Post services

Deliveries

The Post Room sorts all incoming mail for daily delivery. Deliveries to departments and sections take place from 10am. The Post Room will deliver letters, small parcels and individual medium sized parcels. Large parcels and quantities of medium parcels will need to be collected in person. We will notify you if we receive any medium or large packages for you.

Incoming mail requiring a signature

Items requiring a signature will be delivered to your department or section and will need to be signed for by an available member of staff. If the item is personal mail, you will need to collect the item from the Post Room. We will notify you when we receive any items of personal mail requiring a signature.

Orders

Should you order any items, please ensure that the incoming mail is correctly addressed with your name, room number and department or section clearly visible on the front of the envelope (or in the window of the envelope) to enable our staff to identify the correct destination of mail received quickly.

The Post Room aims to process and dispatch all mail collected from departments and sections on the same day. 

Post bags

Please place any mail for despatch by the Post Room in the correct mail bag provided. This will be collected by Post Room staff when your mail is delivered to your department or section.

Sender identification

Colchester Campus

Customers should stamp the back of their envelope or package with the name of their department or section. Identifier stamps can be ordered via Central Stores or direct from the stationery supplier.

Customers are not required to detail the return address as this is included in the franking mark which is applied by the Post Room when the mail is processed.

Southend Campus

Customers should ensure a completed postal slip is attached to their mail.

Weight capacity

The weight capacity limits for the franking machines are as follows:

Colchester Campus: 10kg

Southend Campus: 2kg

Courier service

The post room offers a courier service between Colchester Campus, E15 Loughton and Southend. The courier service operates on Tuesdays (excluding bank holidays and University closure days). 

Standard letters and small or medium size parcels must be brought to the post room by 4.00pm the day before delivery in order to ensure they are included in the courier delivery the following day.

Large and / or multiple items that are required to be on site on a specific date need to be booked at least a week in advance to allow the Post Room sufficient time to liaise with the courier. This is because the quantity, weight and / or size of the items may result in the courier being unable to deliver the items in one trip due to the weight and space restrictions of the van. In these circumstances, the items will be delivered and returned across more than one delivery day.

All items for the courier service must be labelled for the attention of the person to receive them. If you require a signature at destination, please speak to us ahead of delivery so that we can ensure this is obtained.

Please note that the courier service cannot drive University personnel to or between campuses.

The following postal options are available;

Second Class Postage

All mail is processed using a second class postage tariff.

Recorded Delivery

Recorded Delivery labels are available from the post room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.

Please ensure you attach the completed Recorded Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, attach with an elastic band.

Royal Mail Special Delivery (guaranteed delivery by 1.00pm the following day)

Special Delivery labels are available from the post room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.

Please ensure you attach the completed Special Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, use an elastic band.

Special Delivery items need to be with the Post Room by 3.00pm to guarantee next day delivery by 1.00pm.

The cost of Special Delivery items includes compensation claim of up to £500 for lost or damaged items.

This service is more expensive than Recorded Delivery. Therefore, if you are considering using Special Delivery only because you need traceable delivery, Recorded Delivery is more cost effective.

Royal Mail Special Delivery (guaranteed delivery by 9.00am the following day)

Special Delivery labels are available from the Post Room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.

Please ensure you attach the completed Special Delivery label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, use an elastic band.

The maximum weight for Special Delivery (9.00am) items is 2kg and these items need to be with the Post Room by 3.00pm to guarantee next day delivery by 9.00am.

The cost of Special Delivery items includes compensation claim of up to £500 for lost or damaged items.

This service is more expensive than Recorded Delivery and Special Delivery with a 1.00pm guaranteed delivery time. Therefore, if you are considering using this only because you need traceable delivery, Recorded Delivery is more cost effective.

International (Signed For) - Colchester Campus only

International (Signed For) labels are available from the post room on request. When you complete the label, please make a note of the reference number shown at the bottom of each slip.

Please ensure you attach the completed International (Signed For) label to the envelope with a paperclip or, if the item is a package, use an elastic band.

International (Signed For) items need to be with the post room by 3.00pm to ensure it is included with the mail collection the same day.

The cost of International (Signed For) items includes a compensation claim of up to £50, or the value of the item (whichever is lower) for lost or damaged items.

Please note the International (Signed For) post service is not currently available at Southend Campus.

Bulk mailings

Bulk mailings are consignments exceeding 50 items of identical mail, or 10 items of Recorded Delivery, Special Delivery or International (Signed For) mail.

If you are planning a bulk mail consignment, please notify the Post Room by email 24 hours in advance in order that we can ensure the consignment can be processed on the day that we receive it.

Bulk mailings must arrive in the Post Room before 2.00pm if same day processing is required. Bulk mailings arriving in the Post Room after 2.00pm will be processed for next day dispatch.

All bulk mailings will be processed with a second class postage tariff.

We are happy to provide you with advice and information regarding your bulk mail consignment to ensure the most cost effective solution for your mailing. This includes;

• Envelope size and type
• Branding and address label placement on envelope

Some departments and sections manage their own postage budget. These customers must complete a postage slip for each item or batch of mail, detailing the charge code to be used on each occasion.

Other departments and sections have a devolved budget that is managed by the post room. This budget covers the cost of postage only. If you have more than one postage charge code, please complete a postage slip (.pdf) for each item or batch of mail, detailing the charge code to be used.

The following items are recharged;

• Labels - The post room will recharge for the cost of labels used to process items ready for dispatch where the item cannot be processed through the franking machine.
• Oversized packaging - Using oversized envelopes or packaging can result in increases to the cost of posting. Where these costs occur, the post room will recharge the additional cost. We can provide advice on the size and type of envelope and packaging to help manage the postal costs. Alternatively, please refer to the Royal Mail guidance for letter size and weight for sending parcels in the United Kingdom and overseas.
• Insurance - If you send any item with insurance added to the standard cost of postage, the post room will recharge the amount charged for the insurance.
• External couriers - If you wish to use an alternative delivery provider such as DHL, Fedex or UPS, you will need to arrange the collection of your items direct with the courier. They will collect your items from Central Stores and invoice you directly.
• Returned items - GDPR legislation requires names and addresses on mailing lists to be up to date. This also prevents unnecessary postage cost for items that are subsequently returned. The post room recharges for all returned items where the address is incorrect or the addressee unknown.
• Import and Customs Duties - Receipt of some items at a UK border attracts a charge by the carrier for duties payable before delivery can be made and carriers often add their own admin fee for handling such items. Such charges will need to be paid by the recipient before the delivery can be accepted. In such situations, the post room will contact you so payment can be arranged.

Post Office charges

The post room will not cover the cost of any items sent from the Post Office. Any cost incurred will be the responsibility of the department or section.

Personal mail

Personal mail items are not processed by the post room. You should take these to a local Post Office.

Nearest Post Office Branch

2 Hythe Quay, Colchester CO2 8JB
Monday - Friday: 9am -1pm and 1.30pm -6pm
Saturday: 9am - 1pm

Wivenhoe Cross
40 The Cross, Wivenhoe, CO7 9QL
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5.30pm
Saturday: 9am - 1pm

Pre-franked labels

The post room does not issue pre-printed franked labels.

Hazardous and Proscribed Items

The post room will not process any item classified as hazardous, or appearing to be hazardous, or otherwise proscribed for posting. Please note that specific rules apply to airmail postal and courier carriage. Please refer to the Royal Mail guidance on prohibited and restricted items.