Tools Help Print Shops Win GPO Work

Using tools designed for a specific job can make the difference between the job being completed successfully… or not. That is certainly true with household projects. For starters, it helps to know where to find your tools, have them in one place and organized. When you need that phillips head screwdriver, you want to be able to put your hands on it and not waste time looking for it. Construction professionals depend on tools designed for specific jobs, and they keep them organized so they are easily accessible because time is money to them.

According to Deborah Snider, senior vice president of e-LYNXX Corporation, and president of its Government Print Management division, the same is true for printers seeking work through the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) which awards millions of dollars in federal government printing to private sector printers each year. Last year, the total was $358 million to more than 1,700 printers of all sizes across the United States.

Successful GPO printers, those that develop GPO as a profitable secondary market, do it with the aid of tools that are, in some cases, required and, in other cases, optional. The optional tools provide a competitive advantage. Snider recommended as the most comprehensive resource for printers seeking GPO work http://www.e-lynxx.com/GPM/GPOBidServices/ProvenProfitBuildingModel.aspx. Provided on this site are the steps for winning GPO work – registering with GPO, identifying and targeting opportunities, developing pricing, and preparing and submitting bids. What this site does not provide, but what clients of Government Print Management do gain, is access to a secure online link that offers:

GPO PUBLICATIONS, FORMS AND CONTACTS – Rules, regulations and standards for printing federal documents are provided in detail in this tab on the site’s opening page. To begin with, every printer seeking GPO work must be qualified to bid on work at one or more of five quality levels ranging from functional to museum quality. The printer can only bid in the categories for which it is qualified so it is important to work with GPO experienced print professionals who know how to get you qualified for the highest levels possible. Information on how to contact GPO officials also is given at this tab.

JOB AND PROGRAM SOLICITATIONS -- Once GPO qualified, it is essential to obtain daily every available GPO bid opportunity that matches your capabilities. All available jobs are put out for bid by GPO’s offices in Washington, D.C., as well as GPO offices in Atlanta, Ga., Boston, Mass., Charleston, S. C., Chicago, Ill., Columbus, Ohio, Dallas, Tex., Denver, Colo., Hampton, Va., New York, N. Y., Oklahoma City, Okla., Philadelphia, Pa., San Antonio, Tex., San Diego, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., and Seattle, Wash. Only one firm, Government Print Management, subscribes to GPO’s comprehensive jobs listing service that provides this information. In the Solicitations Tab, these opportunities may be organized in a number of ways -- quality, quantity and opening date to note a few. Also, a quick synopsis of each one-time job or multi-year program is provided so the printer can determine whether it is a fit for its capabilities and production availability.

AMENDMENTS -- The Amendment Tab is a key reference for a printer that is bidding on certain large jobs or a single or multi-year program because it alerts the printer to specification changes made by GPO since issuing the initial request for bids. It is the printer’s responsibility to keep track of amendments. Jobs have been lost by printers that have not kept track and have not made the required change before submitting a bid.