postal rates, the method being implemented by a postal service computer system having one or more processors, the method comprising:

• sending, by the postal service computer system, a transmission that includes one or more files containing custom postal rates to a postage vendor computer system, wherein the transmission further includes information that identifies a particular mailer associated with the custom postal rates;
• executing, by the postal service computer system, a comparison between one or more data fields that the postage vendor computer system identified in the one or more files and the custom postal rates sent in the transmission, wherein the one or more data fields represent the custom postal rates associated with the mailer;
• determining, by the postal service computer system, whether the one or more data fields are identical to the customs postal rates transmitted to the postage vendor computer system;
• if the one or more data fields are identical to the custom postal rates transmitted to the postage vendor, sending, by the postal service computer system to the postage vendor computer system, an approval message, wherein the postage vendor computer system enables the mailer to generate postage indicia at the custom postal rates in response to receiving the approval message;
• and
• if one or more discrepancies exist between the one or more data fields identified at the postage vendor computer system and the custom postal rates transmitted to the postage vendor computer system, sending, by the postal service computer system to the postage vendor computer system, a rejection message, wherein the postage vendor computer system discards the one or more files in response to receiving the rejection message.