GOVERNMENT PRINTING 

OFFICE 

Technological Changes 

Create Transformation 

Opportunities 

Statement of Linda D. Koontz 

Director, Information Management Issues 

 

United States General Accounting Office 

GAO Testimony

Before the Committee on Administration, 

House of Representatives 

For Release on Delivery 

Expected at 10 a.m. EDT 

Wednesday, April 28, 2004 

GAO-04-729T 
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-729T.

To view the full product, including the scope 

and methodology, click on the link above. 

For more information, contact Linda Koontz at 

(202) 512-6240 or koontzl@gao.gov. 

Highlights of GAO-04-729T, a testimony 

before the Committee on Administration, 

House of Representatives 

April 28, 2004

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

Technological Changes Create 

Transformation Opportunities 

The changing technological environment is creating challenges for GPO. 

Specifically, the agency has seen declines in its printing volumes, printing 

revenues, and document sales. At the same time, more and more government 

documents are being created and downloaded electronically, many from its 

Web site (GPO Access). The agency’s procured printing business, once selfsustaining, has experienced losses in 3 of the past 5 years, showing a net loss 

of $15.8 million. The sales program lost $77.1 million over the same period. 

In addition, these changes are creating challenges for GPO’s longstanding 

structure for centralized printing and dissemination and its interactions with 

customer agencies. 

The Public Printer recognizes these challenges and in response has 

embarked upon an ambitious transformation effort. To assist in this effort, 

the panel of printing and dissemination experts GAO convened suggested 

that in its planning, GPO should focus on dissemination, rather than printing. 

The panel also provided specific options for it to consider as it transforms 

itself, presented in the table below. GPO officials welcomed the options 

presented, commenting that the panel’s suggestions dovetail well with their 

own assessments. In addition, these officials stated that they are using the 

results of the panel as a key part of the agency’s ongoing strategic planning 

process. 

 

In addition, in October 2003, we reported that under the Public Printer’s 

direction, GPO had taken several steps that recognize the important role that 

strategic human capital management plays in its transformation, including 

establishing and filling the position of Chief Human Capital Officer. At that 

time, we made numerous recommendations on the further actions it could 

take to strengthen its human capital management. In response, GPO is 

beginning to address these recommendations. For example, it has 

reorganized its human resources office into teams responsible for each of its 

divisions, serving as a “one-stop shop” for all of a division’s human resource 

needs. It also plans to conduct a skills assessment of its workforce and is 

initiating a pay for performance pilot. 

Options for GPO to Consider in Planning for Its Future 

Recommended 

option Description 

Develop a 

business plan 

Focus its mission on information dissemination as the primary goal, rather than 

printing, such as by upgrading GPO Access. 

Demonstrate 

value 

Collect data to show customers the value that can be provided, such as 

through competitively priced printing and expert assistance in electronic 

dissemination. 

Establish 

partnerships 

To help establish itself as an information disseminator, improve and extend 

partnerships with agencies, particularly other dissemination agencies. 

Improve internal 

operations 

Ensure that internal operations—including technology, how it conducts 

business with its customers, management information systems, and training—

are adequate for efficient and effective management of core business 

functions and for service to its customers. 

Source: Expert panel assembled by the National Academy of Sciences and GAO. 

Advances in technology have led to 

more organizations making 

information available over the 

Internet and the World Wide Web 

rather than through print, 

significantly changing the nature of 

printing and information 

dissemination. Government 

Printing Office (GPO) management 

recognizes that the new 

environment in which it operates 

requires that the agency modernize 

and transform itself and the way it 

does business. To assist in this 

transformation, GAO has been 

performing a comprehensive 

review of government printing and 

information dissemination and of 

GPO’s operations. 

In this testimony, GAO summarizes 

the result of its work to date, for 

which GAO convened a panel of 

experts on printing and 

dissemination (assembled with the 

help of the National Academy of 

Sciences) to develop options for 

GPO to consider in its 

transformation, and surveyed 

executive branch customers 

regarding their practices and 

preferences for printing and 

dissemination, as well as on their 

interactions with GPO. The 

testimony reports on how changes 

in the technological environment 

are presenting challenges to GPO 

and on its progress in addressing 

actions that GAO’s work indicates 

could advance its transformation 

effort. 
Page 1 GAO-04-729T 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: 

I am pleased to be here today to participate in this oversight hearing 

on the Government Printing Office (GPO). As you know, 

technological advances during the past decade have significantly 

changed the nature of printing and information dissemination. In 

response, the Public Printer has begun a multiyear effort to 

transform the agency to provide value in this changing environment. 

Subsequent decisions made over the next few years will significantly 

affect how government information is published and disseminated 

to the public. 

To assist the Public Printer in this transformation effort, Senate 

Report 107-209 mandated that we perform a comprehensive review 

of the current state of printing and dissemination of government 

information and report on strategic options for GPO to enhance the 

efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of its printing and 

dissemination operations. In addition, the Chairman and Ranking 

Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Senate Committee 

on Appropriations, requested us to conduct a general management 

review of GPO’s operations. As a result of our efforts to date on the 

mandate and request, we prepared a number of interim briefings, 

which we have presented to staff of this committee. We also issued 

a report in October 2003 on GPO’s strategic human capital 

management.1

 We are continuing our review of GPO’s operations, 

and later this year, we intend to issue a final report to fully respond 

to the mandate and provide the results of the general management 

review. 

In my testimony today, I will first describe how changes in the 

technological environment are presenting challenges to GPO. I will 

then summarize GPO’s progress in addressing actions that our work 

to date indicates could advance its transformation effort. 

 1

 U.S. General Accounting Office, Government Printing Office: Advancing GPO's 

Transformation Effort through Strategic Human Capital Management, GAO-04-85

(Washington, D.C.: Oct. 20, 2003). 
Page 2 GAO-04-729T 

In performing the work on which this testimony is based, we 

collected and analyzed key documents; interviewed officials from 

GPO and other agencies; surveyed GPO’s customers in the executive 

branch; and contracted with the National Academy of Sciences to 

convene a panel of experts on printing and publishing technologies, 

information dissemination technologies, the printing industry, and 

trends in printing and dissemination. The panel discussed (1) trends 

in printing, publishing, and dissemination and (2) the future role of 

GPO. Our work on human capital management is based on our 

October 2003 report. 

Further details of our scope and methodology are provided in 

attachment 1. 

Results in Brief 

The changing technological environment is creating challenges for 

GPO. Specifically, the agency has seen declines in its printing 

volumes, printing revenues, and document sales. At the same time, 

more and more government documents are being created and 

downloaded electronically, many from its Web site (GPO Access). 

The agency’s procured printing business, once self-sustaining, has 

experienced losses in 3 of the past 5 years, showing a net loss of 

$15.8 million. The sales program lost $77.1 million over the same 

period. In addition, these changes are creating challenges for GPO’s 

longstanding structure for centralized printing and dissemination 

and its interactions with customer agencies. 

The Public Printer recognized these challenges and in response has 

embarked upon an ambitious transformation effort. To assist in this 

effort, a panel of printing and dissemination experts we convened 

provided a number of suggestions for GPO to consider as it 

transforms itself. The panel suggested that GPO do the following: 

● Develop a business plan focused on information dissemination as its 

primary goal, rather than printing. 
Page 3 GAO-04-729T 

● Collect data to demonstrate that the services it provides—printing 

and publishing as well as information dissemination to the public 

through its library system and Web site—add value. 

● Establish partnerships with other agencies that disseminate 

information and enhance the partnerships that it already has. 

● Ensure that its internal operations—including technology, how it 

does business with its customers, management information systems, 

and training—are adequate for efficient and effective management 

of core business functions and for service to its customers. 

GPO officials have responded positively to these results, 

commenting that that the panel’s suggestions dovetail well with 

their own assessments. In addition, these officials stated that they 

are using the results of the panel as a key part of the agency’s 

ongoing strategic planning process. 

In addition, in October 2003, we reported that under the Public 

Printer’s direction, GPO had taken several steps that recognize the 

important role that strategic human capital management plays in its 

transformation, including establishing and filling the position of 

Chief Human Capital Officer. At that time, we made numerous 

recommendations to GPO on the further actions it could take to 

strengthen its human capital management. In response, GPO has 

taken or plans to take steps that address these recommendations, 

but these efforts are still in early stages. For example, it has 

reorganized its human resources office into teams responsible for 

each of its divisions, serving as a “one-stop shop” for all of a 

division’s human resource needs. It also plans to conduct a skills 

assessment of its workforce, and is initiating a pay for performance 

pilot. 

Finally, GPO is also taking steps to put greater emphasis on 

customer needs. Based on executive agencies’ responses to our 

surveys, we provided observations and suggestions for action to 

GPO. For example, we suggested that the agency consider 

(1) addressing the few areas in which executive branch agencies 

rated its products, services, and performance as below average and 

(2) re-examining its marketing of electronic services to ensure that 

agencies are fully aware of them. GPO is responding through several 
Page 4 GAO-04-729T 

initiatives including taking a new direction regarding sales. For 

example, it is establishing national account managers who work 

directly with customers to identify their needs and offer solutions. 

Background 

GPO’s mission includes both printing government documents and 

disseminating them to the public. Under 44 U.S.C. 501, it is the 

principal agent for printing for the federal government. All printing 

for the Congress, the executive branch, and the judiciary—except 

for the Supreme Court—is to be done or contracted by GPO except 

for authorized exemptions.2

 The Superintendent of Documents, who 

heads GPO’s Information Dissemination organization, disseminates 

these government products to the public through a system of 1,200 

depository libraries nationwide (the Federal Depository Library 

Program), GPO’s Web site (GPO Access), telephone and fax 

ordering, an online ordering site, and its bookstore in Washington, 

D.C. The Superintendent of Documents is also responsible for 

classification and bibliographic control of tangible and electronic 

government publications. 

Printing and related services. In providing printing and binding 

services to the government, GPO generally dedicates its in-house 

printing equipment to congressional printing, contracting out most 

printing for the executive branch.3 Table 1 shows the costs of these 

services in fiscal year 2003, as well as the source of these printing 

services. 

 2

 Departments, agencies, or their components may be exempted from the provisions of 

Title 44 by having (1) their own authorized printing plant approved by the Joint Committee 

on Printing, (2) a statutory exemption, or (3) a waiver to procure printing without going 

through GPO. 

3

 Among the printing it performs in house for executive agencies is the Federal Register. 
Page 5 GAO-04-729T 

Table 1: Printing, Binding, and Related Services Provided to the Congress and 

Federal Agencies, Fiscal Year 2003 

Printing source 

Cost of services for the 

Congress (millions) 

Cost of services for federal 

agencies (millions)

Produced at in-house 

printing plant $72.6 $94.9 

Procured from private 

sector $1.4 $474.7 

Total $74.0 $569.6 

Source: GPO. 

Printing and binding for the Congress are funded by appropriations; 

in fiscal year 2004, this appropriation was $90.6 million, and the 

amount requested for fiscal year 2005 is $88.8 million. Documents 

printed for the Congress include the Congressional Record, hearing 

transcripts, bills, resolutions, amendments, and committee reports, 

among other things. GPO also provides publishing support staff to 

the Congress; these support staff mainly perform print preparation 

activities, such as typing, scanning, proofreading, and preparation of 

electronic data for transmission to GPO. 

In addition, GPO provides electronic copies of the Congressional 

Record and other documents to the Congress, the public, and the 

depository libraries in accordance with the Government Printing 

Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993. 

GPO generally provides printing services to federal agencies 

through contracting. GPO procures about 83 percent of printing for 

federal agencies from private contractors and does the remaining 17 

percent at its own plant facilities. Most of the procured printing jobs 

(85 percent for the period from June 2002 to May 2003) were for 

under $2,500 each. 

There is no appropriation to cover federal agency printing services. 

Instead, GPO levies a service charge to federal agency customers of 

its procurement services. The service charge is GPO’s only 
Page 6 GAO-04-729T 

authorized source of funds to pay for the services it provides to 

agencies. 4

The service charge is intended to cover the cost of specialized 

printing procurement services that GPO provides to agencies. These 

services include developing printing specifications and providing 

quality assurance functions, both of which require printing expertise 

that agencies often do not have. Procuring printing is more 

specialized than general procurement, because all printing jobs are 

custom: that is, printing cannot be bought “off the shelf,” like 

furniture or office supplies. Developing printing specifications 

requires specialized knowledge of paper and ink qualities, printing 

presses, and printing processes, for example. 

Besides printing, GPO provides a range of related services to 

agencies, including, for example, CD-ROM development and 

production, archiving/storage, converting products to electronic 

format, Web hosting, and Web page design and development. 

Dissemination of government information. The Superintendent of 

Documents is responsible for the acquisition, classification, 

dissemination, and bibliographic control of tangible and electronic 

government publications. Regardless of the printing source, Title 44 

requires that federal agencies make all their publications available 

to the Superintendent of Documents for cataloging and distribution. 

The Superintendent of Documents manages a number of programs 

related to distribution, including the Federal Depository Library 

Program (FDLP), which designates libraries across the country to 

 4

 The normal service charge is 7 percent of the cost of the job, plus a flat processing fee of 

$7.50. However, under a pilot program, the service charge for certain jobs is reduced to 

3 percent. 
Page 7 GAO-04-729T 

receive copies of government publications for public use.5 Generally, 

documents distributed to the libraries are those that contain 

information regarding U.S. government activities or are important 

reference publications. GPO evaluates documents to determine 

whether they should be disseminated to the depository libraries. 

When documents are printed through GPO, it evaluates them at the 

time of printing; if documents are not printed through GPO, Title 44 

requires agencies to notify it of these documents, so that it can 

evaluate them and arrange to receive any copies needed for 

distribution. A relatively small percentage of the items printed 

through GPO for the executive branch are designated as depository 

items. 

Another distribution program under the Superintendent of 

Documents is the Document Sales Service, which purchases, 

warehouses, sells, and distributes government documents. 

Publications are sold by mail, telephone, and fax; through GPO’s 

online bookstore; and at its bookstore in Washington, D.C. 

The Superintendent of Documents is also responsible for GPO’s 

Web site, GPO Access, which is one mechanism for electronic 

dissemination of government documents to the public through links 

to over 240,000 individual titles on GPO’s servers and other federal 

Web sites. More than 1.6 billion documents have been retrieved by 

the public from GPO Access since August 1994; almost 372 million 

downloads of government information from GPO Access were made 

in fiscal year 2002 alone. About two-thirds of new FDLP titles are 

available online. 

 5

 Examples of other distribution-related programs are the International Exchange Service, 

which exchanges U.S. government publications for foreign government publications, which 

can then be made available to the public; the By-Law Distribution program, which supports 

the requirements of executive agencies and the Congress by providing publications 

prescribed by statute free of charge to authorized recipients; and Agency Distribution 

Services, which support the requirements of executive branch agencies for distribution of 

publications through the performance or procurement of mail list distribution or orderfulfillment services. 
Page 8 GAO-04-729T 

Trends in Printing and Information Dissemination 

Current industry trends show that the total volume of printed 

material has been declining for the past few years and that this trend 

is expected to continue. A major factor in this declining volume is 

the use of electronic media options. More organizations are creating 

electronic documents for dissemination or publishing their 

information directly to the Web. The reason for the switch to 

electronic publishing and dissemination is that once a document is 

created electronically, the costs associated with reproducing and 

distributing paper copies of it are greater than the costs of providing 

online access to it. Therefore, many organizations are making 

information available electronically and printing fewer documents, 

moving away from print-centric processes. 

The move to electronic dissemination is the latest phase in the 

electronic publishing revolution that has transformed the printing 

industry in recent decades. This revolution was driven by the 

development of increasingly sophisticated electronic publishing (or 

“desktop publishing”) software, run on personal computers, that 

allows users to design documents including both images and text, 

and the parallel development of electronic laser printer/copier 

technology with capabilities that approach those of high-end 

presses. These tools allow users to produce documents that 

formerly would have required hand work, professional printing 

expertise, and large printing systems. 

These technologies have brought major economic and industrial 

changes to the printing industry. As electronic publishing software 

becomes increasingly sophisticated, user-friendly, and reliable, it 

approaches the ideal of the print customer being able to produce 

files that can be reproduced on the press with little or no 

intervention by printing professionals As the printing process is 

simplified, the customer can take responsibility for more of the 

work. Thus, the technologies diminish the value that printing 

organizations like GPO add to the printing process, particularly for 

simpler printing jobs. Nonetheless, professional expertise remains 

critical for many aspects of printing, and for many print jobs it is 

still not possible to bypass the printing professional altogether. 
Page 9 GAO-04-729T 

The advent of the Web and the Internet, however, permits the 

instantaneous distribution of the electronic documents produced by 

the new publishing processes, breaking the link between printing 

and dissemination. As the Web has become virtually ubiquitous, the 

electronic dissemination of information becomes not only practical, 

but more economical than dissemination on paper. 

As a result, many organizations are changing from a print to an 

electronic focus. In the early stages of the electronic publishing 

revolution, organizations tended to prepare a document for printing 

and then convert the print layout to electronic form—in other 

words, focusing on printing rather than dissemination. Increasingly, 

however, organizations are changing their focus to providing 

information—not necessarily on paper. Today an organization may 

employ computers to generate plates used for printing as well as 

electronic files for dissemination. Tomorrow, the organization may 

create only an electronic representation of the information, which 

can be disseminated through various media, such as Web sites.6

 A 

printed version would be produced only upon request. 

GPO Has Begun to Restructure and Modernize in Response to the New Environment 

GPO’s Public Printer—confirmed by the Senate in November 2002— 

has initiated efforts to modernize and prepare GPO for the 21st 

century. The Public Printer has initiated a reorganization with a 

chief executive officer (Public Printer), chief operating officer, and 

managing directors in addition to the Superintendent of Documents. 

The Public Printer and his management team also reorganized the 

agency into three customer-focused functional areas (Customer 

Services, Information Dissemination, and Plant Operations) and 

three support areas (Information Technology and Systems, Finance 

and Administration, and Human Resources). 

 6

 Using tools such as the Extensible Markup Language (XML), for example, an organization 

could prepare one document that would automatically be interpreted to display 

appropriately on a number of different display devices, including paper. For more 

information on XML, see U.S. General Accounting Office, Electronic Government: 

Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language, GAO-02-327

(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 5, 2002). 
Page 10 GAO-04-729T 

According to GPO, this interim restructuring will be used during a 

2-year transitional phase. During this time, further decisions will be 

made about its future and organizational alignment. 

According to GPO officials, the Public Printer has also initiated 

efforts to develop a strategic plan to guide its transformation efforts. 

These efforts include 

● conducting fact-finding activities to support plan development, 

● convening meetings of top management to discuss and document 

the “as-is” state of the organization, and 

● finalizing the plan by December 2004. 

Technological Changes Present Challenges to GPO 

In keeping with overall industry trends, the volume of material 

provided to GPO to print has diminished in recent years and is 

creating financial challenges for the agency. According to GPO, its 

federal agency print jobs at one time generated close to $1 billion a 

year. In fiscal year 2003, the amount was just over half of that—$570 

million. Federal agencies are publishing more items directly to the 

Web—without creating paper documents at all—and are doing more 

of their printing and dissemination of information without using 

GPO services. This reduction in demand has resulted in GPO’s 

procured printing business, which was once financially selfsustaining, experiencing losses in 3 of the past 5 years, with a net 

loss of $15.8 million over that period. 

Similar changes have affected its sales program. The introduction of 

GPO Access, which allows downloading and printing of documents 

at no cost, has contributed to major losses to the sales program in 

recent years. The availability of free government documents for 

downloading is a boon to the public, but it clearly affects GPO’s 

ability to generate sales revenue. 

According to the Superintendent of Documents, GPO sold 35,000 

subscriptions to the Federal Register 10 years ago and now sells 
Page 11 GAO-04-729T 

2,500; at the same time, over 4 million Federal Register documents 

are downloaded each month from GPO Access.7

 The Superintendent 

also reported that the overall volume of sales has dropped from 24.3 

million copies sold in fiscal year 1993 to 4.4 million copies sold in 

fiscal year 2002. 

The sales program has operated at a loss for the past 5 years, with a 

net loss of $77.1 million over that period, $20 million in fiscal year 

2003 alone. According to GPO, these losses are due to a downward 

trend in customer demand for printed publications that has 

significantly reduced program revenues. 

Ongoing technological changes are also creating challenges for 

GPO’s longstanding structure for centralized printing and 

dissemination. As mentioned earlier, the requirement in Title 44 that 

agencies notify GPO of their published documents (if they used 

other printing sources) allows it to review agency documents to 

determine whether the documents should be disseminated to the 

depository libraries. If they should be, GPO can then add a rider to 

the agency’s print contract to obtain the number of copies that it 

needs for dissemination.8

 However, if agencies do not notify it of 

their intent to print, these documents remain unknown, becoming 

“fugitive documents” which may not be available to the public 

through the depository library program. 

In responding to our surveys, executive branch agencies reported 

that while printing requirements are declining, they are producing a 

significant portion of their total volume internally, generally on 

desktop publishing and reproduction equipment instead of largescale printing equipment. In addition, while most agencies (16 of 21) 

reported that they have established procedures to ensure that 

documents that should be disseminated through the libraries are 

 7

 Judith C. Russell, U.S. Superintendent of Documents, “The Federal Depository Library 

Program: Current and Future Challenges of the Electronic Transition,” presentation at the 

American Association of Law Libraries, Seattle (July 15, 2003). 

8

 Receiving these copies at the rate of the original order is much less expensive than 

arranging a separate print run. 
Page 12 GAO-04-729T 

forwarded to GPO, 5 of 21 did not have such procedures, thus 

potentially adding to the fugitive document problem. 

Responding agencies also reported that although currently more 

government documents are still being printed than are being 

published electronically, publishing documents directly to the Web 

is increasing and expected to grow further in the future. Most 

agencies reported that documents currently published directly to 

the Web were not of the type that is required to be sent to GPO for 

dissemination. However, of the 5 agencies that did publish eligible 

documents electronically, only 1 said that it had submitted these 

documents to GPO. As electronic publishing continues to grow, 

such conditions may contribute further to the fugitive document 

problem. 

Finally, the ongoing agency shift toward electronic publishing is also 

creating challenges for GPO’s existing relationships with its 

executive branch customers. In responding to our surveys, 

executive branch agencies expressed overall satisfaction with GPO’s 

products and services and expressed a desire to continue to use 

these services for at least part of their publishing needs. However, 

these agencies reported a few areas in which GPO could improve—

for example, in the presentation of new products and services. 

Further, some agencies indicated that they were less familiar with 

and less likely to use GPO’s electronic products and services. 

Specifically, these agencies were hardly or not at all familiar with 

services such as Web page design and development (8 of 28), Web 

hosting services (8 of 29), and electronic publishing services (5 of 

28). As a consequence, these agencies were also less likely to use 

these services. With the expected growth in electronic publishing 

and other services, making customer agencies fully aware of its 

capabilities in these areas is important. 

GPO Is Making Progress in Its Transformation 

The Public Printer and his leadership team recognize the challenges 

that they face in this changing environment and have embarked 

upon an ambitious effort to transform the agency. First and 
Page 13 GAO-04-729T 

foremost, the Public Printer agrees with the need to reexamine the 

mission and focus of the agency within the context of technological 

change that is occurring. To assist in that process, our panel of 

printing and dissemination experts developed a series of options for 

GPO to consider in its planning. In summary, these options were as 

follows: 

● Focus its mission on information dissemination as its primary 

goal, rather than printing. The panel suggested that GPO first 

needs to create a new vision of itself as a disseminator of 

information, not only a printer of documents. As one panel member 

put it, GPO should end up resembling a bank of information rather 

than a mint that stamps paper. Further, the panel suggested that 

GPO develop a business plan that emphasizes direct electronic 

dissemination methods over distribution of paper documents. The 

panel suggested that the plan also address (1) improving its Web 

site, GPO Access, (2) investigating methods to “push” information 

and documents into the hands of those that need them, (3) 

modernizing its production processes to publish electronically and 

print only when necessary, (4) promoting the use of metadata—

descriptive information about the data provided—as a requirement 

for electronic publishing, and (5) providing increased support for 

the federal depository libraries’ role in providing access to 

electronically disseminated government information. 

● Demonstrate value to customers and the public. The panel agreed 

that while GPO appears to provide value to agencies because of its 

expertise in printing and dissemination, it is not clear that agencies 

and the general public realize this. Therefore, GPO needs to collect 

data to show that, in fact, it can provide value in printing 

documents, providing expert assistance in electronic dissemination, 

and disseminating information to the public. 

● Establish partnerships with collaborating and customer agencies.

According to the panel, GPO should establish partnerships with 

other information dissemination agencies to coordinate standards 

and best practices for digitizing documents and to archive 

documents in order to keep them permanently available to the 

public. In addition, the panel suggested that GPO improve and 

expand its partnerships with customer agencies. While most 

agencies recognize GPO as a resource for printing documents, it 
Page 14 GAO-04-729T 

now has the capability to assist in the collection and dissemination 

of electronic information. 

● Improve internal operations. The panel suggested that GPO would 

need to improve its internal operations to be successful in the very 

competitive printing and dissemination marketplace. For example, 

panel members suggested that GPO hire a chief technology officer 

(in addition to its chief information officer), who would focus on 

bringing in new printing and dissemination technologies while 

maintaining older technologies. 

GPO officials responded positively to these results, commenting that 

that the panel’s suggestions dovetail well with their own 

assessments. In addition, these officials stated that they are using 

the results of the panel as a key part of the agency’s ongoing 

strategic planning process. 

GPO also has taken a number of steps to address the issues raised 

by the expert panel. Specifically: 

● GPO has established an Office of New Business Development that is 

to develop new products and service ideas that will result in 

increased revenues. GPO officials stated that they are using the 

results of the panel discussion to categorize and prioritize their 

initial compilation of ideas and, in this context, plan to assess how 

these ideas would improve operations and revenue. 

● Regarding GPO’s mission to disseminate information, GPO officials 

stated that its Office of Innovation and New Technology, established 

in early 2003, is leading an effort to transform GPO into an agency 

“at the cutting edge of multichannel information dissemination.”9 A 

major goal in this effort is to disseminate information while still 

addressing the need “to electronically preserve, authenticate, and 

version the documents of our democracy.” In addition, the Public 

Printer has been added to the oversight committee of the National 

Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, a 

 9

 The mission of this office is to find new technologies that can help GPO with the 

challenges of acquiring, authenticating, versioning, disseminating, and preserving digital 

information. According to GPO, each of these related functions regarding digital asset 

management is crucial to its future. 
Page 15 GAO-04-729T 

national cooperative effort to archive and preserve digital 

information, led by the Library of Congress. 

● Further, to address the adequacy of its internal functions, GPO’s 

Deputy Chief of Staff stated that the agency is in the process of 

searching for a chief technology officer, with the intention that the 

current chief information officer will focus primarily on internal 

business processes, and the chief technology officer will focus on 

identifying the specific technology solutions needed to support its 

printing and dissemination mission. 

These efforts are valuable first steps that, if properly followed 

through and implemented, should contribute to the success of 

GPO’s transformation. 

GPO Has Taken Steps to Improve Its Strategic Human Capital Management 

The Public Printer recognizes that to successfully transform, GPO 

will have to ensure that it strategically manages its people. At the 

center of any serious change management initiative are the people. 

Thus the key to a successful transformation is to recognize the 

people element and implement strategies to help individuals 

maximize their full potential in the organization. 

In our October 2003 report, we stated that under the Public Printer’s 

direction, GPO also had taken several steps that recognize the 

important role strategic human capital management plays in its 

transformation.10 For example, GPO established and filled the 

position of Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO), shifted the focus 

of existing training, expanded opportunities for more staff to attend 

needed training, and enhanced recruitment strategies. We also made 

numerous recommendations to GPO on the steps it should take to 

strengthen its human capital management in support of its 

transformation. These recommendations focused on the following 

four interrelated areas: 

● communicating the role of managers in GPO’s transformation, 

 10 GAO-04-85. 
Page 16 GAO-04-729T 

● strengthening the role of the human resources office, 

● developing a strategic workforce plan to ensure GPO has the skills 

and knowledge it needs for the future, and 

● using a strategic performance management system to drive change. 

GPO has taken or plans to take steps that address these 

recommendations. According to the CHCO, a performance element 

and standard is being added to all managers’ performance plans to 

address their role as communicators within GPO. Managers are now 

required to meet with their employees at a minimum of once a 

month with key information from these meetings communicated to 

the CHCO. 

In addition, according to the CHCO, the human resources office has 

been reorganized into teams responsible for a particular GPO 

division, serving as a “one-stop shop” for all of the divisions’ human 

resource needs. The intention is to fully integrate human capital 

management throughout the agency’s operational divisions. All 

human resources office employees will be trained as human 

resource generalists in the full range of human resources activities 

including change management, strategic human resource planning, 

position classification, recruitment and placement, benefits, 

performance management, career development, and labor/employee 

relations. Training will be provided by a combination of in-house 

talent and outside vendors to upgrade the skills of current human 

resources staff. Additionally, GPO has hired a Director of Workforce 

Development, Education, and Training to manage the expanding 

training program at GPO. The human resources office plans to 

survey GPO’s operational divisions regarding their level of 

satisfaction with the new human resources office. 

As a first step in GPO’s strategic workforce plan, GPO’s CHCO plans 

to conduct a skills assessment of its workforce within the next 

6 months. GPO’s newly hired Director of Workforce Development, 

Education, and Training has met with GPO’s senior managers, union 

leaders, employees, and skills assessment consultants to determine 

the methodology that will be used for the skills assessment. The 

skills assessment will include a number of measurement tools and 

methods. Employees will be asked to participate in taking 
Page 17 GAO-04-729T 

assessment inventories, skills tests, and electronic and paper-based 

surveys. While the skills assessments are being completed, GPO’s 

leadership plans to identify the critical skills and competencies that 

GPO will need for its transformation. As an interim effort, GPO is in 

the process of surveying its managers to identify skills that are 

lacking for large groups of employees. For example, GPO’s Chief 

Information Officer identified the need for staff to have enhanced 

project management skills, and the human resources office has 

worked to provide training to GPO staff to address this gap. 

Finally, GPO’s CHCO is initiating a pay for performance pilot 

program. The plan is to pilot the new system with Senior Level 

Service employees, and will offer three levels of bonus for 

employees who meet at least 80 percent of their goals. GPO officials 

have contacted other federal agencies to benchmark pay for 

performance systems, including us, and has examples of 

performance plans and goals from at least five federal agencies and 

from six business and educational institutions. 

While GPO has made progress on human capital initiatives, 

significant challenges remain. For example, the restructuring and 

creation of many new positions within GPO produces a great deal of 

work for the human resource office. Developing position 

descriptions, posting new job opportunities, and vetting 

applications—all the while being reorganized and trained to do new 

tasks—will stretch the human resource office. Although the human 

resource office’s culture is becoming more collaborative, program 

officials and human resource officials acknowledged that the 

cultural change is difficult and will take time. Given these 

challenges, continued top leadership commitment will be needed to 

reinforce and sustain the progress the human resource office is 

making to change its culture. 

Effective integration and alignment of GPO’s human capital 

approaches with its strategies for achieving mission and 

programmatic goals and results will be a key factor in successfully 

transforming GPO and sustaining high performance. As GPO moves 

forward to draft its strategic plan, it will have the opportunity to 

revisit its progress in human capital management and focus the 

human resource office’s priorities on areas that contribute most to 
Page 18 GAO-04-729T 

accomplishing the goals and objectives in the strategic plan. 

Developing a strategic workforce plan that is linked to the strategic 

plan will undoubtedly be a key activity for GPO as it moves forward 

in the second year of its transformation. 

GPO Is Responding to Changing Customer Practices and Needs 

GPO is also taking steps to put greater emphasis on customer needs. 

Based on executive agencies’ responses to our surveys, we provided 

observations and suggestions for action to GPO. Specifically, we 

suggested that the agency consider 

● working with executive branch agencies to examine the nature of 

their in-house printing and determine whether it could provide these 

services more economically; 

● addressing the few areas in which executive branch agencies rated 

its products, services, and performance as below average, 

● re-examining its marketing of electronic services to ensure that 

agencies are aware of them; and 

● using the results of the surveys to work with agencies to establish 

processes that will ensure that eligible documents (whether printed 

or electronic) are forwarded to GPO for dissemination to the public, 

as required by law. 

GPO officials agreed with the issues identified by executive branch 

agencies and said they are already taking action to address them. 

According to these officials, GPO is 

● taking a new direction with its Office of Sales and Marketing, 

including hiring an outside expert and establishing nine National 

Account Managers, who spend most of their time in the field 

building relationships with key customers, analyzing their business 

processes, identifying current and future needs, and offering 

solutions; 

● working with its largest agency customer, the Department of 

Defense, to determine how to work more closely with large in-house 

printing operations; 
Page 19 GAO-04-729T 

● evaluating recommendations received from the Depository Library 

Council; and 

● continuing to implement a Demonstration Print Procurement 

Project, jointly announced with the Office of Management and 

Budget on June 6, 2003. This project is to provide a Web-based 

system that will be a one-stop, integrated print ordering and 

invoicing system. The system is to allow agencies to order their own 

printing at reduced rates, with the option of buying additional 

printing procurement services from GPO. According to GPO, this 

project is also designed to address many of the issues identified 

through our executive branch surveys, particularly the depository 

library fugitive document problem. 

Such actions, although still in their early stages, should assist GPO 

in determining how to better serve its customers and address issues 

such as those involving fugitive documents. 

In summary, the new printing and dissemination environment at the 

beginning of the 21st century has created significant challenges for 

GPO. Agency leadership recognizes these challenges and has made a 

commitment to transform the agency to function effectively within 

this changed environment. As part of this effort, the Public Printer 

has taken an important step by establishing a strategic planning 

process, which, in part, will consider changes to the agency’s future 

mission and focus. Further, in realizing the importance of effective 

human capital management, he is establishing the foundation 

needed to successfully transform GPO. In addition, by placing new 

emphasis on its customers, the agency is focusing on a key 

characteristic of high-performing organizations. Fulfilling this 

commitment, however, will require sustained attention from GPO 

leadership as well as clear-sighted analysis of the challenges and the 

actions required in response. In the coming months, we plan to 

continue to work with these leaders cooperatively as they make 

further progress in their transformation. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to 

answer any questions that you or other members of the committee 

may have at this time. 
Page 20 GAO-04-729T 

Contact and Acknowledgements 

For further information, please contact Linda D. Koontz at (202) 

512-6240 or by e-mail at koontzl@gao.gov. Other key contributors to 

this testimony were Barbara Collier, Ben Crawford, Tonia Johnson, 

Steven Lozano, William Reinsberg, and Warren Smith. 
Page 21 GAO-04-729T 

Attachment 1. Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology 

Senate Report 107-209 mandated that we perform a comprehensive 

review of the current state of printing and dissemination of 

government information and report on strategic options for GPO to 

enhance the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of its printing 

and dissemination operations. In addition, the Chairman of the 

Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Senate Committee on 

Appropriations, requested us to carry out a general management 

review of GPO’s operations. As a result of our efforts on the 

mandate and request to date, we prepared interim briefings for the 

Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Senate Committee on 

Appropriations, which we presented to staff of this subcommittee 

on August 27, 2003, and April 1, 2004. 

To help explore GPO’s options for the future, we contracted with 

the National Academy of Sciences to convene a panel of experts to 

discuss (1) trends in printing, publishing, and dissemination and 

(2) the future role of GPO. 

In working with the National Academy to develop an agenda for the 

panel sessions, we consulted with key officials at GPO, 

representatives of library associations including the Association of 

Research Libraries and the American Library Association, and other 

subject matter experts. 

The National Academy assembled a panel of experts on printing and 

publishing technologies, information dissemination technologies, 

the printing industry, and trends in printing and dissemination. This 

panel met on December 8 and 9, 2003. 

To obtain information on GPO’s printing and dissemination 

activities—including revenues and costs—we collected and 

analyzed key documents and data, including laws and regulations, 

studies of GPO operations, prior audits, historical trends for printing 

volumes and prices, financial reports and data, and budget and 

appropriations data. We also interviewed appropriate officials from 
Page 22 GAO-04-729T 

GPO, the Library of Congress, and the Office of Management and 

Budget. 

To determine how GPO collects and disseminates government 

information, we collected and analyzed documents and data on the 

depository libraries, the cataloging and indexing program, and the 

International Exchange Service program. We also interviewed 

appropriate officials from GPO. 

To determine executive branch agencies’ current reported printing 

expenditures, equipment inventories, and preferences; familiarity 

and level of satisfaction with services provided by GPO, and current 

methods for disseminating information to the public, we developed 

two surveys of GPO’s customers in the executive branch: 

We sent our first survey to executive agencies that are major users 

of GPO’s printing programs and services. It contained questions 

relating to the department’s or agency’s (1) familiarity with these 

programs and services and (2) level of satisfaction with the 

customer service function. These major users, according to GPO, 

account for the majority of printing done through GPO. This survey 

was sent to 11 departments that manage printing centrally, 15 

component agencies within 3 departments that manage printing in a 

decentralized manner, and 7 independent agencies. A total of 33 

departments and agencies were surveyed. The response rate for the 

user survey was 91 percent (30 of 33 departments and agencies). 

We sent our second survey to print officers who manage printing 

services for departments and agencies. These print officers act as 

liaisons to GPO and manage in-house printing operations. This 

survey contained questions concerning the department’s or agency’s 

(1) level of satisfaction with GPO’s procured printing and 

information dissemination functions; (2) printing preferences, 

equipment inventories, and expenditures; and (3) information 

dissemination processes. These agencies include those that were 

sent the user survey plus two others that do not use GPO services. 

We sent this survey to 11 departments that manage printing 

centrally, 15 component agencies within 3 departments that manage 

printing in a decentralized manner, and 9 independent agencies. A 

total of 35 departments and agencies were surveyed. The response 
Page 23 GAO-04-729T 

rate for the print officer survey was 83 percent (29 of 35 

departments and agencies). 

To develop these survey instruments, we researched executive 

agencies’ printing and dissemination issues with the assistance of 

GPO Customer Services and Organizational Assistance Offices. We 

used this research to develop a series of questions designed to 

obtain and aggregate the information that we needed to answer our 

objectives. 

After we developed the questions and created the two survey 

instruments, we shared them with GPO officials. We received 

feedback on the survey questions from a number of internal GPO 

organizations including Printing Procurement, Customer Services, 

Information Dissemination, and Organizational Assistance. 

We pretested the executive branch surveys with the Department of 

Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. We chose 

these agencies because each had a long-term relationship with GPO, 

experience with agency printing, and familiarity with 

governmentwide printing and dissemination issues. Finally, we 

reviewed customer lists to determine the appropriate sample size 

for the executive branch surveys. We did not independently verify 

agencies’ responses to the surveys. 

Our work on strategic human capital management is based on our 

October 2003 report on that topic. 

 (310711)
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