Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

Location:	Federal
Posted:	Apr 22, 2026
Due:	Apr 28, 2026
Agency:	U.S. Government Publishing Office
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	T - Photographic, Mapping, Printing, and Publications Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Jacket 440-549

Requisition 6-00041

Specifications by MRN

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BID OPENING: Bids shall be opened virtually at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET), on April 28, 2026 at the U.S.

Government Publishing Office. All parties interested in attending the bid opening shall email bids@gpo.gov one

(1) hour prior to the bid opening date and time to request a Microsoft Teams live stream link. This must be a separate

email from the bid submission. The link will be emailed prior to the bid opening.

BID SUBMISSION: Bidders must email bids to bids@gpo.gov for this solicitation. No other method of bid

submission will be accepted at this time. The jacket number and bid opening date must be specified in the subject

line of the emailed bid submission. Bids received after the bid opening date and time specified above will not be

considered for award.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Government Publishing & Print Procurement

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS

For the Procurement of

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

as requisitioned from the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) by the

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: This product was previously procured under Jacket 432-304. The specifications

have been extensively revised from the previous procurement; therefore, all bidders are cautioned to familiarize

themselves with all provisions of these specifications before bidding, with particular attention to the following:

DATA SECURITY, Disposal of Electronic PII (page 5 of 38)

POSTAWARD PROJECT PLANS (page 8 of 38)

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM (page 11 of 38)

PAYMENT (page 14 of 38)

QUANTITY (page 15 of 38)

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH (page 16 of 38)

MAIL PREPARATION, Mail Processing (page 28 of 38)

SCHEDULE (page 31 of 38)

EXHIBIT 1 (follows the attachments at the end of these specifications)

Abstracts of previous procurement prices are available at: https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-with-us/vendors/one-

time-bid-pricing.

For any questions concerning these specifications, contact Mary Newton at mnewton@gpo.gov or (202) 512-2132.

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

GPO CONTRACT TERMS .................................3

CONTRACTOR ....................................................3

WORKING AND COMMUNICATING

WITH OTHER PLANTS AND

SUBCONTRACTORS .....................................3

QUALITY ASSURANCE LEVELS

AND STANDARDS..........................................3

DATA SECURITY................................................4

Data Custodians ..............................................4

Preaward/Postaward Surveys..........................4

Personnel Security ..........................................5

Physical Security.............................................5

Information Technology (IT) Security............5

Security Liaison(s) ..........................................5

Disposal of Waste Materials ...........................5

Disposal of Electronic PII ...............................5

Incident Reporting Requirements ...................5

Expiration of Data Use Agreement (DUA).....6

Security Exhibit ..............................................6

LIQUIDATED DAMAGES..................................6

BUY AMERICAN ACT .......................................6

PREAWARD SURVEY........................................6

PREAWARD PAPER SAMPLES .......................8

POSTAWARD PROJECT PLANS .....................8

Security Plan ...................................................8

Personnel Plan.................................................9

Physical Security Plan.....................................9

Production Facilities Plan ...............................9

Production Plan...............................................9

On-Site Monitors Security/Safety Plan.........10

Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan ........10

Quality Assurance Plan.................................10

Transportation Management Plan .................10

Sequential Numbering Plan ..........................10

Disposal of Waste Material Plan...................11

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM.............11

MONITORING AND INSPECTION

BY THE GOVERNMENT ............................11

POSTAWARD CONFERENCE........................12

WARRANTY ....................................................... 13

PRIVACY ACT NOTIFICATION....................13

PRIVACY ACT...................................................13

ADDITIONAL EMAILED BID

SUBMISSION PROVISIONS.......................14

PAYMENT ..........................................................14

TITLE ..................................................................15

QUANTITY .........................................................15

NUMBER OF PAGES ........................................15

TRIM SIZE..........................................................16

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH....................... 16

CONTRACTOR TO FURNISH ....................... 17

ELECTRONIC PREPRESS.............................. 17

PROOFS.............................................................. 17

STOCK/PAPER ................................................. 19

PRINTING .......................................................... 19

VARIABLE COMPUTERIZED IMAGING

(ADDRESSING FOR SELF-MAILERS).... 20

MARGINS .......................................................... 20

BINDING ............................................................ 20

PRODUCTION REPORT DURING

BINDING AND IMAGING PHASE............ 20

PRESS SHEET, CONTENT, BINDING, AND

VARIABLE IMAGING INSPECTIONS .... 21

Cover Press Sheet Inspections ..................... 21

Content Inspections ...................................... 22

Binding and Variable Imaging Inspections .. 22

Scheduling Inspections................................. 22

PRESS SHEETS, SIGNATURES,

AND SAMPLES ............................................ 23

PACKING ........................................................... 24

LABELING AND MARKING .......................... 24

QUALITY ASSURANCE RANDOM

COPIES (QARC)........................................... 25

DISTRIBUTION ................................................ 25

MAIL PREPARATION..................................... 27

Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) .................... 28

Mail Processing ............................................ 28

Mail Storage/Staging.................................... 28

Mail Service Disruption Reports.................. 28

Mailing Statements ...................................... 29

Certificate of Conformance.......................... 30

Return of Government Furnished Material .. 30

SCHEDULE ........................................................ 30

UNDELIVERABLE/RETURNED COPIES.... 32

GPO KEY PERSONNEL .................................. 32

CMS KEY PERSONNEL .................................. 32

DETERMINATION OF AWARD.................... 33

SCHEDULE OF PRICES.................................. 35

ALLOWABLE CHARGES ............................... 35

TEXT AND COVER PRINTING

LOCATIONS ................................................. 37

SUBCONTRACTORS ....................................... 37

SHIPPING LOCATIONS.................................. 37

DISCOUNTS ...................................................... 38

AMENDMENTS................................................. 38

BID ACCEPTANCE PERIOD ......................... 38

BIDDER’S NAME AND SIGNATURE ........... 38

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

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GPO CONTRACT TERMS: Any contract which results from this Invitation for Bid will be subject to the

applicable provisions, clauses, and supplemental specifications of GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2,

effective December 1, 1987 (Rev. 01-18)) and Quality Assurance Through Attributes Program for Printing and

Binding (GPO Publication 310.1, effective May 1979, (Rev. 09-19)).

GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2) – https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-

files-for-vendors/contractterms2018.pdf.

GPO QATAP (GPO Publication 310.1) – https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-files-for-

vendors/qatap-rev-09-19.pdf.

CONTRACTOR: Throughout this document, the term “contractor” refers to the printing company that is awarded

the contract. The term “subcontractor” refers to any other company that is performing work on this contract as hired

by the contractor.

WORKING AND COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER PLANTS AND SUBCONTRACTORS: The

contractor may employ the services of outside subcontractors to print all of or a portion of the text pages only and

to perform all of or part of the non-printing requirements of this job. In addition, the contractor may utilize multiple

plants within their own company to complete the requirements of this job. In such situations, the contractor MUST

ensure that the subcontractors and additional plants have a copy of these specifications and meet all requirements

stated within this document, as applicable. (NOTE: The printing of all covers is a predominant function and

cannot be subcontracted; however, the contractor may utilize multiple plants within their own company to print

the covers.)

It is the contractor’s responsibility to communicate with, and manage the work performed by, subcontractors and

other plants. The contractor is responsible for enforcing all contract requirements outsourced to a subcontractor.

If the contractor needs to add a subcontractor at any time after approval of the contractor’s project plans (see

“POSTAWARD PROJECT PLANS” specified herein), the subcontractor must be approved by the Government

prior to production starting in that facility. The contractor must submit the subcontractor’s information to the

Government for approval 24 hours prior to the start of production at that facility.

If the contractor needs to add another contractor production facility at any time after approval of the contractor’s

project plans, the contractor must notify the Government 24 hours prior to production starting in that facility.

QUALITY ASSURANCE LEVELS AND STANDARDS: The following levels and standards shall apply to these

specifications:

Product Quality Levels for Text Pages:

(a) Printing Attributes – Level III.

(b) Finishing Attributes – Level II.

Product Quality Levels for Covers:

(a) Printing Attributes – Level II.

(b) Finishing Attributes – Level II.

Inspection Levels (from ANSI/ASQC Z1.4):

(a) Non-destructive Tests – General Inspection Level I.

(b) Destructive Tests – Special Inspection Level S-2.

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

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Specified Standards: The specified standards for the attributes requiring them shall be:

Attribute

Standard

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity

P-8. Gradient and Halftone Match

P-9. Solid and Screen Tint Color Match

P-10. Process Color Match

O.K. Press Sheets (via On-Site Inspections)

Special Instructions: In the event that inspection of press sheets is waived by the Government, the following listed

alternate standards (in order of precedence) shall become the Specified Standards:

P-7. O.K. Text Signatures/O.K. Cover Press Sheets/Average Type Dimension in Publication.

P-8. O.K. Cover Press Sheets/O.K. Proofs/Electronic Media.

P-9. O.K. Ink Drawdowns/Pantone Matching System.

P-10. O.K. Cover Press Sheets/O.K. Proofs.

NOTE: For more information regarding quality levels, see “PREAWARD SURVEY.”

DATA SECURITY: These products contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Security of personally

identifiable information is a vital component of this contract. The contractor shall guarantee strict confidentiality,

integrity, and limited availability of all PII provided by the Government during the performance of this contract.

Disclosure of the information/data, in whole or in part, by the contractor can only be made in accordance with the

provisions in the Data Use Agreement (DUA). (Instructions for the DUA will be provided after award.)

It is the contractor’s responsibility to properly safeguard PII from loss, theft, or inadvertent disclosure and to

immediately notify the Government of any loss/theft/inadvertent disclosure of personally identifiable information.

Personally identifiable information for the Medicare and You Handbook consists of a person’s name and address.

The contractor shall not release or sell to any person any technical or other data received from the Government

under this contract; nor shall the contractor use the data for any purpose other than that for which it was provided

to the contractor under the terms of this contract. The contractor must guarantee that furnished PII will be used

only in the performance of this contract.

Proper control and handling must be maintained at all times to prevent any information or materials required to

produce the products ordered under these specifications from falling into unauthorized hands. All PII furnished by

the Government, or duplicates created by the contractor or their representatives, and any resultant printouts must be

kept accountable and under security to prevent their release to unauthorized persons. Unsecured

telecommunications, including the internet, to transmit PII is prohibited.

Data Custodians: If any PII is to be forwarded to additional contractor-owned locations or to subcontractor-owned

locations, all security requirements also apply to those locations (all parties involved). The contractor is responsible

for the actions of all locations. The contractor’s project manager shall appoint up to two (2) Data Custodians at each

location and shall have them complete an Addendum to Data Use Agreement (instructions will be provided after

award). The contractor’s project manager must fill out and submit completed forms electronically to CMS (per

instructions furnished by the Government) before any PII may be sent to that location.

Preaward/Postaward Surveys: At the Government’s option, preaward or postaward surveys may be conducted to

review all data handling and production areas involved along with their specific functions and the

contractor’s/subcontractor’s personnel, production, security, and other requirements outlined in this contract and in

the contractor’s Security Plan (see “POSTAWARD PROJECT PLANS” specified herein).

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

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Personnel Security: CMS will perform background investigations on two (2) contractor employees who will access

CMS’ electronic mailbox. (See Exhibit 2 for more information.)

Physical Security: The contractor shall have a secure work area(s) for the processing and production of all CMS

PII in electronic and paper format. The work area(s) shall be accessible only to authorized employees, and all work

shall be monitored closely by contractor management while CMS PII is being processed and/or produced.

Information Technology (IT) Security: The contractor shall have a system in place to comply with the CMS

Security Clause (see Exhibit 2 for more information).

Security Liaison(s): The contractor must appoint one (1) or more Security Liaisons to handle issues regarding:

personnel, physical, and computer security; confidential issues that may arise at any point during the background

investigation process; and, to serve as a point of contact to the Government for security issues. The liaison’s duties

will include attending the postaward conference; submitting a security plan (see “POSTAWARD PROJECT

PLANS, Security Plan” specified herein); discussing confidential security issues with CMS staff; submitting

background applications; and, resolving any issues of inaccurate or incomplete data supplied by background

investigation applicants. In the event CMS discovers sensitive information during the background investigation,

CMS Security may need to contact the background investigation applicant directly.

Disposal of Waste Material: Contractor must hold all waste material (useable surplus signatures, copies, etc., left

over after production) that does NOT contain PII in accordance with the schedule (see “SCHEDULE”), unless

otherwise specified. All waste material containing PII must be destroyed immediately.

All waste material containing PII must be destroyed in a manner that it is not possible to recreate the product or

identity of a beneficiary (i.e., burning, pulping, shredding, macerating, or other suitable means). If the contractor

selects shredding as a means of destruction, it must be a cross-cut shredder with a maximum size of 5/32 x 1-1/2”

cross-cut particles. Strip shredding is not acceptable.

Destruction of waste must occur inside the contractor’s secure production facility, close to the point of

binding/imaging. Any waste material containing PII that is not shredded immediately must be covered at all times

while awaiting destruction. A cover must be placed over any bins with waste material containing PII when being

moved from one location to another within the contractor’s facility. Sending intact waste containing PII to a

municipal incinerator, a recycler, or any other off-site processor is not acceptable and will be considered a data

breach.

Disposal of Electronic PII: Unless otherwise specified, the contractor must keep all furnished electronic files,

including those with PII, in accordance with the schedule (see “SCHEDULE”). Prior to destroying the electronic

files, the contractor must notify GPO for authorization to destroy. When authorized, all electronic files including

any files (parallel printout) deriving from the originally furnished file containing PII must be permanently destroyed

in accordance with Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014. CMS will maintain an

archive of furnished files.

Until authorized to destroy, contractor is responsible for keeping the electronic files containing PII secure as

specified herein.

CMS will maintain an archive of furnished files. Prior to destruction, contractor may be required to return the final

address files used for mailing (after NCOA/CASS) via password-protected email to Christine Crawford at

christine.crawford@cms.hhs.gov. Password must be sent in a separate email from the address file.

Incident Reporting Requirements: If there is a breach or a suspected breach of PII, the incident must be reported

to CMS within one (1) hour of discovery. Contractor to report breaches to the CMS IT Service Desk at (410) 786-

2580 or (800) 562-1963.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Medicare and You 2027 (Spanish Area-Specific Handbooks)

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