Example: If the shipment weighs 21,000 pounds
	The ratio of excess weight to total is 14.3% (3,000 Divided by 21,000)
	The employee will be responsible for 14.3% of the charges.

	Jewelry, family heirlooms, photograph albums, snapshots, and personal mementos with sentimental value since they are often difficult to place a value on and they may irreplaceable.
	Money, bank books, bonds, stock certificates, tax returns, legal papers; and
	Firearms, the transport of which is subject to various local, State, and Federal laws.
	We suggest that you carry these valuables with you.
	NEVER HIDE THESE VALUABLES AMONG YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS!

	Limitation of authority.Except for the reweigh service provision in Section 4, no owner or owner's designated representative shall have authority to make any agreement with the carrier which shall diminish the rights or increase the obligations of the United States Government.
	Inspection and acceptance.For the purpose of inspection of the services provided pursuant to the TOS and in the absence of authorized representative of GSA or the employing agency, the property owner is authorized to perform inspection of services in accordance with the provisions of the TOS, the owner's report of inspection shall be administratively final.
	Valuation. The owner is authorized to establish a level of service or declared value in excess of that established by the Government for performance of transportation services.
	Claims. When authorized by the GBL Issuing Officer, the owner of the property or his representative is authorized to file claims with the carrier for loss of and/or damage to the property. Such authorization need not be in writing. (NOTE: Carriers should note that it is common practice for owners to file claims directly with the carrier.)
	Service dates. The owner of the property is authorized to and is responsible for establishing with the carrier specific dates for the performance of the premove survey to include packing, loading, and, if applicable, delivery from storage-in-transit.
	Document preparation and annotation. The owner of the property is responsible for:
	Verification of origin inventory. Verification of the inventory listing and condition items at the time of pickup. Verification of destination inventory. Verification of the inventory listing and condition the items at the time of delivery. Annotation of loss/damage at delivery. Annotating in conjunction with the carrier of loss damage on the delivery documents. Appraisals of property. Having appraised by a reputable company any highly valued and/or antique property. Extraordinary Value Inventory. If required by the carrier, all items of extraordinary value should be furnished to the carrier. However, we suggest that it not be shipped by the carrier.

	Transportation Service Claim This type of claim involves a carrier's failure to perform a service either wholly or partially, on time and in the manner required by the contract. This kind of performance failure results in an inconvenience claim for failure to perform on time the services contracted for. The Government along with the employee suffers the results of the carrier's failure to perform (because it paid for the services not properly performed), The Government may claim per diem costs paid to the employee by the Government which are associated with the late delivery. Also, the employee is entitled to claim any reasonable costs incurred in excess of those reimbursed to the employee by the Government.
	Property Claim This type of claim involves a carrier's failure to handle the property or use the premises in such a way as to avoid damage. Generally, this kind of performance failure results in a claim for loss/damage to personal property, and/or a claim for damage to real property Because the employee suffers the effects of property loss/damage, a property claim accrues to the employee.
	Claim Preparation A claim is an assertion that the carrier has failed to perform and is liable for its failed performance. It is a demand on the carrier for the payment of loss/damages caused by that failure. A claim must satisfy four specific criteria:
	It must be in writing ( it DOES NOT have to be on a special form), It must identify the shipment (Employee name, carrier's Shipment No.and/or GBL No., origin and destination addresses), It must identify the loss/damage and assert that it was carrier caused, and It must demand restitution in a specific amount.

In addition, to the above four requirements, a claim also has CORE requirements - carefulness, objectivity, reasonableness, and equity.

The employee must take the time to ensure that at origin the mover packs and inventories the shipment properly, and at destination annotates any loss/damage that has occurred.

When the origin inventory correctly states the makeup and condition of the property in the shipment, and when the destination inventory accurately describes the delivered condition of the shipment, the carrier has the burden of proving that any difference in condition is the result of the exceptions to its liability. If loss/damage was discovered after delivery but reported in writing to the carrier within 75 days of delivery, the carrier is liable as if the loss/damage had been noted at delivery. If a claim is not filed within the 75 days, then the burden of proving that the carrier caused the loss/damage shifts to the employee. Because the Government is technically the shipper, the time period for the filing of claims is six (6) years from the date of delivery.

A carrier is not liable for sentimental value. This is the most difficult part of claim preparation, especially when certain kinds of items are involved. Photo albums, heirlooms (as opposed to legitimate antiques), and items made by the employee contain great quantities of sentimental value, but little claimable value. The claimable value of items such as a photo album is the cost of film, development, and the cost to replace the album. The claimable value of handmade items is generally the value of the materials.

	OFFICE REQUESTING GBL - Name, telephone number, mail routing code, building, and room number of employee who has knowledge of shipment
	PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER AND DATE - Purchase order number and date if goods are being shipped from a manufacturer.
	DATE GBL REOUESTED - Actual date that request is being typed.
	ORGANIZATION CODE/TASK NUMBER - Fund code to be charged for shipment.
	DATE DELIVERY DESIRED - Required only if goods have to be delivered by a definite date and, if air freight required, justification in block 7.C.
	SUGGESTED ROUTING - Mode of shipment - air or surface, i.e., motor, household mover or water.
	NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF PACKAGES - Quantity and type of packaging.
	DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF COMMODITY Be specific and if commodity is being shipped internationally, furnish model and serial number. Use this block for specific services, i.e., inside pickup or delivery, telephone before delivery, no shipping dock available, too large for elevator, upright position only, etc.
	SIZE- Length, width, and height required on all air freight and/or any unusually large pieces.
	WEIGHT- Advise actual or estimated.
	CUBIC CONTENTS- Do not furnish - Transportation Office will calculate.
	VALUE- Required only on international shipments.
	CONSIGNEE - Actual freight destination address. Include contact name and telephone number if special services are required.
	CONSIGNOR - Actual freight origin address. Include contact name and telephone number if any special services are required.
	AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE - Authorizes fund code to pay for shipment.
	SIGNATURE OF PROPERTY CUSTODIAN

	Next Business Day Delivery. Desktop pickup, transportation, and next business day desktop delivery of extremely urgent letters and small packages with FEDEX priority overnight service, Monday through Friday except for designated holidays, (priority/morning service) will be delivered by 10:30 AM on the next business day. Please use your FEDEX U.S. Government Contract Service Guide.
	Second Business Day Delivery. Desktop pickup, transportation, and second business day desktop delivery of small packages with FEDEX 2day service Monday through Friday except for designated holidays, will be delivered by 4:30 PM on the second business day.
	Express Mail Do's and Don'ts
	FEDEX will accept single packages with weights from 8 ounces (document packs) up to and including 150 pounds using the priority overnight service and packages from 1 pound up to and including 150 pounds using FEDEX 2-day service. FEDEX will handle multiple package shipments for both next day and second day that do not exceed 150 pounds and total cost not to exceed $105.00 per shipment. Please be advised that NOAA's Finance Office will not pay for FEDEX shipments that are over $105.00 per shipment. FEDEX will handle the delivery of any single package or multiple packages in which no single package exceeds 119" in length and 165" in girth combined. Incorrect FEDEX airbills can result in unnecessary costs to your office. For example, a shipment could be delayed due to an incorrect address, which is a fee of $3.00. Do not send next day letters or packages on Friday unless you've made arrangements for Saturday acceptance.

Encourage your FEDEX Program Managers to factor enough lead time into their schedules to eliminate the need for the more expensive shipping service.

Minimum weekday hours for services are from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with 2 hour advance notice for pickup.

Please, remember if you are going to mail an extremely urgent letter, review your options. If it must be delivered the next business day, GSA's Domestic Express Small Package Contract with Federal Express is the correct shipping method to be used. However, if next business day delivery is not needed, you should consider using the United States Postal Service.