U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | KEEPING AMERICA INFORMED | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 | www.gpo.gov | www.govinfo.gov

Follow GPO on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/USGPO, Twitter http://twitter.com/USGPO, Pinterest http://pinterest.com/usgpo/, 

and on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/gpoprinter. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2020 No. 20-15

GPO MEDIA CONTACT: GARY SOMERSET 202.512.1957 | mb 202.355.3997 | gsomerset@gpo.gov

D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS TURNS TO GPO PROCUREMENT 

SERVICES FOR PRINTING OF INSTRUCTIONAL

MATERIALS DURING COVID–19

WASHINGTON – Through its print procurement program, the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has 

facilitated the printing of instructional materials for students in grades K–12 at the request of Washington, D.C. 

Public Schools. Students in Washington, D.C. will use these resources while they participate in remote learning 

during the COVID–19 pandemic. The instructional packets, which are being delivered to students from 117 

schools in the District of Columbia, contain educational material on various school subjects. 

“GPO has been in the Nation’s capital since it began operations in 1861 and is honored to provide printing 

services and resources to our neighbors during this pandemic,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern. 

“GPO’s longstanding partnership with the private-sector printing industry has always provided benefits for the 

American taxpayer, and now it is helping to give students the materials they need to continue their education 

while COVID–19 keeps them out of school buildings.”

Through GPOExpress, one of GPO’s convenient solutions for last-minute projects, the District of Columbia 

Public School system was able to get materials out to students in a matter of days. GPO will continue to procure 

the printing and delivery of these instructional packets until students return to school.

“We are appreciative to GPO for working with D.C. Public Schools to help us deliver the resources our 

students, families, and staff need during learning at home,” said District of Columbia Public Schools Director of 

Procurement Operations Justin Willis. “The GPO printing team ensured we got each printing of Learning at 

Home materials to families as quickly as possible.”

Nearly 78% of all printing ordered by Federal agencies from GPO is performed by private-sector firms working 

under contract with the agency. GPO typically awards contracts to 1,000–2,000 printing contractors a year on a 

competitive basis. Nearly 10,000 companies are registered to do business with the agency, using GPO as their 

one-stop shop for print and related services contract opportunities. In fiscal year 2019, GPO awarded jobs to 

vendors in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. GPO’s 

relationship with the private sector dates back to the 1940s. This program provides significant economic 

opportunity for the printing industry and local economies.

GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, 

indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. 

Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services 

for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well 

as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print 

formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through 
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | KEEPING AMERICA INFORMED | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 | www.gpo.gov | www.govinfo.gov

Follow GPO on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/USGPO, Twitter http://twitter.com/USGPO, Pinterest http://pinterest.com/usgpo/, 

and on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/gpoprinter. 

www.govinfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal 

Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.

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