EAD, YCER, BEVE, and eRPA Notices

Location:	Federal
Posted:	Dec 19, 2025
Due:	Jan 7, 2026
Agency:	U.S. Government Publishing Office
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	38 - Construction, Mining, Excavating, and Highway Mainenance Equipment
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Program 104-S

Specifications by TC

Reviewed by JY

Page 1 of 78

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Washington, DC

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS

For the Procurement of

EAD, YCER, BEVE, and eRPA Notices

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

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Single Award

TERM OF CONTRACT: The term of this contract is for the period beginning from June 1, 2026 and ending May

31, 2027 plus up to four (4) optional 12-month extension period(s) that may be added in accordance with the

“OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT” clause in SECTION 1 of this contract.

The period from June 1, 2026 until August 30, 2026 will be used by the contractor for testing and interfacing

with SSA’s National File Transfer Management System (FTMS) for electronic transmission of files from SSA

to the production facility. Actual live production begins September 1, 2026.

NOTE: No testing and interfacing with SSA’s National File Transfer Management System (FTMS) for

electronic transmission of files from SSA to the production facility, as required by these specifications, is

allowed on this contract prior to June 1, 2026. The base term year may be for less than a full 12 months.

BID OPENING: Bids shall be opened virtually at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET), on January 7, 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 program 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.

RESTRICTION ON LOCATION OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES: Due to the security requirements set forth

in these specifications, this program must be produced in the United States.

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: Requirements for this program were previously procured under Program 96-

S. These specifications have been revised; therefore, all bidders are cautioned to familiarize themselves with all

provisions of these specifications before bidding, with particular attention to:

 All security requirements/clauses/specifications specified in SECTION 1.

 FTMS requirements

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

For information of a technical nature, contact Traci Cobb at 404-605-9160 x4 or tcobb@gpo.gov.

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SECTION 1. - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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 GPO Contract Terms, 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.

NOTE: Regarding the RESTRICTION ON LOCATION OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES clause in page 1, “United

States” means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa,

Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Johnston Island, Wake Island, and Outer Continental Shelf Lands as defined in the

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331, et seq.), but does not include any other place subject to U.S.

jurisdiction or any U.S. base or possession within a foreign country (29 CFR 4.112).

SUBCONTRACTING: The predominant production functions include the programming of Advanced Function

Presentation (AFP; Mixed Mode or Fully Composed) resources and files, the laser printing/imaging of data for the

notices from electronically transmitted files, inserting of items into mail-out envelopes and disposal/destruction of

waste materials. Any bidder who cannot perform the predominant production functions of this contract will be

declared non-responsible. (NOTE: Inkjet printing is not allowed.)

The required print production of envelopes may be outsourced/subcontracted. 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 award, the subcontractor must be approved by the

Government prior to production starting in that facility. If the subcontractor is not approved by the Government,

then the contractor must submit a new subcontractor’s information to the Government for approval 30 calendar days

prior to the start of production at that facility.

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

specifications:

Product Quality Levels:

a) Printing (page related) Attributes – Level III.

b) Finishing (item related) Attributes – Level III.

Inspection Levels (from ANSI/ASQC 1.4):

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

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

test with a rejection rate of less than 1/4 of 1% when run through a USPS OCR Scanner.

(d) Exception: ANSI X3.17 “Character Set for Optical Character Recognition (OCR A)” must apply to these

specifications. The revisions of this standard which are effective as of the date of this contract are those

which must apply.

(e) Exception: The notices (front and back) will be read by a high-speed document scanner. These notices must

function properly when processed through a high-speed document scanner. A form is a reject and will be

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considered a major defect when its OCR print cannot be correctly deciphered on the first pass through the

specified reading equipment.

(f) Exception: Data Matrix 2-D barcodes must be in accordance with ISO/IEC 16022 – “International

Symbology Specification, Data Matrix;” ISO/IEC 15418:1999 – “Symbol Data Format Semantics;”

ISO/IEC 15434:1999 – “Symbol Data Format Syntax;” and ISO/IEC 15415 – “Print Quality Standard.”

(g) Exception: Code 39 (3 of 9) barcodes must be in accordance with ANSI MH 10.8M-1983.

(h) Exception: The payment portion below the micro-perforation on the “payment stub” (eRPA SSA-L732-

OP1), once detached, will be scanned and must function properly when processed through the current

high-speed scanning equipment at SSA. The payment stub produced requires precision spacing, printing,

and trimming. It is critical that the bottom of the OCR-A scanline be 1/2” from the bottom of the payment

stub page and that, when reading from the right, the first encodable character is encountered at least 1/4”

but no more than 5/16” (plus or minus 1/16”) from the right leading edge of the payment stub. A form is

a reject and will be considered a major defect when its OCR print cannot be correctly deciphered on the

first pass through the scanning equipment (See “PRINTING/IMAGING” for eRPA SSA-L732-OP1and

“BINDING” for additional information regarding perforated payment stub.)

NOTE: Use of equipment or ink which in any way adversely affects the scannability of the payment stub will not

be allowed. ANSI Standards may be obtained from the American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street,

4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

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

Attribute

Specified Standard

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity

Approved Press Sheets

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

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

P-7. Approved Preproduction Test Samples; Approved Proofs; Electronic Media; Camera/Manuscript Copy.

OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT: The Government has the option to extend the

term of this contract for a period of 12 months by written notice to the contractor not later than 30 days before the

contract expires. If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this

clause, except, the total duration of the contract may not exceed five (5) years as a result of, and including, any

extension(s) added under this clause. Further extension may be negotiated under the “EXTENSION OF

CONTRACT TERM” clause. See also “ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT” for authorized pricing

adjustment(s).

EXTENSION OF CONTRACT TERM: At the request of the Government, the term of any contract resulting

from this solicitation may be extended for such period of time as may be mutually agreeable to the GPO and the

contractor.

ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT: The pricing under this contract shall be adjusted in accordance with this

clause, provided that in no event will any pricing adjustment be made that would exceed the maximum permissible

under any law in effect at the time of the adjustment. There will be no adjustment for orders placed during the

first period specified below. Pricing will thereafter be eligible for adjustment during the second and any

succeeding performance period(s). For each performance period after the first, a percentage figure will be

calculated as described below and that figure will be the economic price adjustment for that entire next period.

Pricing adjustments under this clause are not applicable to reimbursable postage or transportation costs, or

to paper, if paper prices are subject to adjustment by separate clause elsewhere in this contract.

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For the purpose of this clause, performance under this contract will be divided into successive periods. The first

period will extend from June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027 and the second and any succeeding period(s) will extend

for 12 months from the end of the last preceding period, except that the length of the final period may vary. The

first day of the second and any succeeding period(s) will be the effective date of the Economic Price Adjustment

for that period.

Pricing adjustments in accordance with this clause will be based on changes in the seasonally adjusted “Consumer

Price Index For All Urban Consumers - Commodities Less Food” (Index) published monthly in the CPI Detailed

Report by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The economic price adjustment will be the percentage difference between Index averages as specified in this

paragraph. An index called the variable index will be calculated by averaging the monthly Indexes from the 12-

month interval ending three (3) months prior to the beginning of the period being considered for adjustment. This

average is then compared to the average of the monthly Indexes for the 12-month interval ending February 28,

2026 called the base index. The percentage change (plus or minus) of the variable index from the base index will

be the economic price adjustment for the period being considered for adjustment.

The Government will notify the contractor by contract modification specifying the percentage increase or decrease

to be applied to invoices for orders placed during the period indicated. The contractor shall apply the percentage

increase or decrease against the total price of the invoice less reimbursable postage or transportation costs and

separately adjusted paper prices. Payment discounts shall be applied after the invoice price is adjusted.

PAPER PRICE ADJUSTMENT: Paper prices charged under this contract will be adjusted in accordance with

“Table 9 - Producer Price Indexes and Percent Changes for Commodity Groupings and Individual Items” in

Producer Price Indexes report, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as follows:

NOTE: For the purpose of this contract, the Paper Price Adjustment will be based on the date of actual

production. Actual production begins September 1, 2026.

1. BLS code 0913 for All Paper will apply to all paper required under this contract.

2. The applicable index figures for the month of August 2026 will establish the base index.

3. There shall be no price adjustment for the first three (3) production months of the contract.

4. Price adjustments may be monthly thereafter, but only if the index varies by an amount (plus or minus)

exceeding 5% by comparing the base index to the index for that month which is two months prior to the

month is being considered for adjustment.

5. Beginning with order placement in the fourth month, index variances will be calculated in accordance with

the following formula:

X – base index

__________________________ x 100

base index

= % ____________

where X = the index for that month which is two months prior to the month being considered for adjustment.

6. The contract adjustment amount, if any, will be the percentage calculated in 5 above less 5%.

7. Adjustments under this clause will be applied to the contractor’s bid price(s) for Item V., “PAPER” in the

“SCHEDULE OF PRICES” and will be effective on the first day of any month for which prices are to be

adjusted.

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The Contracting Officer will give written notice to the contractor of any adjustments to be applied to invoices for

orders placed during months affected by this clause.

In no event, however, will any price adjustment be made which would exceed the maximum permissible under any

law in effect at the time of the adjustment. The adjustment, if any, shall not be based upon the actual change in cost

to the contractor, but shall be computed as provided above.

The contractor warrants that the paper prices set forth in this contract do not include any allowance for any

contingency to cover anticipated increased costs of paper to the extent such increases are covered by this price

adjustment clause.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: Clause 2352.224-1 Protection of Confidential Information (Dec 2008):

(a) “Confidential information,” as used in this clause, means information or data, or copies or extracts of

information or data, that is: (1) provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to the contractor for,

or otherwise obtained by the contractor in, the performance of this contract; and (2) of a personal nature

about an individual, such as name, home address, and social security number, or proprietary information or

data submitted by or pertaining to an institution or organization, such as employee pay scales and indirect

cost rates.

(b) The Contracting Officer and the contractor may, by mutual consent, identify elsewhere in this contract

specific information or categories of information that the Government will furnish to the contractor or that

the contractor is expected to generate which are confidential. Similarly, the Contracting Officer and the

contractor may, by mutual consent, identify such confidential information from time to time during the

performance of the contract. The confidential information will be used only for purposes delineated in the

contract; any other use of the confidential information will require the Contracting Officer’s express written

authorization. The Contracting Officer and the contractor will settle any disagreements regarding the

identification pursuant to the “Disputes” clause.

and officials who need it to perform the contract. Employees and officials who need access to confidential

information for performance of the contract will be determined in conference between SSA’s Contracting

Officer, Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative, and the responsible contractor official. Upon

request, the contractor will provide SSA with a list of “authorized personnel,” that is, all persons who have

or will have access to confidential information covered by this clause.

(d) The contractor shall process all confidential information under the immediate supervision and control of

authorized personnel in a manner that will: protect the confidentiality of the records; prevent the

unauthorized use of confidential information; and prevent access to the records by unauthorized persons.

(e) The contractor shall assure that each contractor employee with access to confidential information knows

the prescribed rules of conduct, and that each contractor employee is aware that he/she may be subject to

criminal penalties for violations of the Privacy Act and/or the Social Security Act.

When the contractor employees are made aware of this information, they will be required to sign the SSA-

301, “Contractor Personnel Security Certification” (see Exhibit A).

A copy of this signed certification must be forwarded to: SSA, Attn: Jamey Mays DMIM, 1300 Annex

Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, or email to: Jamey.mays@ssa.gov. A copy

must also be forwarded to: U.S. Government Publishing Office, Attn: jyarbrough@gpo.gov. (See paragraph

(f) below regarding the minimum standards that the safeguards must meet.)

(f) Whenever the contractor is storing, viewing, transmitting, or otherwise handling confidential information,

the contractor shall comply with the applicable standards for security controls that are established in the

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