Updates

Contractor Connection Security Enhancements (October 2018)

Security enhancements have been deployed to the Contractor Connection website. Due to these changes, the URL structure of the website has changed. Additionally, changes to password complexity, password update frequency, and account locking due to invalid attempts are now operational. Additional details regarding password and account requirements can be found at: https://contractorconnection.gpo.gov/Help#pass   

High Resolution Proof Update (June 2018)

Beginning 06/18/2018, GPO will allow high-resolution inkjet proofs as a proofing option in lieu of digital one-piece laminated halftone proofs. In order to exercise this option, all vendors must be approved for high-resolution inkjet proofs by submitting samples to GPO. Instructions for submitting samples can be found at Quality Level Sample Submission Procedures .

Revised GPO Contract Terms

GPO has issued a new GPO Publication GPO Contract Terms - Solicitation Provisions, Supplemental Specifications, and Contract Clauses 310.2 (Rev 1-18). Prospective suppliers should carefully read this publication as the applicable terms within become an integral part of printing and related services contracts with the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Contracts terms for awards made prior to the release of this version will remain in effect until the contract expires, except for changes made by statute.

Contractor Quality Level Evaluations

As part of GPO's procurement procedure, our agency maintains a continuous Quality Control Process to support its customers. One aspect of this process is to determine a contractor's ability to consistently produce orders at the required quality level without undue assistance on the part of the Government. These ratings are also used when generating bid lists for procurements that determine who solicitations will be issued to on a rotating basis and by our Contracting Officers as an aid in making responsibility determinations on individual contracts. With the rapid changes in technologies and the industry in recent years it has become necessary to have vendors resubmit after a 5-year period to ensure our Government Contractors are still producing at the level when they were originally rated. GPO is currently contacting vendors to request that they proceed with the resubmission process. Please contact our Quality Control Team if you have any questions via email at [email protected] or phone via 202.512.0542.

Notices

All Contractors Wishing To Do Business With the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO)

Every contractor seeking to do business with the GPO must first complete and thereafter maintain the accuracy of its GPO Contractor Connection registration with the following mandatory taxpayer information boxes:

  • "EIN/TIN #" (Employer Identification Number or Taxpayer Identification Number)
  • "Subject to Backup Withholding" (See Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification)
  • "Current W-9 Request" (See Form W-9)

GPO will withhold payment of any invoices for work completed by any contractor who fails to provide these tax data in GPO Contractor Connection. Such invoices will be declared ineligible for payment until all requirements for payment, including providing these tax data in GPO Contractor Connection, have been satisfied.

Imprint Line for GPO Contracts

The GPO imprint line has been updated with the new GPO logo and agency name. This imprint line should appear on all products and publications produced by, or for the GPO:

  • at the bottom of the last printed page on books and pamphlets
  • at the bottom of the back on face and back products
  • at the bottom of face-only products (except letterheads, certificates, etc.), or in the stub of multipart sets.

The GPO logo for the new imprint line is available as a .zip file here: GPO Logos

The GPO imprint line must be set in 6-point sans serif type (e.g., Arial regular) and should consist of the GPO logo which can be downloaded from the website, the current calendar year, an em dash, and the jacket number. In the case of term contracts, the print order number must also be included in the imprint line. The items following the GPO logo in the imprint should be added manually by the contractor. Additional commercial identification mark(s) of any kind must not appear on any product(s) ordered.

The Government Publishing Office posts all solicitations of the Agency Procurement Services (APS) opportunities online at GPO’s Contractor Connection. In addition, formal bids can also be found on FedBizOps. Upon request, GPO’s various procurement offices will make available single copies of specific solicitations free of charge to interested parties.

For anyone interested in obtaining a comprehensive service of all GPO solicitations and abstracts for commercial printing contracts daily, subscriptions are available. This may also include a daily email of all small purchase abstracts and/or a hard copy of all DC Print Orders. All pricing is on a cost-recovery basis.

For additional information:

  • Call the Manager, Bid Section, on 202.512.0526
  • Write to the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Bid Section, Room C-848, Stop CSPS, 732 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401
  • Or email [email protected].

Most of the contractors that produce work for GPO also are involved in commercial sector printing. Standards of conduct of government versus commercial employees may at times be confusing and are oftentimes different. What is acceptable for one group may not be acceptable for the other.

All GPO personnel are covered by an instruction that clearly spells out what is considered proper standards of conduct. In pertinent part, those standards are as follows:

No GPO employee shall solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift or favor, entertainment, loan or any other thing of monetary value, from any person, corporation, or group which —

  1. Seeks to obtain, contractual or other business or financial relationships with the GPO
  2. Conducts operations or activities that are regulated by GPO
  3. Has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of his/her official duty

Whether or not specifically prohibited it is intended that GPO employees avoid any action which might result in, or create the appearance of —

  1. Using public office for private gain
  2. Giving preferential treatment to any organization or person
  3. Impeding government efficiency or economy
  4. Losing complete independence or impartiality of action
  5. Making a government decision outside of official channels
  6. Affecting adversely the confidence of the public in the integrity of the GPO

A GPO employee shall not use Federal property of any kind for other than officially approved activities. He/she must protect and conserve all Federal property, including equipment and supplies, entrusted or issued to him/her.

A GPO employee shall not directly or indirectly make use of, or permit others to make use of, for the purpose of furthering a private interest, official information not made available to the general public.

Any questions should be addressed to the Manager, Printing Procurement Department.

The Director and the Inspector General have made a strong commitment to reducing and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in GPO programs and operations. Contractors or their employees who discover instances of waste, fraud, or abuse in dealing with government employees or other contractors are encouraged to notify GPO.

In keeping with this commitment, a GPO Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Telephone Hotline has been established at 1.800.743.7574. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. EST. Callers are encouraged to speak directly to an OIG hotline representative, but you can leave a message during non-duty hours and weekends.

As an alternative to the hotline, contractors may submit a GPO OIG complaint form to:

Office of Inspector General
Office of Investigations
Post Office Box 1790
Washington, DC 20013-1790

Individuals are not required to identify themselves when providing information by telephone or in writing. However, those electing to identify themselves are assured of confidentiality.

Contract Pricing and Specification Archive

Abstracts and specifications for Term Contracts are posted on the Contract Pricing page after award and available for the term of the contract.

Electronic only posting of GPO printing procurement specifications

As a result of the rapid adoption of digital technologies by the printing industry in recent years and in support of the GPO "Go Green" initiatives, GPO does not post paper copies of procurement specifications at their nationwide locations. All printing and binding and related services procurement specifications are available online at the web addresses shown below.

To ensure that the needs of the public and our GPO vendor community are met, tangible copies of these specifications will be made available upon request at the Central Office and Regional Procurement offices at no charge.

GPO Form 712 – Certificate of Conformance

The Government Publishing Office will no longer provide GPO Form 712 Certificate of Conformance in the three part carbon paper format to contractors using a Postage and Fees Paid mailing label or indicia. GPO Contract Terms (Publication 310.2), Supplemental Specification #11, is changed to require contractors to access a digital copy of the form which is revised and available with instructions on our Forms and Standards page.