News and Press Releases

GPO Print Procurement Program Helps Stimulate Local Economies During Covid-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON —The U.S. Government Publishing Office’s (GPO) print procurement program awarded nearly $517.5 million in contracts with private sector printing companies across the country to meet the printing and publishing needs of Federal agencies in fiscal year 2020. Nearly 82% of all printing ordered by Federal agencies from GPO is performed by private sector firms working under contract with the agency. GPO typically awards contracts to 1,000–2,000 printing contractors a year on a competitive basis. Nearly 10,000 companies are registered to do business with the agency, using GPO as their one-stop shop for print and related services contract opportunities. In fiscal year 2020, GPO awarded jobs to vendors in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. GPO’s relationship with the private sector dates back to the 1940s. This program provides significant economic opportunity for the printing industry and local economies.

GPO’s top contractors for FY2020:

“GPO’s partnership with the private sector printing industry continues to be a cornerstone of meeting the printing and publishing needs for Federal agencies,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. “The unexpected coronavirus pandemic has been very challenging, and GPO is proud to do its part in contributing to local economies by working with printing companies throughout the country.”

Studies by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Joint Committee on Printing have shown that the most cost-effective use of Federal agency printing dollars is through GPO's partnership with the private sector printing and information product industry. Federal agencies realize significant savings by using GPO, as compared to printing products themselves. In addition, when agencies use GPO, their information products are made available to the public through GPO's Federal Depository Library and Publications and Information Sales programs.

GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.govinfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.

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