BASIS OF

ITEM NO. DESCRIPTION AWARD UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST 

I. ASSESSMENT REVIEW:

(a) Assessment Review Only, per page

(1) English 11,960 $1.80 $21,528.00 $3.85 $46,046.00 $5.00 $59,800.00 $1.00 $11,960.00 $2.75 $32,89

(2) Spanish 9,800 $2.34 $22,932.00 $3.85 $37,730.00 $5.00 $49,000.00 $1.00 $9,800.00 $3.75 $36,75

(b) Assessment Review and Instruction, per hour

(1) English 32 $57.50 $1,840.00 $185.00 $5,920.00 $82.00 $2,624.00 $65.00 $2,080.00 $82.00 $2,62

(2) Spanish 32 $57.50 $1,840.00 $185.00 $5,920.00 $82.00 $2,624.00 $65.00 $2,080.00 $88.00 $2,81

II. OCR SCANNING AND REPAIR:

(a) OCR Scanning of PDF Files, per page

(1) English 375 $0.34 $127.50 $0.12 $45.00 $0.50 $187.50 $1.00 $375.00 $1.25 $46(2) Other than English 93 $0.43 $39.99 $0.12 $11.16 $0.50 $46.50 $1.00 $93.00 $1.35 $12

(b) OCR Repair of PDF Files, per page

(1) English 300 $2.46 $738.00 $4.85 $1,455.00 $10.00 $3,000.00 $5.00 $1,500.00 $5.00 $1,50

(2) Other than English 90 $3.27 $294.30 $4.85 $436.50 $25.00 $2,250.00 $5.00 $450.00 $6.00 $54

III. REMEDIATE FILE:

A. Tagged PDF Files:

(a) Form Field Pages, per page

(1) English 196 $5.46 $1,070.16 $12.50 $2,450.00 $30.00 $5,880.00 $8.00 $1,568.00 $8.75 $1,71(2) Other than English 107 $7.02 $751.14 $12.50 $1,337.50 $40.00 $4,280.00 $10.00 $1,070.00 $11.40 $1,21

(b) Tables of Content and Index Pages, per page

(1) English 813 $1.64 $1,333.32 $4.85 $3,943.05 $60.00 $48,780.00 $4.75 $3,861.75 $4.00 $3,25

(2) Other than English 29 $1.96 $56.84 $4.85 $140.65 $75.00 $2,175.00 $4.75 $137.75 $7.00 $20

(c) Simple Text Matter Pages, per page

(1) English 28,856 $2.46 $70,985.76 $4.85 $139,951.60 $7.50 $216,420.00 $4.75 $137,066.00 $4.50 $129,85

(2) Other than English 849 $3.27 $2,776.23 $4.85 $4,117.65 $8.00 $6,792.00 $4.75 $4,032.75 $6.00 $5,09

(d) Complex Text Matter Pages, per page

(1) English 7,214 $5.12 $36,935.68 $4.85 $34,987.90 $10.00 $72,140.00 $4.75 $34,266.50 $5.00 $36,07

(2) Other than English 212 $6.55 $1,388.60 $4.85 $1,028.20 $12.50 $2,650.00 $4.75 $1,007.00 $8.00 $1,69

B. Untagged PDF Files:

(a) Form Field Pages, per page

(1) English 39 $7.02 $273.78 $12.50 $487.50 $30.00 $1,170.00 $8.00 $312.00 $8.75 $34(2) Other than English 16 $9.82 $157.12 $12.50 $200.00 $40.00 $640.00 $10.00 $160.00 $11.40 $18

(b) Tables of Contents and Index Pages, per page

(1) English 115 $1.82 $209.30 $4.85 $557.75 $60.00 $6,900.00 $4.75 $546.25 $5.00 $57(2) Other than English 16 $2.18 $34.88 $4.85 $77.60 $75.00 $1,200.00 $4.75 $76.00 $8.00 $12

(c) Simple Text Matter Pages, per page

(1) English 5,810 $2.89 $16,790.90 $4.85 $28,178.50 $7.50 $43,575.00 $4.75 $27,597.50 $5.25 $30,50(2) Other than English 838 $3.64 $3,050.32 $4.85 $4,064.30 $8.00 $6,704.00 $4.75 $3,980.50 $8.25 $6,91

(d) Complex Text Matter Pages, per page

(1) English 1,452 $6.14 $8,915.28 $4.85 $7,042.20 $10.00 $14,520.00 $4.75 $6,897.00 $5.00 $7,26(2) Other than English 209 $7.86 $1,642.74 $4.85 $1,013.65 $12.50 $2,612.50 $4.75 $992.75 $8.00 $1,67

IV. PREMIUM PAYMENTS:

(a) Percentage increase for 1 to 4 workday schedule 10.00% NC/0% 25.00% 25.00% 25.00% 

$195,711.84 $327,141.71 $555,970.50 $251,909.75 $304,39

7.00% $13,699.83 $22,899.92 $38,917.94 $17,633.68 $21,30

$1,369.98 $0.00 $9,729.49 $4,408.42 $5,32

$197,081.82 $327,141.71 $565,699.99 $256,318.17 $309,71

2.00% $0.00 1.00% $0.00 0.00% $0.00 5.00% $12,815.91 0.00% $

15 DAYS $197,081.82 10 DAYS $327,141.71 NET $565,699.99 30 DAYS $243,502.26 NET $309,71

Abstracted by: Teresa Shoffstall 03/23/2021

Verified by: Linda Price 03/23/2021

Contract Awarded to: Vastec, Inc.

TERM OF CONTRACT: APRIL 1, 2021 ‐ MARCH 31, 2022 PLUS 4 OPTION YEARS

NELNET, INC. DBA

NELNET DIVERSIFIED 

Lincloln, NE

COMMAND BUS. PROD.

Hauppauge, NY

EDGE DIGITAL GROUP

Arlington, VA

APEX COVANTAGE, LLC

Herndon, VA

THE AXIA GROUP

Birmingham, AL

DISCOUNTED TOTALS

PROGRAM 1561‐S TITLE: SECTION 508 COMPLIANT PDF FILES

SUBTOTAL (not including premium payments)

ACCELERATED SCHEDULE (applied to 7% of subtotal)

EMIUM PAYMENT (percentage increase applied to accelearated schedule)

SUBTOTAL PLUS PREMIUM PAYMENT

PROMPT PAYMENT DISCOUNT
Program 1561-S Page 1 of 24

Specifications by LLP

Reviewed by rlw

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Columbus, Ohio

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS

For the Procurement of

Section 508 Compliant PDF Files

as requisitioned from the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) for

IRS Alternative Media Center – Richmond, VA

Department of Treasury – Washington, DC

Single Award

TERM OF CONTRACT

The term of this contract is for the period beginning April 1, 2021 and ending March 31, 2022, plus up to 4 optional 12-

month extension period(s) (April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024, April 1 2024 

through March 31, 2025, and April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026) that may be added in accordance with the “Option to 

Extend the Term of Contract” clause in Section 1 of this contract. Special attention is directed to the “Economic Price 

Adjustment” clause in Section 1 of this contract.

BID OPENING

Bids shall be opened at 11:00 a.m. prevailing Columbus, OH time on March 23, 2021.

BID SUBMISSION

Bidders MUST submit email bids to bidscolumbus@gpo.gov for this solicitation. No other method of bid submission will 

be accepted at this time.

The company name, program number, and bid opening date must be specified in the subject line of the emailed bid

submission. Bids received after 11:00 a.m. prevailing Columbus, Ohio Time on the bid opening date specified above will 

not be considered for award.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Significant revisions have been made throughout this specification. Bidders are cautioned to familiarize themselves with 

all provisions of this contract before bidding.

Special attention is directed to the bid submission provisions under “Additional Emailed Bid Submission Provisions” on 

page 6.

Abstract of current contract prices available at https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-with-us/vendors/contract-pricing.

For information of a technical nature contact Linda Price at lprice@gpo.gov or (614) 488-4616, ext. 7 (No collect calls).
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 2 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

SECTION 1. – GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

GPO CONTRACT TERMS

Any contract which results from this Invitation for Bid will be subject to the applicable provisions, clauses, and 

supplemental specifications of GPO Contract Terms (GPO Pub. 310.2, effective December 1, 1987 (Rev. 1-18)) 

and GPO Contract Terms, Quality Assurance Through Attributes Program for Printing and Binding (GPO Pub. 

310.1, effective May 1979 (Rev. 09-19)).

GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2) is available at the following web address:

https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-files-for-vendors/contract-terms-01-18.pdf

GPO QATAP (GPO Publication 310.1) is available at the following web address:

https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-files-for-vendors/qatap-rev-09-19.pdf

Additional GPO Publications can be found at:

https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-with-us/vendors/forms-and-standards.

SUBCONTRACTING

The predominant production functions are assessment and remediation of PDF files to bring them into compliance 

with 29 USC Section 508. These functions cannot be subcontracted.

SECURITY PROVISIONS

The contractor will be in custody of items considered by the Government to be Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU).

Safeguards

Any Treasury Department information made available, which is marked “Official Use Only” on the print order or 

on any part of the furnished material, shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this 

contract, and shall not be divulged or made known in any manner to any person except as may be necessary in the 

performance of the contract. All copies must be accounted for and waste sheets, printing plates, and electronic 

files destroyed beyond recognition, reconstruction, or recovery.

All training material shall be classified as “Official Use Only” whether or not it is specified on the print order.

Criminal/Civil Sanctions

Each officer or employee or subcontractor of the contractor to whom “Official Use Only” information may be 

made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the contractor that “Official Use Only” information 

disclosed to such officer or employee or subcontractor can be used only for a purpose and to the extent authorized 

herein, and that further disclosure of any such “Official Use Only” information, by any means for a purpose or to 

an extent unauthorized herein, may subject the offender to criminal sanctions imposed by 18 U.S.C. 641.

That Section provides, in pertinent part, that whoever knowingly converts to his use or another, or without 

authority, sells, conveys or disposes of any record of the United States or whoever received the same with the 

intent to convert it to his use or gain, knowing it to have been converted, shall be guilty of a crime punishable by a 

fine of up to $10,000 or imprisoned up to ten years or both.

Labels/marking indicating special handling may be required and will be indicated on the individual print order.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 3 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

Security Controls

To ensure the contractor’s facility can provide the necessary controls to safeguard security material, a tour of the 

facility may be conducted by IRS security personnel. The review of the facility will include, but is not limited to 

the following:

(a) Physical security controls,

(b) Protection of data recorded on magnetic media,

(c) Protection of data recorded on hard copy media,

(d) Identification and authentication controls,

(e) System accountability controls,

(f) Systems access controls,

(g) Protection of residual data,

(h) Back up procedures,

(i) Fire detection and annunciation,

(j) Contingency plans, and

(k) Personnel security

Contractor will be required to make reasonable changes to their facility and/or procedures to properly safeguard 

security material. If requirements are not met, requirements will be procured from other sources.

QUALITY CONTROL DOCUMENTS

The following documents and publications shall apply. In the event of conflict between the documents and 

publications referenced herein and the content of this specification, the content of this specification shall be 

considered a superseding requirement.

• 29 USC Section 508 Standards available at: https://www.section508.gov/content/learn/laws-and-policies

• W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (Levels A and AA) or most current version 

available at: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/.

• W3C’s Checklist of Checkpoints for WCAG 2.0 (Levels A and AA) available at: 

http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-WCAG20-20060427/appendixB.html.

• IRS Form 14305 (Rev. 3-2019), Catalog Number 58451D, “Section 508 Compliant Checklist for Portable 

Document Form (PDF) Files.”

• Contractor will be required to test all Section 508 Compliant PDF files against all WCAG 2.0 checkpoints 

and for compatibility with the JAWS 18 and Adobe XI Pro. Contractor will be required to update to the 

most recent IRS versions of JAWS and Adobe Acrobat.

EXTENSION OF TERM OF CONTRACT

At the request of the Government, the term of any contract resulting from this solicitation may be extended for 

such period of time as may be mutually agreeable to the GPO and the contractor.

OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF CONTRACT

The Government has the option to extend the term of this contract for a period of 12 months by written notice to 

the contractor not later than 30 days before the contract expires. If the Government exercises this option, the 

extended contract shall be considered to include this clause, except, the total duration of the contract may not 

exceed 5 years (March 31, 2026) as a result of, and including, any extension(s) added under this clause. Further 

extension may be negotiated under the “Extension of Term of Contract” clause. See also “Economic Price 

Adjustment” clause for authorized pricing adjustment(s).
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 4 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT

The pricing under this contract shall be adjusted in accordance with this clause, provided that in no event will any 

pricing adjustment be made that would exceed the maximum permissible under any law in effect at the time of the 

adjustment.

There will be no adjustment for orders placed during the first period specified below. Pricing will thereafter be 

eligible for adjustment during the second and any succeeding performance period(s). For each performance 

period after the first, a percentage figure will be calculated as described below and that figure will be the 

economic price adjustment for that entire next period.

Pricing adjustments under this clause are not applicable to reimbursable postage or transportation costs, or to 

paper, if paper prices are subject to adjustment by separate clause elsewhere in this contract.

For the purpose of this clause, performance under this contract will be divided into successive periods. The first 

period will extend from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022, and the second and any succeeding period(s) 

will extend for 12 months from the end of the last preceding period, except that the length of the final period may 

vary. The first day of the second and any succeeding period(s) will be the effective date of the economic price 

adjustment for that period.

Pricing adjustments in accordance with this clause will be based on changes in the seasonally adjusted “Consumer 

Price Index For All Urban Consumers – Commodities Less Food” (Index) published monthly in the CPI Detailed 

Report by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The economic price adjustment will be the percentage difference between Index averages as specified in this 

paragraph. An index called the variable index will be calculated by averaging the monthly Indexes from the 

12-month interval ending three (3) months prior to the beginning of the period being considered for adjustment. 

This average is then compared to the average of the monthly Indexes for the 12-month interval ending 

December 31, 2020, called the base index. The percentage change (plus or minus) of the variable index from the 

base index will be the economic price adjustment for the period being considered for adjustment.

The Government will notify the contractor by contract modification specifying the percentage increase or 

decrease to be applied to invoices for orders placed during the period indicated. The contractor shall apply the 

percentage increase or decrease against the total price of the invoice less reimbursable postage or transportation 

costs and separately adjusted paper prices. Payment discounts shall be applied after the invoice price is adjusted.

If the Government exercises an option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this economic price 

adjustment clause.

NOTE: This contract does not have a Paper Price Adjustment clause.

ASSIGNMENT OF JACKETS, PURCHASE AND PRINT ORDERS

A GPO jacket number will be assigned and a purchase order issued to the contractor to cover work performed. 

The purchase order may be supplemented by an individual “Print Order” for each job placed with the contractor. 

The print order, when issued, will indicate the quantity to be produced and any other information pertinent to the 

particular order.

PRE-AWARD SURVEY

In order to determine the responsibility of the prime contractor or any subcontractor, the Government reserves the 

right to conduct an on-site preaward survey at the contractor’s/subcontractor’s facility or to require other evidence 

of technical, production, managerial, financial, and similar abilities to perform, prior to the award of a contract. 

As part of the financial determination, the contractor in line for award may be required to provide one or more of 

the following financial documents:
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 5 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

1. Most recent profit and loss statement

2. Most recent balance sheet

3. Statement of cash flows

4. Current official bank statement

5. Current lines of credit (with amounts available)

6. Letter of commitment from paper supplier(s)

7. Letter of commitment from any subcontractor

The documents will be reviewed to validate that adequate financial resources are available to perform the contract 

requirements. Documents submitted will be kept confidential and used only for the determination of 

responsibility by the Government. Failure to provide the requested information in the time specified by the 

Government may result in the Contracting Officer not having adequate information to reach an affirmative 

determination of responsibility.

PRE-AWARD TEST

The contractor being considered for award shall be required to complete the following pre-award test, unless 

waived by the Contracting Officer. The Government may waive the requirement for a pre-award test where 

supplies identical or similar to those called for have been previously furnished by the contractor and have been 

accepted by the Government.

1. The prospective contractor will receive the pre-award test material via contractor-maintained FTP site or 

e-mail. It is anticipated that the test material will consist of a Native PDF, a scanned PDF, and an Adobe 

LiveCycle Designer form. These publications may be untagged or tagged and may be in English or in a 

language other than English that is listed in “Section 2, Specifications”. Contractor shall make the files 

Section 508 Compliant as described in “Section 2, Specifications”.

2. The pre-award test must be performed at the same facilities and on the same equipment that will be used 

to produce Section 508 Complaint files required for this contract.

3. This test must be delivered by contractor-maintained FTP site or by e-mail before the close of business 3

workdays after the furnished test material is made available. The Government will review the test files 

and notify the contractor of the approval or disapproval within 3 workdays after receipt of test files.

4. Disapproval of Pre-award Test: At the option of the Government and if so notified by the Contracting 

Officer, the contractor may be permitted additional time to correct defects or to submit additional test 

material. The time allowed to provide additional test material may differ depending upon the nature of 

the defects noted. This will be specified when notification is given.

5. Approval of Pre-award Test: Approval will be based upon fulfilling all of the requirements of the 

specifications within the time specified. A single deviation from the contract specifications or failure to 

complete delivery within the time specified may result in declaring the contractor non-responsible.

No charges will be allowed for costs incurred in the performance of the pre-award test.

ORDERING

Items to be furnished under the contract shall be ordered by the issuance of print orders by the Government. 

Orders may be issued under the contract from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022 plus for such additional 

period(s) as the contract is extended. All print orders issued hereunder are subject to the terms and conditions of 

the contract. The contract shall control in the event of conflict with any print order. A print order shall be 

“issued” upon notification by the Government for purposes of the contract when it is electronically transmitted or 

otherwise physically furnished to the contractor in conformance with the schedule.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 6 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

REQUIREMENTS

This is a requirements contract for the items and for the period specified herein. Shipment/delivery of items or 

performance of work shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the clause entitled 

“Ordering”. The quantities of items specified herein are estimates only, and are not purchased hereby. Except as 

may be otherwise provided in this contract, if the Government’s requirements for the items set forth herein do not 

result in orders in the amounts or quantities described as “estimated”, it shall not constitute the basis for an 

equitable price adjustment under this contract.

Except as otherwise provided in this contract, the Government shall order from the contractor(s) all the items set 

forth which are required to be purchased by the Government activity identified on page 1.

The Government shall not be required to purchase from the contractor(s), requirements in excess of the limit on 

total orders under this contract, if any.

Orders issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that time shall be completed 

by the contractor(s) within the time specified in the order, and the rights and obligations of the contractor(s) and 

the Government respecting those orders shall be governed by the terms of this contract to the same extent as if 

completed during the effective period of this contract.

If shipment/delivery of any quantity of an item covered by the contract is required by reason of urgency prior to 

the earliest date that shipment/delivery may be specified under this contract, and if the contractor(s) will not 

accept an order providing for the accelerated shipment/delivery, the Government may procure this requirement 

from another source.

The Government may issue orders which provide for shipment/delivery to or performance at multiple 

destinations.

Subject to any limitations elsewhere in this contract, the contractor shall furnish to the Government all items set 

forth herein which are called for by print orders issued in accordance with the “Ordering” clause of this contract.

ADDITIONAL EMAILED BID SUBMISSION PROVISIONS

The Government will not be responsible for any failure attributable to the transmission or receipt of the emailed 

bid including, but not limited to, the following –

1. Illegibility of bid.

2. Emails over 75 MB may not be received by GPO due to size limitations for receiving emails.

3. The bidder’s email provider may have different size limitations for sending email; however, bidders are 

advised not to exceed GPO’s stated limit.

4. When the email bid is received by GPO, it will remain unopened until the specified bid opening time. 

Government personnel will not validate receipt of the emailed bid prior to bid opening. GPO will use 

the prevailing Columbus, Ohio time and the exact time that the email is received by GPO’s email server 

as the official time stamp for bid receipt at the specified location.

PAYMENT

Anticipate some of the Print Orders (GPO Form 2511) will contain multiple items. Each item must be itemized in 

accordance with the Schedule of Prices and a grand total must be entered on the contractor’s invoice.

Before any voucher will be accepted by GPO for payment, an itemized and totaled statement for each print order 

must be submitted to the order agency for examination and certification as to the correctness of the vouchers as 

applicable to the work performed. This certification by the ordering agency will suffice in lieu of submitting a 

completed sample with the contractor’s voucher. A copy of the Page and Page Element Reports must be 

submitted along with the certified invoice.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 7 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

Submitting invoices for payment via the GPO fax gateway (if no samples are required) utilizing the GPO barcode 

coversheet program application is the most efficient method of invoicing. Instruction for using this method can 

be found at the following web address: http://winapps.access.gpo.gov/fms/vouchers/barcode/instructions.html.

Invoices may also be mailed to: U.S. Government Publishing Office, Office of Financial Management, Attn: 

Comptroller, Stop: FMCE, Washington, DC 20401.

For more information about the billing process refer to the General Information of the Office of Finance web page 

located at https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-with-us/vendors/how-to-get-paid.

At time of invoicing, the contractor shall submit a copy of the print order, contractor’s certified invoice, the Page 

and Page Element Reports, and all e-mail delivery receipts via e-mail to infocolumbus@gpo.gov.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 8 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

SECTION 2. – SPECIFICATIONS

SCOPE

These specifications cover the assessment and remediation of PDF files (Adobe LiveCycle Designer, native PDF 

files, and scanned PDF files) that are untagged or tagged which require such operations as electronic transmission 

of files, OCR scanning and repair, document assessment and support, accessibility tagging and structuring, final 

review, and transmission of finished electronic files and report deliverables.

TITLE

Section 508 Compliant PDF Files

NUMBER OF ORDERS

Anticipate 1,203 orders per year, up to 10 PDF files per order. Anticipate 2,111 files per year. Files will be

provided in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Persian, Gujarati, Italian, Khmer, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, 

Tagalog, Urdu, French, German, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), or Korean. 

Additional languages may be provided as mutually agreeable to the Government and the contractor. Anticipate 

the following:

Table 1: Estimated Annual Volume

Language Assessment 

Review Only

Assessment Review 

and Instruction

Assessment Review 

and Remediation of 

Tagged Files

Assessment Review 

and Remediation of 

Untagged Files

English 299 files 32 files, approximately 

1 hour per file 1,030 files 309 files

Other than 

English

245 files 

(Spanish Only)

32 files, approximately 

1 hour per file (Spanish 

Only)

74 files 90 files

NUMBER OF PAGES

A file may contain either one or more of the following page types: Form Pages, Tables of Contents and/or Index 

Pages, and/or Text Matter Pages. Text matter pages will be either “Simple” (will not contain graphs, tables, or 

charts) or “Complex” (will contain graphs, tables and/or charts). When ordered, average 5 “Complex” pages per 

file.

Anticipate up to 15 Form Pages per file with up to 250 form fields per Form Page. Most files will have 5 or less 

Form Pages. Most Form Pages will have 50 or less form fields.

Anticipate up to 10 Tables of Contents and/or Index Pages per file. Most files will have 2 or less Tables of 

Contents and/or Index Pages.

Anticipate up to 1,000 Text Matter Pages per file. Most files will have 10 to 40 Text Matter Pages.

Pages that have scanned images will require contractor to perform OCR Scanning with possible OCR Repair. 

Anticipate 1% of the pages requiring remediation will require OCR Scanning with or without OCR Repair.

Assessment Review and Remediation of Tagged Files

Contractor will be reimbursed for page type in accordance with the “Schedule of Prices” in Section 4. The 

following is anticipated:
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 9 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

Table 2: Page Types of Tagged Files

Language Form 

Pages

Tables of Content/Index 

Pages

“Simple” Text 

Matter Pages

“Complex” Text 

Matter Pages

English 196 813 28,856 7,214

Other than 

English 107 29 849 212

Assessment Review and Remediation of Untagged Files

Contractor will be reimbursed for page type in accordance with the “Schedule of Prices” in Section 4. The 

following is anticipated:

Table 3: Page Types of Untagged Files

Language Form 

Pages

Tables of Content/Index 

Pages

“Simple” Text 

Matter Pages

“Complex” Text 

Matter Pages

English 39 115 5,810 1,452

Other than 

English 16 16 838 209

ASSESSMENT REVIEW ONLY

Contractor will be reimbursed for Assessment Review in accordance with the “Schedule of Prices” in Section 4. 

File composition is expected to be similar to Remediation with Assessment Review of Tagged and Untagged 

Files. Files will be in English or Spanish only.

ASSESSMENT REVIEW AND INSTRUCTION

Contractor will be reimbursed for Assessment Review and Instruction in accordance with the “Schedule of 

Prices” in Section 4. File composition is expected to be similar to Remediation with Assessment Review of 

Tagged and Untagged Files. Files will be in English or Spanish only. IRS uses CommonLook PDF Global 

Access remediation software. Support will be required for this software.

NUMBER OF PAGE ELEMENTS

Most page types will contain one or more of the following page elements:

• Links: Up to 350 links per file (Form Pages and Text Matter Pages only), usually 30 or less.

• Alt Text Images: Up to 275 alt text images per file, usually 20 or less.

• Lists: Up to 1,200 lists per file, usually 100 or less.

• Simple Tables: Up to 575 simple tables per file, usually 30 tables per file.

• Complex Tables: Up to 600 complex tables per file, usually 10 tables per file.

QUANTITY/DELIVERABLES

Contractor will be required to perform an initial Assessment Review (IRS Form 14305) of every file. Some files

will require Assessment Support and/or will require file Remediation. Assessment Support will require e-mail 

summary of supportive action. Each remediated file will require a final Assessment Review and a Page and Page 

Element Report.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 10 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH

PDF files to be sent via e-mail or contractor-maintained FTP site for 10MB and larger files. File(s) classified as 

SBU to be encrypted prior to transmission with instructions for opening file(s) sent in separate transmission (see 

“Security Provisions” in Section 1). Contractor to confirm receipt of all e-mail and FTP transmissions.

FILE FORMAT

Files will be the most current version of Adobe LiveCycle Designer PDF’s, Adobe Acrobat Native PDF’s, or 

Adobe Acrobat Scanned PDF’s. Contractor to keep up to date on all version upgrades.

Adobe LiveCycle Designer PDF’s will be files converted to or created in Adobe LiveCycle Designer. If 

remediation of Adobe LiveCycle Designer Form is required, the Government will furnish the “Adobe LiveCycle 

Source File” for the contractor to perform remediation upon.

Adobe Acrobat Native PDF’s will be files converted to PDF from an electronic source file or created in Adobe 

Acrobat. It is not possible to provide a comprehensive list of source files, but the majority will have been created 

in the Microsoft Office Suite or Adobe InDesign or other desktop publishing software. Some items will contain 

scanned images within the document file.

Adobe Acrobat Scanned PDF’s will be paper-based source documents that were scanned to PDF. Some native 

PDF’s will contain scanned images within the document file.

TAGGING STRUCTURE

PDF’s will be furnished as tagged or untagged files. Tagged files have had some degree of file remediation 

performed through Adobe Acrobat by a file user and/or by the built-in functions of native or Adobe Acrobat 

software. Untagged files will not have any 508 compliant document or structure tags. Anticipate scanned PDF’s 

will be untagged.

FURNISHED FORMS

• GPO Form 2511, Print Orders.

• IRS Form 14305 (blank), Exhibit 1

• Page and Page Element Report, Exhibit 2

• GPO Delivery/Shipping Status Report Form

CONTRACTOR TO FURNISH

All materials and operations, other than those listed under “Government to Furnish”, necessary to produce the 

product(s) in accordance with these specifications.

OCR SCANNING AND OCR REPAIR

PDF files may require the contractor to perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanning of the file before 

the “Assessment Review” is conducted. When OCR scanning indicates a required repair, the contractor, after 

approval by the Government, shall repair the file using OCR software. OCR software is to scan at a minimum of 

300 dpi or greater and render verbatim text of the scanned file (wet signatures should remain as images with 

alternative text description “xxxxx signature”).

It is anticipated that approximately 1% of the total pages requiring remediation will also require OCR scanning. 

Most of the pages that require OCR scanning will also require the contractor to repair the OCR scanned pages.
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INITIAL ASSESSMENT REVIEW

Each file will require the contractor to perform an initial Assessment Review of the furnished file. Upon receipt 

of file and after OCR scanning and repair (if required), contractor to assess the file for 508 compliance with 

WCAG 2.0 Levels A and AA and complete IRS Form 14305. For each file that is found to “fail”, the contractor 

to include in the “comments” section what failed and where the first instance of the “failure occurred.

ASSESSMENT REVIEW ONLY

Some files will require an Assessment Review Only. The individual print order will indicate if the file(s) require 

Assessment Review Only. Files will be in English or Spanish only. After the initial Assessment Review, the 

contractor is to submit the complete IRS Form 14305 as a digital deliverable to GPO and IRS.

ASSESSMENT REVIEW AND INSTRUCTION

Some files will require an Assessment Review and Instruction. The individual print order will indicate if the 

file(s) require Assessment Instruction and provide contact information of the IRS representative requesting 

support. Files will be in English or Spanish only.

The contractor will provide step-by-step instruction to the IRS representative on how to bring the file into 508 

compliance using CommonLook PDF Global Access. Instruction to be provided via telephone or e-mail. 

Contractor will be required to provide the IRS representative with an e-mail summary of the telephone instruction.

Contractor will only be reimbursed for Assessment Instruction when it is indicated on the individual print order 

and only when the IRS Form 14305 and the e-mail instructions or e-mail instruction summary is included with the 

contractor’s invoice.

ASSESSMENT REVIEW AND REMEDIATION

Most items will require the contractor to conduct an initial Assessment Review and perform remediation on the 

file until the file is fully compliant. See additional information regarding remediation under “Remediate File” 

hereafter.

An occasional file will require that the Assessment Review will include instructions on how to make the file

compliant with 29 USC Section 508.

REMEDIATE FILE

If the assessment review indicates that there are deficiencies in the file, the contractor shall remediate the file

(unless order is for Assessment Review Only or Assessment Review and Support). English, Spanish, Arabic, 

Bengali, Persian, Gujarati, Italian, Khmer, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog, Urdu, French, German, Russian, 

Vietnamese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), or Korean, and will require remediation properly 

formatted for the language in which the file was provided. Additional languages may be required as mutually 

agreeable to the Government and the contractor.

The contractor to create structure trees, including changing of the “flow” of different page elements for the screen 

reading software.

Contractor will also be required to establish necessary metadata, proper document structure, navigation, tab order 

and reading order, keyboard accessibility, and correct color contrast within the file.

Page Types

Files will consist of a combination of Form Pages, Tables of Content or Index Pages, and/or Text Matter Pages.
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1561-S (3/22)

Form Pages

Form Pages are pages within a file that contain a fillable form and are complex and dynamic in nature. Form 

Pages may contain text matter and/or any combination of Page Elements as defined below. Form Pages do not 

contain Tables of Contents or Index Pages or Text Matter Pages. All Form Pages will require proper tagging, 

including tab order and tool tips, to ensure the assistive technology user will be able to successfully fill out the 

form. The number of form fields varies greatly from file to file and will consist of dropdown boxes, check boxes, 

radio buttons, and text boxes.

Tables of Content and Index Pages

Tables of Content and Index Pages are pages within a file that contain extensive links that navigate within the file. 

Tables of Content and/or Index Pages may contain text matter and/or any combination of Page Elements as 

defined below. These pages do not contain Form Pages or Text Matter Pages. All Tables of Content and Index 

pages will require proper tagging of text matter, navigation, and reading order. All navigation links must be 

active.

Text Matter Pages

Text Matter Pages are pages within a file that contain text matter and/or any combination of Page Elements as 

defined below. These pages do not contain Form Pages or Tables of Content and/or Index Pages. All Text Matter

Pages will require proper tagging of headers, footers, headings, columns, text matter, navigation, tables, graphics, 

and reading order. Blank pages to be announced as “Blank Page.”

Text Matter Pages will be defined as “Simple” or “Complex”. Simple text matter pages will not contain graphs, 

tables, or charts. Anticipate 80% of the pages will be “Simple” pages. Complex text matter pages will contain 

graphs, tables, and/or charts. Anticipate 20% of the pages will be “Complex” pages.

Page Elements

Form Pages, Tables of Content or Index Pages, and Text Matter Pages will consist of any combination of the 

following Page Elements:

Links

Contractor to develop descriptive and concise narrative for all tool tips. All internal and external links will 

require proper tagging for navigation and reading order. All navigation links must be active.

Alternate Text (Alt Text)

Contractor to develop descriptive and concise narrative for all non-text images, including charts, graphs, 

photographs, illustrations, graphics, logos, seals, signatures, screen shots, clip art, and all other non-text elements. 

All alt text will require proper tagging, navigation (as applicable), and reading order. Any alternate text that 

exists in the original file must remain as alternate text in the remediated file. 

Lists

Bulleted and Numbered Lists are to be tagged with proper reading order and in list format with numbers and 

bullets read on the same line as the text, unordered lists are to be tagged and formatted as ordered lists.

Tables

Contractor to develop an alt text label that describes the table. All tables will require proper tagging of alt text, 

tab order, navigation (as applicable), and reading order. Tables will have single or multiple levels of column/row 

headers. Tables are defined as either simple or complex as follows:
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1561-S (3/22)

Simple Tables

Defined as tables with single level column/row headers with a minimum of 2 columns and a combination 

of up to 20 columns and rows. For example: 2 columns and 5 rows, 3 columns and 4 rows, 5 columns 

and 3 rows, or 3 columns and 6 rows.

Complex Tables

Defined as all tables with single or multiple level column/row headers with a minimum of 2 columns and 

a combination of 21 or more columns and rows. For example: 2 columns and 11 rows, 3 columns and 8 

rows, 10 columns and 3 rows, or 4 columns and 6 rows.

FINAL ASSESSMENT REVIEW

After remediation, the contractor shall perform another assessment review and develop a second assessment 

report. If deficiencies are found, contractor shall remediate the file again and perform another assessment review 

and develop another assessment report and continue in like manner until no more deficiencies are found. The 

contractor must attach a passing “Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Report” or other Government approved report to 

the e-mail with the remediated PDF file. The final assessment report, Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Report, and 

any other Government approved report is to be included as a deliverable with the remediated file.

PAGE AND PAGE ELEMENT REPORT

After remediating the file, contractor shall complete a Page and Page Element Report for each PDF file. The Page 

and Page Element Report is to be submitted to IRS with invoice to be certified and to GPO with the IRS certified 

invoice. Format of report to be provided to contractor at the time of award.

Orders shall have the Adobe Accessibility Report attached to each file with the exception of Adobe Live Cycle

Files.

When the Form 14305 is part of the print order deliverable, the naming convention of that file shall have “passed”

or “failed” added to the end of the file name.

Orders shall have a final PDF deliverable with the name convention changed to add the print order number.

READING ORDER AND ALT TEXT REVIEW

Files requiring remediation will also require the contractor to complete a reading order and alt text review of each 

PDF file. Reading order should be logical and completed left to right and top to bottom. Alt text should be 

descriptive, yet concise. Any alternate text that exists in the original file must remain as alternate text in the 

remediated file. An occasional order may require collaboration with Government representative.

SCREEN READER REVIEW

Files requiring remediation will also require the contractor to complete a screen reader review using the most 

current IRS versions of JAWS and Adobe Acrobat. If the file is not readable with the screen reader software, the 

contractor shall remediate the file again as described under “Remediate File” until the file is readable by the

screen reader software.

DISTRIBUTION

The contractor shall submit the Section 508 Compliant PDF file, initial and final assessment reports, assessment

support e-mail summaries, and Page and Page Element Reports to the Government via e-mail or contractormaintained FTP site. File(s) classified as SBU to be encrypted prior to transmission with instructions for opening 

file(s) sent in separate transmission (see “Security Provisions” in Section 1).
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1561-S (3/22)

All e-mails and e-mail notifications are to be sent to the ordering agency (e-mail addresses to be provided at time 

of award) and to the Government Publishing Office at trackcolumbus@gpo.gov. The e-mail shall include in the 

Subject line the Program and Print Order Number and “508 Compliant PDF Reports”.

NOTE: The ship/deliver date indicated on the print order is the date products ordered must be received by the 

ordering agency via FTP or e-mail.

SCHEDULE

Adherence to this schedule must be maintained. Contractor must not start production of any job prior to receipt of 

the individual print order (GPO Form 2511) together with furnished material. Print order and furnished material 

will be sent to the contractor via e-mail or uploaded to contractor-maintained FTP site. The following schedule 

begins the day after receipt of the print order and furnished material; the workday after receipt of the print order 

and furnished material will be the first workday of the schedule.

Accelerated Schedule

Assessment Review Only files will require 1 workday for complete production and delivery. All other files will 

require 1 to 4 workdays for complete production and delivery. A maximum aggregate of 75 pages received per 

day with the same delivery date will be allowed under the Accelerated Schedule regardless of number of files on a 

print order or number of print orders placed.

For files requiring Assessment Review and Remediation with 1 workday for complete production and delivery, 

the Initial Assessment Review is due within 4 hours after print order is received. When 2 to 4 workdays are 

required for complete production and delivery, the Initial Assessment Review is due 1 workday after print order is 

received.

Regular Schedule

Assessment Review Only files will require 2 workdays for complete production and delivery. All other files will 

require 5 days or more for complete production and delivery. A maximum aggregate of 100 pages received per 

day with the same delivery date will be allowed under the Regular Schedule regardless of the number of files on a 

print order or number of print orders placed. The contractor will be allowed 2 additional workdays in the 

schedule per 100 pages, or fraction thereof, after the first 100 pages.

For files requiring Assessment Review and Remediation, the Initial Assessment Review is due 2 workdays after 

print order is received.

RECEIPT FOR DELIVERY

Contractor must furnish their own receipts for delivery. These receipts must include the GPO jacket, program, 

and print order numbers; total quantity delivered, date delivery made; and signature or read receipt of the 

Government agent accepting delivery. The original copy of this receipt must accompany the contractor’s invoice

for payment.
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1561-S (3/22)

SECTION 3. – DETERMINATION OF AWARD

The Government will determine the lowest bid by applying the prices offered in the “Schedule of Prices” to the 

following units of production which are the estimated requirements to produce one year’s production under this 

contract. These units do not constitute, nor are they to be construed as, a guarantee of the volume of work which 

may be ordered for a like period of time.

The following item designations correspond to those listed in the “Schedule of Prices”.

I. (1) (2)

(a) 11,960 9,800

(b) 32 32

II. (1) (2)

(a) 375 93

(b) 300 90

III. (1) (2)

A. (a) 196 107

(b) 813 29

(c) 28,856 849

(d) 7,214 212

B. (a) 39 16

(b) 115 16

(c) 5,810 838

(d) 1,452 209

IV. PREMIUM PAYMENTS:

Files for Assessment Review Only that require a production of 1 workday and files for all other items that require 

a production schedule of 1 to 4 workdays will be paid at the premium rate in accordance with the contractor’s 

offered percentage in the “Schedule of Prices”.

All other orders will be placed within the required schedule and paid for at the basic prices offered.

Percentages offered for premium priced work are additional to the basic prices offered for units of work. 

Premium payments, when authorized, will apply to all items.

Failure of the contractor to deliver work at the time specified will result in disallowance of premium payments 

that were anticipated and the contractor will not list such items on his voucher.

It is estimated that 7% of the orders placed on this contract will be for the accelerated schedule. Premium 

Payments for an Accelerated Schedule will be evaluated for award. Evaluation will be affected by applying the 

percentage increase, offered for the accelerated schedule in the “Schedule of Prices” (Item IV. (a)), to 7% of the 

prices offered for all items.
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1561-S (3/22)

PAGE 16 IS BLANK.
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 17 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

SECTION 4. – SCHEDULE OF PRICES

Bids offered are f.o.b. destination to all locations via e-mail or contractor-maintained FTP site.

Prices shall be all-inclusive, covering all materials and operations, for complete production in accordance with 

these specifications.

Bidder must make an entry in each of the spaces provided. Bids submitted with blank spaces, or with any 

obliteration, revision, or alteration of the order and manner of submitting bids, may be declared nonresponsive.

An entry of NC (No Charge) shall be entered if bidder intends to furnish individual items at no charge to the 

Government.

Bids submitted with NB (No Bid), NA (Not Applicable), or blank spaces for an item may be declared 

nonresponsive.

The Contracting Officer reserves the right to reject any offer that contains prices for individual items of 

production (whether or not such items are included in the Determination of Award) that are inconsistent or 

unrealistic in regard to other prices in the same offer or to GPO prices for the same operation if such action would 

be in the best interest of the Government.

All vouchers submitted to the GPO shall be based on the most economical method of production.

I. ASSESSMENT REVIEW: Prices offered must be all-inclusive in accordance with these specifications and 

shall include the cost of all required materials and operations necessary for assessing files and generating an 

assessment review report. Contractor will be reimbursed for Line Items I. (a) (1) and (2) only when print order 

indicates “Assessment Review Only” or the initial assessment review indicates that no deficiencies were found in 

the file. Contractor will be reimbursed for Line Items I. (b) (1) and (2) only when print order indicates 

“Assessment Review and Instruction”.

LANGUAGE

English Spanish

(1) (2)

(a) Assessment Review Only ............................. per page ........... $__________ $__________

(b) Assessment Review and Instruction ............. per hour ........... $__________ $__________

II. OCR SCANNING AND REPAIR: Prices offered must be all-inclusive in accordance with these 

specifications and shall include the cost of all required materials and operations necessary for OCR scanning and 

repair. Charges for OCR repairs will only be allowed when authorized on the face of the individual print order or 

by contract modification.

LANGUAGE

Other than

English English

(1) (2)

(a) OCR Scanning of PDF Files......................... per page ........... $__________ $__________

(b) OCR Repair of PDF Files............................. per page ........... $__________ $__________

____________

(Initials)

RETURN THIS PAGE TO GPO, COLUMBUS, OH RO
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1561-S (3/22)

SCHEDULE OF PRICES

III. REMEDIATE FILE: Prices offered must be all-inclusive in accordance with these specifications and shall 

include the cost of all required materials and operations necessary for the complete production of “Remediate 

File” under “Section 2 – Specifications”. Prices offered to include two assessment reviews of each file (one 

before remediation and one after remediation), one review each of reading order, alt text, and by screen reader and 

one Page and Page Element Report for each file.

LANGUAGE

Other than

English English

(1) (2)

A. Tagged PDF Files:

(a) Form Field Pages.......................................... per page ........... $__________ $__________

(b) Tables of Contents and Index Pages............. per page ........... $__________ $__________

(c) Simple Text Matter Pages............................. per page ........... $__________ $__________

(d) Complex Text Matter Pages.......................... per page ........... $__________ $__________

B. Untagged PDF Files:

(a) Form Field Pages.......................................... per page ........... $__________ $__________

(b) Tables of Contents and Index Pages............. per page ........... $__________ $__________

(c) Simple Text Matter Pages............................. per page ........... $__________ $__________

(d) Complex Text Matter Pages.......................... per page ........... $__________ $__________

IV. PREMIUM PAYMENTS: This is only authorized for orders placed on the “Accelerated Schedule” as 

defined in these specifications.

(a) Percentage increase for Accelerated Schedule .........................................................__________%

____________

(Initials)

RETURN THIS PAGE TO GPO, COLUMBUS, OH RO
Section 508 Compliant PDF Files Page 19 of 24

1561-S (3/22)

SCHEDULE OF PRICES

SHIPMENT(S): Shipments will be made from: City _________________________, State ____________

The city(ies) indicated above will be used for evaluation of transportation charges when shipment f.o.b. 

contractor’s city is specified. If no shipping point is indicated above, it will be deemed that the bidder has 

selected the city and state shown below in the address block, and the bid will be evaluated and the contract 

awarded on that basis. If shipment is not made from evaluation point, the contractor will be responsible for any 

additional shipping costs incurred.

DISCOUNTS: Discounts are offered for payment as follows: ____________ Percent, ____________ calendar 

days. See Article 12 “Discounts” of Solicitations Provisions in GPO Contract Terms (Publication 310.2).

AMENDMENT(S): Bidder hereby acknowledges amendment(s) number(ed) _______________________

BID ACCEPTANCE PERIOD: In compliance with the above, the undersigned agree, if this bid is accepted 

within _____________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the bidder) from 

the date for receipt of bids, to furnish the specified items at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the 

designated point(s), in exact accordance with specifications.

NOTE: Failure to provide a 60-day bid acceptance period may result in expiration of the bid prior to award.

BIDDER’S NAME AND SIGNATURE: Unless specific written exception is taken, the bidder, by signing and 

submitting a bid, agrees with and accepts responsibility for all certifications and representations as required by the 

solicitation and GPO Contract Terms - Publication 310.2. When responding by fax or mail, fill out and return one 

copy of all pages in “SECTION 4. – SCHEDULE OF PRICES,” including initialing/signing where indicated.

Failure to sign the signature block below may result in the bid being declared non-responsive.

Bidder 

(Contractor Name) (GPO Contractor’s Code)

(Street Address)

(City – State – Zip Code)

By 

(Printed Name, Signature, and Title of Person Authorized to Sign this Bid) (Date)

(Person to be Contacted) (Telephone Number) (Email)

THIS SECTION FOR GPO USE ONLY

Contracting Officer: __________ Date __________ Certifier by: ___________ Date __________

(Initials) (Initials)

RETURN THIS PAGE TO GPO, COLUMBUS REGIONAL OFFICE
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1561-S (3/22)

EXHIBIT ONE: ASSESSMENT REPORT, IRS FORM 14305 (PAGE 1 OF 4)

Figure 1.1: Page 1 of IRS Form 14305
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1561-S (3/22)

EXHIBIT ONE: ASSESSMENT REPORT, IRS FORM 14305 (PAGE 2 OF 4)

Figure 1.1: Page 2 of IRS Form 14305
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1561-S (3/22)

EXHIBIT ONE: ASSESSMENT REPORT, IRS FORM 14305 (PAGE 3 OF 4)

Figure 1.3: Page 3 of IRS Form 14305
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1561-S (3/22)

EXHIBIT ONE: ASSESSMENT REPORT, IRS FORM 14305 (PAGE 4 OF 4)

Figure 1.4: Page 4 of IRS Form 14305
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1561-S (3/22)

EXHIBIT TWO: 1561-S PAGE AND PAGE ELEMENT REPORT (PAGE 1 OF 1)

Figure 2: 1561-S Page and Page Element Report