Career Service and Retirement Certificates

Location:	Federal
Posted:	Nov 24, 2025
Due:	Dec 8, 2025
Agency:	U.S. Government Publishing Office
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	70 - General Purpose Information Technology Equipment (including software). R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services S - Utilities and Training Services U - Education and Training Services
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Program 878-S

Specifications by SB

Reviewed by JY

Page 1 of 17

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Washington, DC

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS

For the Procurement of

Career Service and Retirement Certificates

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

U.S. Government Publishing Office

Publication and Information Sales

Single Award

TERM OF CONTRACT: The term of this contract is for the period beginning March 1, 2026 and ending February

28, 2027, plus up to four (4) optional 12-month extension periods that may be added in accordance with the

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

BID OPENING: Bids shall be opened virtually at 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET), on December 8, 2025, 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.

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: These specifications have been revised; therefore, all bidders are cautioned to

familiarize themselves with all provisions of these specifications before bidding.

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 Stacy Bindernagel at sbindernagel@gpo.gov or (202) 512-2103.

Career Service and Retirement Certificates

878-S (2/27)

Page 2 of 17

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.

SUBCONTRACTING: The predominant production functions of this contract are printing, stamping, embossing,

packing, and delivery of certificates. Any bidder who must subcontract any of these operations will be declared

non-responsible.

GPO IMPRINT REQUIREMENT: The GPO imprint requirement, GPO Contract Terms, Supplemental

Specifications, No. 9, is waived.

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

these specifications –

Product Quality Levels:

(a) Printing Attributes (page related) – Quality Level II.

(b) Finishing Attributes (item related) – Quality Level I.

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

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

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

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

Attribute

Specified Standard

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity

Approved Prior to Production Samples/

Average type dimension in publication

P-9. Solid and Screen Tint Color

Approved Prior to Production Samples/

Pantone Matching System book

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).

Career Service and Retirement Certificates

878-S (2/27)

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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 a separate clause elsewhere in this contract.

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

period will extend from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 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 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 November 30,

2025, 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.

PREAWARD SURVEY: In order to determine the responsibility of the prime contractor or any subcontractor,

the Government reserves the right to conduct an on-site preaward survey at the contractor's/subcontractor's facility

or to require other evidence of technical, production, managerial, financial, and similar abilities to perform, prior to

the award of a contract.

As part of the financial determination, the contractor in line for award may be required to provide one or more of

the following financial documents:

1) Most recent profit and loss statement

2) Most recent balance sheet

3) Statement of cash flows

4) Current official bank statement

5) Current lines of credit (with amounts available)

6) Letter of commitment from paper supplier(s)

7) Letter of commitment from any subcontractor

Career Service and Retirement Certificates

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These documents will be reviewed to validate that adequate financial resources are available to perform the contract

requirements. Documents submitted will be kept confidential and used only for the determination of responsibility

by the Government. Failure to provide the requested information, in the time specified by the Government, may

result in the Contracting Officer not having adequate information to reach an affirmative determination of

responsibility.

ASSIGNMENT OF JACKET, PURCHASE ORDER, AND PRINT ORDER NUMBERS: A GPO jacket

number will be assigned and a purchase order issued to the contractor to cover work performed. The purchase order

will be supplemented by an individual print order for each job placed with the contractor. The print order, when

issued, will indicate the quantity to be produced and any other information pertinent to the particular order.

ORDERING: Items to be furnished under the contract shall be ordered by the issuance of print orders by the

Government. Orders may be issued under the contract from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, plus for such

additional period(s) as the contract is extended. All print orders issued hereunder are subject to the terms and

conditions of the contract. The contract shall control in the event of conflict with any print order. A print order

shall be “issued” upon notification by the Government for purposes of the contract when it is electronically

transmitted or otherwise physically furnished to the contractor in conformance with the schedule.

REQUIREMENTS: This is a requirement contract for the items and for the period specified herein.

Shipment/delivery of items or performance of work shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance

with the clause entitled “ORDERING.” The quantities of items specified herein are estimates only and are not

purchased hereby. Except as may be otherwise provided in this contract, if the Government’s requirements for the

items set forth herein do not result in orders in the amounts or quantities described as “estimated,” it shall not

constitute the basis for an equitable price adjustment under this contract.

Except as otherwise provided in this contract, the Government shall order from the contractor all the items set forth

which are required to be purchased by the Government activity identified on page 1.

The Government shall not be required to purchase from the contractor requirements in excess of the limit on total

orders under this contract, if any.

Orders issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that time shall be completed by

the contractor within the time specified in the order, and the rights and obligations of the contractor and the

Government respecting those orders shall be governed by the terms of this contract to the same extent as if

completed during the effective period of this contract.

If shipment/delivery of any quantity of an item covered by the contract is required by reason of urgency prior to the

earliest date that shipment/delivery may be specified under this contract, and if the contractor will not accept an

order providing for the accelerated shipment/delivery, the Government may procure this requirement from another

source.

The Government may issue orders which provide for shipment/delivery to or performance at multiple destinations.

Subject to any limitations elsewhere in this contract, the contractor shall furnish to the Government all items set

forth herein which are called for by print orders issued in accordance with the “ORDERING” clause of this contract.

ADDITIONAL EMAILED BID SUBMISSION PROVISIONS: The Government will not be responsible for

any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of the emailed bid including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Illegibility of bid.

2. Emails over 75 MB may not be received by GPO due to size limitations for receiving emails.

3. The bidder’s email provider may have different size limitations for sending email; however, bidders are

advised not to exceed GPO’s stated limit.

Career Service and Retirement Certificates

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4. When the emailed bid is received by GPO, it will remain unopened until the specified bid opening time.

Government personnel will not validate receipt of the emailed bid prior to bid opening. GPO will use the

prevailing time (specified as the local time zone) and the exact time that the email is received by GPO’s

email server as the official time stamp for bid receipt at the specified location.

PAYMENT: Submitting invoices for payment via the GPO fax gateway (if no samples are required) utilizing the

GPO barcode coversheet program application is the most efficient method of receiving payment. Instruction for

using this method can be found at the following web address:

http://winapps.access.gpo.gov/fms/vouchers/barcode/instructions.html.

Invoices may also be mailed to: U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of Financial Management, Attn:

Comptroller, Stop: FMCE, Washington, DC 20401.

For more information about the billing process, refer to the General Information of the Office of Finance web page located

at: https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-with-us/vendors/how-to-get-paid.

Contractor’s billing invoices must be itemized in accordance with the line items in the “SCHEDULE OF

PRICES.” Failure to submit invoices as required may result in delay of payment or rejection of invoice.

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