U . S . G O V E R N M E N T P R I N T I N G O F F I C E I K E E P I N G A M E R I C A I N F O R M E D

2

December 1, 2004

1stCentury

A Strategic Vision

for the
ii UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION 1

I. SITUATION

The United States Government Printing Office is 

at the epicenter of change in the ways humans 

create and use information to communicate, remain 

informed, research a topic and preserve a record.

For more than 500 years tangible documents were 

created using processes that could be seen and felt by 

craftspeople trained in the art and craft of typesetting, 

printing and binding. Authors began with a paper 

manuscript and saw their words transformed into 

type and reproduced as pamphlets, catalogs and 

books. These tangible documents were distributed by 

booksellers and delivered by the postal service and 

many found their way into the collections of libraries.

Today, for many documents, there is no longer 

a requirement for typesetting, printing or binding 

and there is no tangible document to make its way 

to library shelves or to be preserved for the future. 

Authors begin the process by digitally recording their 

manuscript on a personal computer. By making this 

document available through a web portal there often 

is no need for original printing of multiple copies. 

Such documents are said to be “born digital and 

published to the Web.”

We estimate that as many as 50% of all U.S. 

Government documents are now born digital, 

published to the Web and will never be printed by the 

Federal government. 

Therein lies the biggest challenge for the 

Government Printing Office. 

Recently, Congress asked the Government 

Accountability Office to examine the current state 

of printing and dissemination of public government 

information. The study, which is summarized in 

Appendix A, has proven a very useful guide and 

benchmark in the preparation of this Strategic Vision 

for the future of the Government Printing Office.

II. THE MISSION

By law and tradition, GPO has three essential 

missions:

■ To provide the agencies and organizations 

which make up the three branches of the Federal 

government with expert publishing and printing 

services, on a cost recovery basis, in order to avoid 

duplication and waste of government resources.

■ To provide, in partnership with Federal Depository 

libraries, for nationwide community facilities 

for the perpetual, free and ready public access to 

the printed and electronic documents, and other 

information products, of the Federal government.

■ To distribute, on a cost recovery basis, copies 

of printed and electronic documents and other 

government information products to the general 

public.

Throughout its history, GPO has been organized 

to carry out its mission in a traditional printing 

craft setting with its emphasis on extensive capital 

investments in heavy metal equipment operated in a 

large factory environment.

While GPO’s mission will remain essentially 

the same in the future, the introduction of digital 

technology has changed the ways its products and 

services will be created and how they will look and 

function to meet the ever changing needs of the 

Federal government and the way public users of 

Government information now prefer it.

It is the reorganization of the Government Printing 

Office to carry out its mission to meet the changing 

requirements of the Federal government that this 

document addresses.

III. THE VISION

To deliver Federal information products and services 

from a flexible digital platform.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

Strategic Vision

December 1, 2004
2 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION

IV. GOALS

A. Develop a flexible digital information content 

system for Federal documents.

Objectives:

■ To have a single authoritative resource to 

authenticate digital Federal documents.

■ To have a responsible digital repository for all 

Federal documents – past, present and future – that 

are within the scope of the Federal Depository 

Library Program (FDLP) of permanent preservation 

for public access.

■ To have a single authoritative source from which 

masters can be made to create printed or digital 

copies of documents to meet government, library 

and public needs.

■ To have the flexibility to expand beyond text to 

include other future formats such as full motion 

video and sound.

B. Prepare and equip GPO to provide 

the future services and products required by 

its Federal customers.

Objectives:

■ To have an organizational structure that focuses on 

customer service and dissemination at every level 

and which is designed to guide customers in the 

development of information products and services 

to meet their needs.

■ To build and equip a next generation “digital 

information factory” and back it up with a remote 

facility that both protects the Government’s 

information assets and provides additional and 

emergency production capabilities. 

■ To train GPO employees who have the interest and 

aptitude in the digital information skills that will be 

needed in the future.

■ To supplement the skills of existing GPO 

employees as required by recruiting new 

employees with specialized education in physics, 

mathematics, electrical and computer engineering, 

nanotechnology, chemistry, computer chip design 

and fabrication and computer security, as examples.

C. Develop a new model for the Federal Depository 

Library Program which increases partner flexibility. 

Objectives:

■ To provide FDLP members access to all past, present 

and future Federal documents in a digital format 

that can be searched, downloaded and printed over 

the Internet at no charge.

■ To provide specialized Web search tools and 

training to depository librarians to enable them 

to better serve their clients in locating and using 

Federal information.

■ To continue to offer FDLP members the option of 

receiving print versions of key Federal documents 

(when made available by the authoring agency), 

or to substitute available electronic documents for 

printed documents.

■ To allow the existing 53 regional depository 

libraries to combine their tangible collections in a 

manner that will continue to offer acceptable public 

access to documents at reduced operating costs to 

participating libraries.

■ To develop two collections, one in the East and one 

in the West, which will hold all known tangible 

and electronic FDLP documents in a safe and secure 

archival environment, with documents withdrawn 

on a controlled basis as a last resort when no 

circulating copy is available. 

■ To revise document holding period requirements 

for selective depositories to better meet their needs 

and the public’s requirements in consideration of 

the availability of digital documents.

D. To serve the public’s needs by increasing the 

access to, and the usefulness of, Federal information.

Objectives:

■ To digitize and authenticate all known Federal 

documents, beginning with the Federalist Papers, 

to allow the entire collection to be searched on the 

Web and viewed over the Internet from a home, 

office, school or library.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION 3

■ To employ on-demand printing technology to 

enable single copy printing of documents which 

were either born digital or are no longer in 

warehouse stock.

■ To offer unique versions of digital information 

to meet the special needs of individuals and 

businesses.

E. To increase the percentage of Federal documents 

procured by GPO pursuant to Title 44 of the 

U.S. Code and ensure that all pertinent documents 

enter the FDLP.

Objectives:

■ To streamline GPO’s printing procurement system 

to make it easier and less expensive for agencies to 

use its services in accordance with the agreements 

in the GPO/OMB Compact.

■ To organize GPO’s printing procurement operations 

around Federal department and agency structures 

to enable GPO personnel to become experts in the 

missions of customers and their corresponding 

information needs. 

■ To be proactive in customer communications to 

make certain that customers understand their 

responsibilities under the law and the wide variety 

of products and services that GPO has, or which 

it can develop, to meet their needs including 

electronic documents and information within the 

scope of the FDLP. 

■ To help agencies which maintain their own internal 

printing operations to determine if their needs 

could be better served, and costs reduced, by either 

shutting their plants and contracting the printing 

to the private sector or by contracting the operation 

of their facilities to the private sector.

F. Develop a modern, integrated enterprise approach 

to managing GPO’s business, operational and financial 

systems.

Objectives:

■ To improve operations by enabling managers to 

have more timely and accurate information for 

decision making.

■ To reduce costs associated with the operation 

and maintenance of several stand alone, legacy 

computer systems.

■ To improve customer satisfaction with more 

accurate and timely job and billing information.

■ To improve employee satisfaction with timely and 

integrated personnel information.

G. Provide the financial resources required to 

accomplish our Strategic Vision using GPO’s 

own operations and assets as well as normal 

appropriations, with the exception of a 

one-time infusion of workforce development 

and training funds.

Objectives:

■ To maintain the appropriation for Congressional 

Printing & Binding at existing levels, adjusting 

only for volume and any increase in direct costs, 

through fiscal year 2008, thereafter reducing the 

appropriation by approximately 30% to reflect 

the operating efficiencies of a new plant and 

equipment.

■ To maintain the appropriation for the Federal 

Depository Library Program at existing levels, 

adjusting only for increases in direct costs, through 

fiscal year 2008, after which we expect cash 

generated from operating efficiencies to be used 

to supplement the existing appropriation level to 

cover the operating costs of the new digital content 

system.

■ For Congress to allow GPO to reprogram in fiscal 

year 2005 existing appropriated funds from prior 

years that will not be needed, to help pay the onetime costs associated with the development of the 

digital content system.
4 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION

V. THE STRATEGY

A. Create a Digital Information System

The core of our future operations will revolve around 

the GPO developed Digital Content System designed 

to organize, manage and output authenticated 

content for any use or purpose and to preserve the 

content independent of specific hardware or software 

so that it can be migrated forward and preserved for 

the benefit of future generations. (A summary of the 

Concept of Operations for this system may be found 

as Appendix B to this document.) 

All known Federal Government documents within 

the scope of the FDLP, whether printed or born 

digital, will be catalogued and authenticated and then 

entered into the system according to GPO metadata 

and document creation standards. Content may 

include text and associated graphics, video and sound 

and other requirements that may come to be.

Content will be available for Web searching and 

Internet viewing, downloading and printing, and as 

document masters for conventional and on-demand 

printing, or other digital requirements.

We expect the Digital Content System to be fully 

functional by December 2007.

B. Build a New Printing and Digital Information Factory 

To meet continuing printing needs of Congress 

and agency customers and provide for a modern 

information processing environment, we must 

relocate to new facilities sized and equipped for our 

future requirements. The GPO’s current buildings are 

both too large and too antiquated and continue to 

drain the organization of vital resources needed for 

investments in new technology.

We have engaged the services of the Staubach 

Company to assist in site selection, development of 

facilities and equipment specifications, selection of 

developers and general oversight of construction. 

We expect to relocate GPO’s main facilities in the 

greater Washington, DC area and locate a backup 

facility for security and intelligent documents and 

other requirements at the Nevada Test Site, one of the 

nation’s most secure Federal locations.

We expect the Nevada site to be functional and 

producing passports and other documents by July 

2006, and GPO’s main site will be functional and 

producing the Official Journals of Government, 

passports and other security documents by December 

2007.

C. Streamline and Refocus Customer Services 

for Government Agencies

For our customers in Federal agencies, we will 

continue to provide traditional printed products 

and services through private sector vendors using 

GPO’s experience and buying power to create the 

best value for taxpayers. In keeping with the spirit 

of the GPO/OMB Compact, we will offer customers 

more flexibility in choosing and working directly with 

vendors, especially with small value purchases and 

complex purchases involving multiple functions such 

as data preparation, personalization, and distribution. 

To achieve maximum government wide efficiency, 

it is GPO’s goal to have most purchases under 

$10,000 bought under the SPA program, through 

term contracts, or directly from vendors with GPO 

contracted price schedules. It is also GPO’s goal to 

have most high value, complex purchases procured 

under best value practices that allow vendors more 

latitude and creativity in meeting the Government’s 

requirements for publishing programs.

In many agencies, conventional printing is only 

one aspect of their communications needs. Most 

agency programs now consist of both printed and 

electronic information products. In order to guide our 

customers in the most efficient use of conventional 

and emerging technologies, GPO will reorganize its 

Customer Service unit to include teams of individuals 

assigned to specific departments and agencies. These 

teams will provide conventional printing support, but 

will also be available to work with program managers 

in planning the best solutions to their information 

dissemination needs, such as content development, 

graphic design, web site design and hosting, rich 

media and on-demand printing.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION 5

The existing regional office structure was originally 

designed to provide local face-to-face support for 

customers and vendors, but for the most part, offices 

now operate in competition with each other to 

win work from agencies throughout the country. 

Most communication with customers and vendors 

occurs through telephone, fax, e-mail and courier. 

For most of the printing processed through regional 

offices and their satellites, geography is not a factor. 

This structure is no longer economically viable. Our 

strategy is to consolidate the organization into fewer 

regional offices which will support the central office 

teams through face-to-face visits with customers to 

develop new business, assist them in program design 

and solve problems. They will also have responsibility 

for vendor development including face-to-face visits 

for customer support activities such as press checks 

and inspections.

We expect all aspects of this strategy to be fully 

functional by December 2005.

D. Create a New Internal Production Platform

Because of rapid changes in technology, which in turn 

affect customer requirements, GPO’s internal printing 

production capabilities will be narrowly focused 

in support of the Official Journals of Government, 

including the Congressional Record and Federal 

Register, Congress’s requirements, and security and 

intelligent documents.

It is clear that while print quantities continue to 

drop there will remain a need for printed documents 

in support of the Official Journals of Government. 

The GPO will engineer a new, more flexible and cost 

efficient printing platform for these documents in 

conjunction with the move to new facilities.

Security and intelligent documents will be a 

growing and increasingly important business line 

for GPO. More documents, such as passports, will 

incorporate electronic devices for added security. We 

will continue to use our expertise in this area to guide 

government agencies in the design and application of 

complex intelligent documents. To protect national 

security interests, GPO will manufacture most 

documents internally. At present GPO is designing a 

new production platform for passports which will be 

moved, when appropriate, to the new Washington 

facility and duplicated at the Nevada facility to enable 

load balanced production at both sites.

E. Focus Federal Depository Library Program on Digital 

Content Management

It is clear that all future Government information, 

including text and graphics, still and moving images, 

and sound, will either be born digital or transformed 

into digital structure for manipulation, storage and 

delivery to end users. It is the convergence of text, 

still and moving images, and sound, into a single 

electronic content database that will revolutionize 

future communications.

The FDLP will determine the content of GPO’s 

new Digital Content System, set standards for Federal 

documents, authenticate documents, catalog and 

manage the content, and determine the standards for 

preservation of the content for future generations. 

This will be done in context with the development of 

the Digital Content System.

The FDLP will also set the standards for digitizing 

retrospective tangible documents, acquire both 

the tangible documents and digitizing services and 

provide quality assurance for the content. The goal 

is to digitize all retrospective documents that can be 

authenticated back to the Federalist Papers. We expect 

to complete 70% of this task by December 2007.

The future Digital Content System is under 

development by GPO’s Office of Innovation and New 

Technology, in collaboration with other business 

units, and is scheduled for full implementation 

by December 2007. The hardware and software 

associated with the system will be managed by GPO’s 

Office of Information Technology and Systems.
6 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION

F. Train GPO’s Workforce in Digital Information Skills 

In the first quarter of 2005, GPO will inaugurate 

Digital Media Services, a new business unit that 

will provide a platform for training GPO employees 

in 21st century workforce skills while providing 

retrospective document scanning services for the 

FDLP and other Federal agencies.

Employees will be selected to work in this unit 

based on their interest, aptitude, existing skills and 

education. Jobs will range from simple machine 

operation to complex editorial requirements. All, 

however, will be under the umbrella of 21st century 

workforce skills. After training, some employees will 

be rotated back to other business units to utilize their 

newly learned skills.

It is our goal to have 300 employees participate in 

this program by December 2007.

G. Develop a New Enterprise Wide 

Computing Platform

GPO will migrate its current business, operational, 

and financial systems, including associated workflow 

processes, to an integrated system of enterprise system 

software and applications, which meet all security and 

privacy requirements. Enterprise program activities 

will include implementation and administration 

of remote systems hosting and disaster recovery 

services. The scope of this program will be agencywide, and will include financial applications, human 

resource information, inventory, work-in-process, 

and procurement applications and functionality. 

A significant part of this program will allow GPO 

to leverage e-commerce functionality to increase 

customer ease-of-use, and to provide industry leading 

on-demand printing and e-Production capabilities. 

Development and implementation of modules is 

ongoing with full implementation to be completed by 

December 2007.

H. Redevelop Existing Headquarter Facilities 

The Government Printing Office headquarters real 

estate holdings consist of 60, mostly contiguous, 

parcels located between G and H Streets on North 

Capitol Street, NW, which together comprise four 

buildings and vacant land on approximately 8.5 total 

acres.

The GPO proposes to trade these facilities, which 

are uneconomic and functionally obsolete, for new 

facilities designed and equipped to meet its current 

mission and flexible enough to expand or contract to 

meet future requirements, on the following basis:

■ The proceeds from the transaction are sufficient 

to pay all costs associated with new buildings and 

equipment and moving expenses.

■ The new operating environment lowers GPO’s 

operating costs so that appropriation burdens may 

be reduced and sufficient cash flow is generated to 

meet ongoing capital requirements.

■ That the financial transaction be structured in a 

fashion that permits the Federal Government to 

retain title to the real property situated on the west 

side of North Capitol, and that any scoring issues 

be acceptable to Congress.

■ That the GPO retains a presence in the existing 

facilities, so that its headquarters can be said to 

remain in the North Capitol complex.

The Government Printing Office has engaged the 

services of the Staubach Company to assist in the 

development process. We expect the terms of any 

redevelopment to be settled by mid-2005.

I. Reorganizing GPO Around Business Lines

Unlike organizations of Government that receive 

most of their income through appropriations, 

GPO receives about 15% of its income through 

appropriations and earns the rest by providing 

products and services to other Government entities. 

It operates much like a business, setting revenue and 

expense goals and earning a profit, or making a loss, 

depending on its operating skills.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION 7

To better address the many challenges and 

opportunities posed by the 21st century publishing 

environment, GPO will reconfigure its organizational 

structure around six business lines. The new 

organization will assist GPO’s transformation 

into a more efficient and customer-driven agency, 

implement a more integrated approach to printing, 

publishing, and information dissemination 

requirements, employ more advanced business 

systems, and improve management control and 

decision making.

These new Business Units will be phased in over 

the next two years in the following order:

1. Security and Intelligent Documents

This line of business will work with Federal agencies 

to assist in the safe and secure design, production and 

distribution of security and intelligent documents, 

many of which will incorporate electronic and other 

fraud and counterfeit protection features. In the post 

9/11 era, documents such as U.S. passports, Social 

Security cards, travel documents, and immigration 

forms require new levels of security from their 

creation to their ultimate disposition. The unit will 

manage highly secure and duplicative production 

facilities in Washington and at the Nevada Test Site. 

It will participate and contribute to establishing 

U.S. and International standards for security and 

other sensitive documents and, as recommended 

by the 9/11 Commission, for items such as birth 

certificates and drivers’ licenses that are used in the 

establishment of identity in interaction with Federal 

agencies.

2. Digital Media Services

This unit will develop and maintain the resources 

necessary to provide services to Federal agencies and 

the FDLP, to allow them to both add content to GPO’s 

Digital Content System, and to withdraw or receive 

content to produce specific products and services.

It will develop the capability to efficiently convert 

printed legacy documents into searchable digital 

content that meets FDLP standards.

This group will lead in the development of new 

GPO electronic products and services to better meet 

our customers’ information needs, including Web site 

design and hosting, and rich media capabilities. It will 

also house GPO’s creative capabilities for customers.

3. Customer Services

This is an existing GPO business unit that was 

previously focused primarily on printing procurement 

functions and operated in a decentralized fashion 

with roughly half the purchasing requirements 

handled by its Washington headquarters and the 

other half in 20 offices throughout the country. As the 

total number of Government printing jobs continues 

to decline and the quantities are reduced for existing 

jobs, the current structure is no longer financially 

viable and is not needed with today’s business 

communication capabilities.

This unit will be transformed into a consultative 

selling organization with an emphasis on educating 

Government customers in regard to the best ways of 

using information technology to meet their program 

objectives. The unit will continue to purchase most 

required services, including printing, in the private 

sector.

This unit will be organized around its customers, 

with a team of GPO employees assigned to each 

principal agency customer. Each team will have a 

manager whose responsibility it is to become an 

authority on the mission of their customer agency 

and will be supported by a national account manager 

whose responsibility it is to develop new business 

from the agency and to visit the agency’s principal 

locations on a regular basis to consult with program 

managers. We proposed to reduce the number of 

field offices. These offices will offer further support 

to customer teams and will aid the business unit in 

vendor development. In special situations, GPO will 

station Customer Service employees at customer sites 

as required.
8 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION

4. Library Services and Content Management

This unit will continue to manage the Federal 

Depository Library Program under the direction of 

Congress to ensure equitable, secure, convenient, and 

permanent public access to Government information 

in tangible and digital forms.

It will oversee the development of processes and 

standards to ensure the timely inclusion of all past, 

present and future Government publications, whether 

born digital or created through digitization of print 

material, into the GPO Digital Publication Content 

system to create a complete FDLP digital information 

collection that can be authenticated and preserved for 

future generations.

The unit will support the Federal Depository 

Library community in its efforts to create a reasonable 

number of comprehensive collections of tangible 

Government publications in view of changing library 

resources and technology. GPO will also develop two 

complete collections, as last resorts, that will store 

both tangible and digital versions of all publications.

5. Publication and Information Sales Program

Because of dwindling demand for printed products, 

GPO will discontinue ordering printed copies of 

agency publications for warehousing and subsequent 

sale. Instead, this unit will develop a capability to 

fulfill customer orders through other booksellers.

GPO will continue to provide subscription services 

for Government periodical publications that can be 

fulfilled directly from the printer or its mail house, 

and that are economically viable. Back copies will be 

provided by a contract vendor employing on-demand 

printing technology to back a modest inventory.

While the FDLP will continue to offer free public 

access to all Government information available 

through the Internet, GPO will focus on developing 

unique collections of digital information, which will 

be “pushed” over the Internet to primarily business 

customers on a subscription basis. GPO is interested 

in forming alliances with Federal agencies and private 

sector information vendors as appropriate.

6. Official Journals of Government

The need for traditional print products such as 

the Official Journals of Government (such as the 

Congressional Record and many legislative products, 

and the Federal Register and related products), will 

remain until such time as practicable alternatives 

are developed and accepted by our customers. This 

business line will continue to meet congressional 

and agency needs for these types of traditional 

products while at the same time ensuring the proper 

coordination of their digital versions with other GPO 

business operations and meeting GPO’s electronic 

information dissemination mandate.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION 9

VI. SUCCESS FACTORS

To successfully implement GPO’s Strategic Vision 

and achieve our goals and objectives, certain critical 

conditions must be met:

A. Developing a Digital Content System

This will be the core of GPO’s future operations. The 

system will ingest content from many sources, catalog 

and authenticate it, manage it, output it for a variety 

of purposes and preserve it for future generations.

B. Constructing New Facilities

To meet continuing printing needs of Congress 

and agency customers, and provide for a modern 

information processing environment, we must 

relocate to a new facility sized and equipped for our 

future requirements. The GPO’s current buildings are 

both too large and too antiquated and continue to 

drain the organization of vital resources needed for 

investments in new technology. In addition, a second 

facility will be required to provide production and 

communications backup for the primary facility.

C. Acquiring and Installing New Technology

Relocating to modern facilities will require GPO to 

install new technology, communications equipment, 

enterprise architecture, and modern printing 

production equipment to continue operations 

seamlessly to our customers. New technology will 

ensure that our future business processes meet the 

challenges of collecting, managing, and disseminating 

Government information in the years ahead.

D. Establishing New Financing

GPO will pursue new financing strategies, under 

existing authority, that will supplement our revenues, 

such as developing new pricing and revenue-sharing 

strategies and implementing cost-reduction programs. 

In addition, with GPO currently owning its real 

estate, constructing and financing a new facility, at 

a minimum, would allow us to substitute one asset 

for another of equal fair market value. Any financial 

resources that would be obtained, over and above 

the cost of a new facility, would be used to finance 

important future technology investments once new 

authority is granted.

E. Training GPO’s Workforce

A newly equipped and modern facility will require 

the right people with the right skills for the right jobs. 

We will select, train, and place a diverse workforce, 

using best business practices to ensure the talent 

necessary to accomplish the GPO mission. Innovative 

organizational design will be used to align the 

workforce with GPO’s business-wide strategic goals 

and objectives. 

F. Obtaining Legislative Authorities

Most of the activities outlined in this document 

can be undertaken with the approval of the Joint 

Committee on Printing. However, GPO will seek 

specific legislative authority to redevelop its current 

real estate holdings and retain the proceeds to 

develop and equip a new main facility and make 

other technology investments. GPO will also ask 

Congress to review proposed changes to the FDLP to 

determine whether or not new legislative authority 

is required. Financially, GPO will seek permission 

from Congress to reprogram some appropriated but 

unspent funds to meet one time costs associated with 

new digital technology in support of Congress and 

the FDLP.
10 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE STRATEGIC VISION

VII. CONCLUSION

Printing, the predominant means for information 

exchange for centuries, has been superceded by 

electronic information technologies, which are now 

the preferred mechanism for producing and accessing 

Government information. The times have changed 

and the GPO must change with them if it is to 

continue carrying out its core mission.

We need to forge a new GPO for the 21st century, 

one that is rooted in our core mission, but which 

uses the technologies of today and tomorrow – not 

yesterday – to keep their vision alive. This strategic 

plan is dedicated to that purpose, and to the men 

and women of the GPO who will carry it out in the 

months and years ahead.

What will GPO finally look like in the 21st century?

Our digital technology will represent a 21st century 

model of excellence, in leading customers to digital 

solutions through effective leadership, employee 

assistance, and customer-driven partnerships.

Our facilities, fully equipped with the new 

technology, will reflect GPO’s full participation in the 

digital information world.

And finally, we will be branded with a new 

organizational culture, as the men and women of the 

GPO work in an environment of intelligent risk taking 

that encourages continuous innovation, change, and 

improvement in service.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

Business Plan

For Fiscal Years 2005 Through 2009

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE BUSINESS PLAN 11
12 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE BUSINESS PLAN

The Government Printing Office’s business activities 

are financed through a business-like revolving fund 

authorized by 44 USC 309. The fund is reimbursed 

by payments from customer agencies for printing, 

binding, and information products and services, 

sales to the public of Government publications, and 

transfers from two appropriations – the Congressional 

Printing and Binding Appropriation, which covers 

authorized congressional work, and the Salaries 

and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent 

of Documents, which covers expenses associated 

with the distribution of Government information 

as required by law. Congress has also appropriated 

money to the revolving fund for purposes other than 

printing requirements, such as facilities, technology 

improvements, and retirement incentive programs. 

Table 1 below forecasts increasing cash flow 

over the fiscal year 2005-2009 timeframe, giving 

recognition to essential capital requirements that 

must be financed at various stages of the plan. It 

also reflects the GPO’s financing needs for both new 

and existing operations. Underlying this financial 

projection is the assumption that excess funds will not 

be generated in the early years of the plan, as all funds 

will be needed to finance the GPO’s transformation. 

Not until the last two years of the plan will GPO 

be in a position to start generating excess funds 

from normal operations because of the reduction 

of overhead costs and new business operating 

efficiencies. With the appropriate authorization, these 

funds could be used as an alternative to the current 

level of congressional funding. 

SOURCES OF FUNDING – GPO REVOLVING FUND 

Sources of Funding: FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 

Funds Available from Prior Year: - 16,700 2,950 (5,550) 1,450 

 Existing Operations 5,000 7,500 5,000 7,500 5,000 

 Cost Savings from New Building 17,000 17,000 

Revolving Fund (existing operations) 5,000 7,500 5,000 24,500 22,000 

 Security and Intelligent Documents 7,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 

 Tangible and Digital Content - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 

 Digital Media Services 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 

Revolving Fund (new operations): 7,000 10,000 14,000 18,000 22,000 

Appropriation for Workforce Retraining - 5,000 

Reprogram prior year unexpended 

appropriations for Digital Content Management 

 S&E (FY2000 - FY2002) 5,000 

 CP&B (FY2002 - FY2004) 15,000 

Income from Building Redevelopment - 10,000 

Total Sources of Funding: 32,000 39,200 21,950 36,950 55,450 

TABLE 1
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE BUSINESS PLAN 13

USES OF FUNDING – GPO REVOLVING FUND 

Uses of Funding: FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 

 Revenue Enhancing 3,000 2,000 2,000 6,000 6,000 

 Cost Reducing 1,000 2,950 2,500 6,000 6,000 

 Maintenance/Infrastructure 2,000 7,500 7,500 17,500 7,500 

Capital (Existing Operations) 6,000 12,450 12,000 29,500 19,500 

Digital Content Management System 5,000 12,500 11,500 5,000 5,000 

Investment in GPO Workforce Retraining 2,000 5,000 - - 

Digitization Equipment 1,000 5,000 - - 

Capital New Building 1,300 1,300 4,000 1,000 

Appropriation Reductions 30,000 

Total Uses of Funding: 15,300 36,250 27,500 35,500 54,500 

 Available Funds (Cumulative) 16,700 2,950 (5,550) 1,450 950 

Rather than seek a new appropriation to help 

finance the transformation of GPO into a more 

digitally focused information provider, GPO will be 

seeking Congressional approval in fiscal year 2005 to 

reprogram $20.0 million from previously appropriated 

funds that will no longer be needed for their intended 

purposes and to use these funds to partially pay the 

one-time costs associated with the development of a 

new integrated digital content management system 

to be implemented over three years at a cost of $29.0 

million. This system will incorporate the digital files 

of all Congressional documents produced through the 

GPO. The GPO will also seek a one-time fiscal year 

2006 appropriation of $5.0 million to retrain existing 

GPO workers in the digital skills that will be needed 

in the future.

The heart of the GPO business plan is the 

redevelopment of its present headquarters and its 

relocation to new facilities. It is expected that the 

proceeds received will offset the costs of new land, 

facilities, equipment, furniture and fixtures and the 

costs of relocating.

The new GPO building is expected to be 

operational toward the end of fiscal year 2007. The 

combined cost of the building and land is expected to 

be about $100.0 million, with another $40.0 million 

for equipment, furniture, fixtures, and equipment. 

Additional costs include the expected moving and 

other miscellaneous costs of about $5.0 million, and 

consultant services of about $2.6 million. Because 

of improved efficiencies that are intrinsic to any 

new facility, GPO’s current cost structure will be 
14 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE BUSINESS PLAN

REVENUE 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Library Services and Content Management $43,000 $46,700 $50,100 $52,400 $49,700

Sales of Tangibles and Digital Content 32,400 33,800 35,300 36,700 38,100

Official Journals of the Government 130,800 133,200 132,900 125,500 98,300

Security and Intelligent Documents 65,000 140,000 150,000 160,000 170,000

Digital Media Services 0 5,000 12,500 17,500 20,000

Printing and Customer Services 464,300 473,600 483,100 473,000 449,000

Other Revenue 7,900 22,900 2,900 2,900 12,900

$743,400 $855,200 $866,800 $868,000 $838,000

ASSUMPTIONS

Security and Intelligent Documents assumes new passports will be issued during 2005

Other security documents will be issued in addition to passports in succeeding years

Official Journals of Government and Printing and Customer Services will begin to decline in 2007 as a result of investments in Content 

Management

2005 Other Revenue assumes $5 million of reprogrammed funds invested in Digital Content Management System 

2006 Other Revenue assumes $15 million spending on Digital Content Management System and $5 million on Workforce Retraining from 

reprogrammed funds and new appropriation.

2009 Other Revenue assumes $10M of income from redeveloped main GPO facility

2009 Revenue decline reflects reduced GPO appropriations requirements 

REVENUE PROJECTIONS FY 2005-2009

(in thousands of dollars)

significantly decreased, thus generating positive cash 

flow in the out years. This expected stream of cash 

should help to reduce the size of future Congressional 

appropriations. The new building should generate 

cost savings of about $17 million in fiscal year 2008, 

and another $17 million, in fiscal year 2009. 

Table 2 below forecasts future revenue by program 

area. It shows strong business growth areas in the 

Security and Intelligent Documents, Digital Media 

Services, Library and Content Management, and 

Sales of Tangible and Digital Content business lines, 

with moderate growth followed by declines in the 

traditional printing areas involving Official Journals 

of Government and Printing and Customer Services. 

Other Revenue is projected to increase with the 

infusion of additional appropriated funds for FY 

2006, and by FY 2009 with the commencement of 

the income stream from the redevelopment of the 

GPO’s current structures. Continued cost reduction 

strategies are assumed to hold operating expenses 

relatively constant. 

TABLE 2
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES 15

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

APPENDICES

December 1, 2004

(A) Highlights of GAO Report “Actions to Strengthen 

 and Sustain GPO’s Transformation”

(B) Summary of GPO’s Future Digital Content System — 

 Concept of Operations
16 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES 17
18 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES

GPO’s Future Digital Content System

Summary of GPO’s Future Digital Content System Concept of Operations

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pr/media/2004/04news24.pdf
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES 19
20 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE APPENDICES