1466S

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

BASIS ‐‐‐ 

ITEM OF ‐‐‐ 

NUMBER ITEM DESCRIPTION AWARD UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST 

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

I. PROOFING:

(a) PDF Proof......per proof per item 587 5.00 2,935.00 NC 0.00 10.00 5,87

(b) Content or Content/Construction Proof......per proof per item 680 5.00 3,400.00 150.00 102,000.00 10.00 6,80

(c) Prior‐to‐Production Sample .........................per proof per item 2,280 5.00 11,400.00 NC 0.00 10.00 22,80

II. PRINTING, VARIABLE DATA IMAGING, AND ENVELOPE CONSTRUCTION:

1. Letters/Inserts:

(a) Printing 1‐color/0................per 1,000 leaves 1,001 38.70 38,738.70 27.75 27,777.75 50.05 50,10

(b) Printing 2‐color/0................per 1,000 leaves 50 77.70 3,885.00 29.18 1,459.00 7.50 37

(c) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 411 38.70 15,905.70 55.50 22,810.50 60.82 24,99

(d) Printing 2‐color/2‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 50 77.70 3,885.00 58.25 2,912.50 7.50 37

2. Postcards:

(A) 5‐1/2 x 4‐1/4":

(a) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 60 33.00 1,980.00 5.11 306.60 35.00 2,10

(b) Printing 2‐color/2‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 60 66.00 3,960.00 5.20 312.00 35.00 2,10

(B) 5‐1/2 x 8‐1/4":

(a) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 40 66.00 2,640.00 10.23 409.20 28.00 1,12

(b) Printing 2‐color/2‐color.....per 1,000 leaves 30 133.00 3,990.00 10.40 312.00 28.00 84

3. Mailing Envelopes:

(A) 4‐1/8 x 9‐1/2":

(a) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 envelopes 100 60.80 6,080.00 35.40 3,540.00 308.00 30,80

(B) 4‐3/8 x 9‐3/4":

(a) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 envelopes 993 40.80 40,514.40 25.79 25,609.47 67.07 66,60

(C) 6 x 9":

(a) Printing 1‐color/1‐color.....per 1,000 envelopes 100 60.80 6,080.00 42.45 4,245.00 346.33 34,63

III. PAPER:

(a) White No. 1 Offset Book Smooth‐Finish (60 lb.).....per 1,000 leaves 1,352 18.90 25,552.80 15.20 20,550.40 140.00 189,28(b) White Index (110 lb.)...................................................per 1,000 leaves 190 51.50 9,785.00 8.97 1,704.30 395.00 75,05

(c) White Writing Envelope (24 lb.)................................per 1,000 leaves 1,193 20.40 24,337.20 17.44 20,805.92 67.07 80,01

IV. COLLATING, INSERTING, TRIMMING, FOLDING, WAFER SEALING, AND MAILING:

(a) Inserting single component into specified mail envelope........................per 1,000 mailers 878 22.70 19,930.60 23.00 20,194.00 85.00 74,63

(b) Inserting two or more components into specified mail envelope...........per 1,000 mailers 275 45.40 12,485.00 23.00 6,325.00 90.00 24,75

(c) Flat postcards....................................................................................................per 1,000 cards 120 22.70 2,724.00 2.20 264.00 5.99 71(d) Folding and wafer sealing of postcards.......................................................per 1,000 cards 70 100.90 7,063.00 29.27 2,048.90 8.99 62

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

TOTAL 247,271.40 263,586.54 694,58

DISCOUNT 0.50% 1,236.36 0.00% 0.00 1.00% 6,94

NET TOTAL 246,035.04 263,586.54 687,63

DOA thru April 30, 2024 (2028)

Advantage Mailing Data Recognition Corp. Dedicated Bus. Servic

Anaheim, CA Omaha, NE 

Maple Grove, MN 

‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ ‐‐‐ 

AWARDED
Program 1466-S Page 1 of 54 

Specifications by TC

Reviewed by EBR

BID INVITATION

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Southeast Region 

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS

For the Procurement of 

Research, Applied Analytics & Statistics (RAAS) Customer Satisfaction Surveys 

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

Department of Treasury/IRS

Single Award 

TERM OF CONTRACT: The term of this contract is for the period beginning Date of Award and ending April 

30, 2024, plus up to four (4) optional 12-month extension periods that may be added in accordance with the 

“OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT” clause in SECTION 1 of this contract. 

NOTE: It is anticipated that the period from Date of Award through July 31, 2023 will be a non-production period 

for setup and security investigative processing tasks with live production beginning August 1, 2023. Live production 

may begin sooner if setup and security is completed prior to July 31, 2023. 

BID OPENING: Bids shall be opened at 2:00pm, prevailing Atlanta, GA time, on April 12, 2023.

BID SUBMISSION: Bidders must submit email bids to bidssoutheast@gpo.gov for this solicitation. No other 

method of bid submission will be accepted at this time. 

The program number and bid opening date must be specified in the subject line of the emailed bid submission. To 

submit a bid, contractor must return a completed “SCHEDULE OF PRICES” which is included at the end of this 

specification. Bids received after 2:00pm on the bid opening date specified above will not be considered for award.

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: This is a new term contract. No abstract of previous prices is available.

For information of a technical nature or questions, contact Traci Cobb (404-605-9160 Ext. 4 or tcobb@gpo.gov). 
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1466-S (04/2024)

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 Publication 310.2, 

effective December 1, 1987 (Rev. 01-18)) and GPO Contract Terms, Quality Assurance Through Attributes 

Program for Printing and Binding (GPO Publication 310.1, effective May 1979 (Rev. 09-19)).

GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2) – 

https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-files-for-vendors/contractterms2018.pdf.

GPO QATAP (GPO Publication 310.1) – 

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

SUBCONTRACTING: The predominant production function for this contract is the printing of the forms 

(including variable data). Any contractor who cannot perform the predominant production function will be declared 

non-responsible. 

Contract Clause 6, "Subcontracts," of GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2, effective December 1, 1987 

(Rev. 01-18)), is modified to permit subcontracting of the printing of the envelopes. 

GPO IMPRINT REQUIREMENTS: The GPO imprint requirement, GPO Contract Terms, Supplemental 

Specifications, No. 9, is waived. 

QUALITY ASSURANCE LEVELS AND STANDARDS: The following levels and standards shall apply to 

these specifications:

Product Quality Levels:

(a) Printing (page related) Attributes – Level III

 (b) Finishing (item related) Attributes – Level III

Inspection Levels (from ANSI/ASQC Z1.4): 

(a) Non-destructive Tests – General Inspection Level I.

 (b) Destructive Tests – Special Inspection Level S-2. 

Specified Standards: The specified standards for the attributes requiring them shall be:

Attribute Specified Standard

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity Approved Priors 

P-9. Solid and Screen Tint Color Match Pantone Matching System

Special Instructions: In the event that prior-to-production samples are not required by the Government, the 

following listed alternate standards (in order of precedence) shall become the Specified Standards: 

P-7. Approved PDF (Page Integrity); File Setup

Prior to award, contractor may be required to provide information related to specific equipment that will be used 

for production. 

 

OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE 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 five (5) years as a result of, and including, any 
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1466-S (04/2024)

extension(s) added under this clause. Further extension may be negotiated under the “EXTENSION OF 

CONTRACT TERM” clause. See also “ECONOMIC PRICE ADJUSTMENT” for authorized pricing 

adjustment(s).

EXTENSION OF CONTRACT TERM: 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.

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 Date of Award to April 30, 2024, 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 January 31, 2023, 

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.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: Protection of Confidential Information –

(a) The contractor shall restrict access to all information obtained from the IRS in the performance of this contract 

to those employees and officials who need it to perform the specific services outlined in this contract. 

(b) The contractor shall process all information obtained from the IRS in the performance of the contract under the 

immediate supervision and control of authorized personnel in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the 

records and in such a way that the unauthorized persons cannot gain access to any such records. 

(c) The contractor shall inform all personnel with access to the confidential information obtained from the IRS in 

the performance of this contract of the confidential nature of the information and the safeguards required to protect 

this information from improper disclosure. 

(d) The contractor shall ensure that each contractor employee with access to IRS work knows the prescribed rules 

of conduct and that each contractor employee is aware that he/she may be subject to criminal penalties for violations 

of the Privacy Act. 
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1466-S (04/2024)

(e) All confidential information obtained from the IRS for use in the performance of this contract shall, at all times, 

be stored in an area that is physically safe from unauthorized access. 

(f) All contractor employees shall either be literate in English or have a translator available at all times who can 

read, speak, and understand the language in order to ensure all operational, security, and contract requirements are 

met. The contractor shall ensure communications are provided at a level such that employees can understand 

instructions and converse with the customer. 

(g) Work areas for the production of IRS work shall be in dedicated areas that have fixed barriers and access 

controlled to only those employees working on IRS work. Signs shall be posted that only assigned employees may 

enter. All phases of work will be staged in one main area for each process and sufficiently protected from 

unauthorized access or comingling with non-IRS work. All work areas will be open for IRS representatives at all 

times. (Refer to Pub 4812 (Rev. 12-2022) sections MP-1, MP-2, and PE-3 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irspdf/p4812.pdf). 

(h) At least one supervisory employee must be permanently assigned to the secured areas to visually observe at all 

times the printing, imaging, binding, construction, inserting, storing, shipping, and destruction of any spoiled 

materials. 

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED (SBU) SYSTEMS OR INFORMATION: 

(a) In addition to complying with any functional and technical security requirements set forth in the schedule and 

elsewhere in the contract, the contractor shall request that the Government initiate personnel screening checks and 

provide signed nondisclosure agreements, as required by this clause, for each contractor employee requiring stafflike access, i.e., unescorted or unsupervised physical access or electronic access, to the following limited or 

controlled areas, systems, programs, and data: IRS facilities, information systems, security items and products, and 

Sensitive But Unclassified information. Examples of electronic access would include the ability to access records 

by a system or security administrator. 

(b) The contractor shall submit a properly completed set of investigative request processing forms for each such 

employee in compliance with instructions to be furnished to the IRS, as early as 24 hours, but no later than 72 hours, 

after award. 

(c) Depending upon the nature of the type of investigation necessary, it may take a period up to 11 months to 

complete complex personnel screening investigations. At the discretion of the Government, background screening 

may not be required for employees with recent or current favorable Federal Government investigations. 

(d) To verify the acceptability of a non-IRS, favorable investigation, the contractor shall submit the same forms or 

information needed, as specified in paragraph (b) above, for each such employee in compliance with instructions to 

be furnished to the IRS, as early as 24 hours, but no later than 72 hours, after award. 

(e) The contractor shall ensure that each contractor employee requiring access executes any nondisclosure 

agreements required by the Government prior to gaining staff-like access. The contractor shall provide signed copies 

of the agreements to the IRS Representative for inclusion in the employee’s security file. Unauthorized access is a 

violation of law and may be punishable under the provisions of Title 5 U.S.C. 552a, Executive Order 12356; Section 

7211 of Title 5, United States Code (governing disclosures to Congress); Section 1034 of Title 10, United States 

Code, as amended by the Military Whistleblower Protection Act (governing disclosure to Congress by members of 

the military); Section 2302(b)(8) of Title 5, United States Code, as amended by the Whistleblower Protection Act 

(governing disclosures of illegality, waste, fraud, abuse or public health or safety threats); the Intelligence Identities 

Protection Act of 1982 (50 U.S.C. 421 et seq.)(governing disclosures that could expose confidential Government 

agents); and the statutes which protect against disclosure that may compromise the national security, including 

Sections 641, 793, 794, 798, and 952 of Title 18, United States Code, and Section 4(b) of the Subversive Activities 

Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. Section 783(b)), and other applicable statutes. 
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1466-S (04/2024)

(f) The contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer and the IRS Representative of the termination, 

resignation, or reassignment of any authorized personnel under the contract. Further, the contractor shall include 

the steps taken to ensure continued performance in accordance with the contract. Replacement personnel or new 

hires must have qualifications that are equal to or higher than the qualifications of the person(s) to be replaced. 

SECURITY OF INFORMATION AND MATERIALS: Proper control and handling must be maintained at all 

times to prevent any information or materials required to produce the product ordered under these specifications 

from falling into unauthorized hands. All SBU data must be adequately protected and secured and meet the required 

physical security minimum protection standards as defined in Publications 1075 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irspdf/p1075.pdf) and 4812 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4812.pdf). Unless otherwise indicated herein, all extra 

copies, materials, waste, etc., must be destroyed in accordance with IRS Publications 1075 and 4812, Tax 

Information Security Guidelines for Federal, State, and Local Agencies. 

The contractor agrees that it shall establish and maintain full Secure Data Transfer (SDT) compliance throughout 

the term of this contract. Contractor receiving SBU information from the IRS shall meet the requirements set forth 

below, in accordance with the IRS Publications 1075 and 4812, and Federal Information Security Management Act 

(FISMA) Compliant Data Protection and Internal Revenue Code 6103 (n): 

(a) All federal, state, and local agencies or entities shall comply with IRS Publications 1075 and 4812, Tax 

Information Security Guidelines for Federal, State, and Local Agencies and Entities (as revised) if transmitted data 

contains Federal Taxpayer Information (FTI). All data that originates from the IRS shall be protected to ensure 

compliance with FISMA, including the technical security, physical security, personnel security, and record retention 

requirements. 

(b) All IRS systems that handle or process Federal Tax Information or other Sensitive But Unclassified information, 

including PII, source code, etc., are categorized at the moderate risk level, as required by Publication FIPS 199, 

Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems. This contract handles FTI 

at the moderate risk level. 

Personally identifiable information is “information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, 

such as their name, social security number, biometric records, etc., alone, or when combined with other personal or 

identifying information which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother’s 

maiden name, etc. (Reference: OMB Memorandum 07-16.) Other specific examples of PII include, but are not 

limited to: 

• Personal identification numbers, such as passport number, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification 

number, or financial account or credit card number. 

• Address information, such as street address or personal email address. 

• Personal characteristics, including photographic image (especially of face or other distinguishing 

characteristic), fingerprints, handwriting, or other biometric image or template data (e.g., retina scans, voice 

signature, facial geometry). 

Contractors shall comply with moderate risk controls of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 

800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, Revision 5. NIST is 

a federal technology agency that develops and promotes measurement, standards, and technology. NIST also 

provides additional guidance, publications, and compliance tools to Government agencies at 

http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SMA/fisma/index.html . 

1. Authorized Data Recipients: Only authorized individuals may receive SBU information from the IRS. Individual 

identification and authentication will be accomplished through use of a third-party digital certificate issued by name 

to authorized individuals. Authorized contractor employees shall apply, authenticate, and retrieve a digital 

certificate. 

2. Data Tracking and Accounting: Contractors receiving SBU information are responsible for ensuring the security 

of SBU information within the firm and shall establish procedures to track and account for data from receipt to 
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1466-S (04/2024)

disposition. If contracted entity is a federal, state, or local agency and transmitted data contains FTI, these 

procedures shall meet the requirements of Publications 1075 and 4812. 

3. All contractors shall ensure that the individual responsible for accounting for receipt of SBU information is 

provided with the “control file” that accompanies the extract file on SDT. The contractor is required to provide IRS 

with a separate acknowledgement of receipt of SBU information. 

4. Data Transfer Log File: Contractors receiving SBU information must maintain a log file that records complete 

and incomplete data transfers. For complete transmissions, the log file must identify the sender of the information, 

the file name, the date/time of receipt, and the record count. For incomplete transfers, the log file must identify as 

much of the above information as is possible. 

5. Confirmation of Successful Data Transfers and Record Count: When a contractor receives a file from the IRS 

via SFTP or SecureZipTM, the contractor shall check the file to see that it is intact and usable; the contractor shall 

also validate the record count provided on the “control file.” In the event of incomplete or unsuccessful transfers, 

including a file where record counts cannot be validated, the contractor shall contact the IRS

(erika.j.bryant@irs.gov, christopher.diemont@irs.gov, sylvia.j.greene@irs.gov and/or the publishing specialist 

listed on the print order) immediately and request that the file be retransferred. Requests for retransfers shall include 

the following information: name, phone number, and email address of the person making the request; name, phone 

number, and email address of an alternate contractor contact; file name; job run file ID number; and, complete 

contractor name. 

6. Sensitive But Unclassified Information Breach/Misrouted File: An SBU information breach includes any incident 

where SBU data is lost, misused, or compromised. This includes but is not limited to situations involving a 

misrouted file (a file meant for one entity or contractor is received by another entity or contractor) containing SBU 

data. 

In the case of an SBU breach, the contractor shall contact the following offices within one (1) hour of the breach: 

the Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC) and Situation Awareness Management Center (SAMC) 

through the CSIRC/SAMC Incident Hotline at (866) 216-4809; the Government Publishing Office (Traci Cobb 

(tcobb@gpo.gov, 404-605-9160 x4); and the IRS Representatives (Erika Bryant (erika.j.bryant@irs.gov, 470-769-

2030), Christopher Diemont (christopher.diemont@irs.gov, 469-801-0452) and Sylvia Green 

(sylvia.j.greene@irs.gov, 470-639-2480)). The Government will take appropriate action and advise the contractor 

of further action, if any, required by the contractor and/or consequences resulting from the SBU Breach. 

7. Access Controls and Audit Logs: The contractor shall ensure that any information system (server, workstation,

laptop, etc.) storing SBU information maintains access controls to the information and audit logs that document any 

access to the information in accordance with NIST SP 800-53. Audit logs must be saved for seven (7) years. For all 

federal, state, and local agencies or entities, if data transmitted through the SDT and stored on the agency’s system 

contains FTI, access to the information shall be recorded and reviewed, as identified for access controls and auditing 

within Publications 1075 and 4812. 

8. Validation of Authorized Users: All logical access to IRS information shall be controlled by U.S. Governmentapproved authentication methods to validate the authorized users. 

9. Web Accessible File Sharing Support: There shall be no dial-up or broadband support for web accessible file 

sharing. Remote administration of the web accessible file sharing systems is permitted only via FIPS 140-2 

compliant products. 

10. Safeguard Disclosure of Federal Taxpayer Information Data Transmitted Through the Secure Data Transfer: If 

SDT is used by the contractor to receive FTI data from the IRS, a revised Safeguard Procedures Report (SPR) is 

not required to participate in the SDT. The contractor’s next annual Safeguard Activity Report (SAR) submission 

shall document all protection mechanisms used to secure and store all data received in performing this contract. 
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This shall include identifying the protection procedures, as well as the destruction procedures for data files received 

via SDT. 

11. Contractor shall ensure that all laptops being used for this contract use full disc encryption. 

12. All IT assets must be configured to ensure compliance with the NIST Security Content Automation Protocol 

(SCAP) located on the NIST web site. 

INSPECTION: The contractor shall be subject at the option/discretion of the ordering agency, to periodical testing 

(but no less than annually) and evaluation of the effectiveness of information security controls and techniques. The 

assessment of information security controls may be performed by an agency independent auditor, security team or 

Inspector General, and shall include testing of management, operational and technical controls, as indicated by the 

security plan or every information system that maintain, collect, operate or use federal information on behalf of the 

IRS. The IRS and contractor shall document and maintain a remedial action plan, also known as a Plan of Action 

and Milestones (POA&M) to address any deficiencies identified during the test and evaluation. The contractor must 

cost-effectively reduce information security risks to an acceptable level within the scope, terms and conditions of 

the contract. The contractor has the responsibility of ensuring that all identified weaknesses are either corrected 

and/or mitigated.

The Government shall have the right to send its officers and employees into the offices and plants of the contractor 

for inspection of the facilities and operations provided for the performance of any work under this contract. On the 

basis of such inspection, the Contracting Officer of the Atlanta GPO Office, may require specific measures in cases 

where the contractor is found to be noncompliant with contract safeguards. 

BREACH RELATED TERMINATION OF DATA TRANSMISSION: If the Government determines that an 

authorized recipient has failed to maintain adequate safeguards (in the transmission, retention, and/or use of SBU) 

or has made any unauthorized inspections or disclosures of SBU, the Government may terminate or suspend 

transmission of SBU to any authorized recipient until the Government is satisfied that adequate steps have been 

taken to ensure adequate safeguards or prevent additional unauthorized inspections or disclosures (see IRC section 

6103(p)(4) and (p)(7)).

PRIVACY ACT NOTIFICATION: This procurement action requires the contractor to do one or more of the 

following: design, develop, or operate a system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function in 

accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, Public Law 93-579, December 31, 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and applicable 

agency regulations. Violation of the Act may involve the imposition of criminal penalties as stated in 5 U.S.C. 552a 

(i)(1) CRIMINAL PENALTIES. It is incumbent upon the contractor to inform its officers and employees of the 

penalties for improper disclosure imposed by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, specifically, 5 U.S.C. 552a 

(i)(1) CRIMINAL PENALTIES and m(1) GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS.

PRIVACY ACT

(a) The contractor agrees:

(1) to comply with the Privacy Act of l974 and the rules and regulations issued pursuant to the Act in the 

design, development, or operation of any system of records on individuals in order to accomplish an agency 

function when the contract specifically identifies (i) the system or systems of records and (ii) the work to 

be performed by the contractor in terms of any one or combination of the following: (A) design, (B) 

development, or (C) operation; 

(2) to include the solicitation notification contained in this contract in every solicitation and resulting 

subcontract and in every subcontract awarded without a solicitation when the statement of work in the 

proposed subcontract requires the design, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals 

to accomplish an agency function; and, 
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(3) to include this clause, including this paragraph (3), in all subcontracts awarded pursuant to this contract 

which require the design, development, or operation of such a system of records.

(b) In the event of violations of the Act, a civil action may be brought against the agency involved where the 

violation concerns the design, development, or operation of a system of records on individuals to accomplish 

an agency function, and criminal penalties may be imposed upon the officers or employees of the agency where 

the violation concerns the operation of a system of records on individuals to accomplish an agency function. 

For purposes of the Act when the contract is for the operation of a system of records on individuals to 

accomplish an agency function, the contractor and any employee of the contractor is considered to be an 

employee of the agency.

(c) The terms used in this clause have the following meanings:

(1) “Operation of a system of records” means performance of any of the activities associated with maintaining 

the system of records including the collection, use, and dissemination of records.

(2) “Record” means any item, collection or grouping of information about an individual that is maintained by 

an agency, including, but not limited to, his education, financial transactions, medical history, and criminal 

or employment history and that contains his name, or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying 

particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph.

(3) “System of records” on individuals means a group of any records under the control of any agency from 

which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or 

other identifying particular assigned to the individual.

IRS PRIVACY ACT/SECURITY CLAUSES: In conjunction with the Privacy Act of 1974, contractors must 

ensure that all employees review Privacy Awareness Training, made available by IRS’ Office of Privacy, before 

gaining access to any sensitive but unclassified data (SBU). In addition, the contractor must comply/abide by the 

IRS Acquisition Security clauses (see Exhibits A through I).

CRIMINAL SANCTIONS: It is incumbent upon the contractor to inform its officers and employees of the 

penalties for improper disclosure imposed by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. Specifically, 5 U.S.C. 552a 

(i)(1) which is made applicable to contractors by 5 U.S.C. 552a (m)(1), provides that any officer or employee of an 

agency, who by virtue of his/her employment of official position, has possession of or access to agency records 

which contain individually identifiable information, the disclosure of which is prohibited by the Privacy Act or 

regulations established thereunder, and who knowing that disclosure of the specific material is prohibited, willfully 

discloses the material in any manner to any person or agency not entitled to receive it, shall be guilty of a 

misdemeanor and fined not more than $10,000.00.

CRIMINAL/CIVIL SANCTIONS:

(a) Each officer or employee of any person at any tier to whom returns or return information is or may be disclosed 

shall be notified in writing by the person that returns or return information disclosed to such officer or employee 

can be used only for a purpose and to the extent authorized herein, and that further disclosure of any such returns 

or return information for a purpose or to an extent unauthorized herein constitutes a felony punishable upon 

conviction by a fine of as much as $5,000 or imprisonment for as long as five years, or both, together with the 

costs of prosecution. Such person shall also notify each such officer and employee that any such unauthorized 

future disclosure of returns or return information may also result in an award of civil damages against the officer 

or employee in an amount not less than $1,000 with respect to each instance of unauthorized disclosure plus in 

the case of willful disclosure or a disclosure which is the result of gross negligence, punitive damages, plus the 

cost of the action. These penalties are prescribed by IRC Sections 7213 and 7431 and set forth at 26 CFR 

301.6103(n)-1.

(b) Each officer or employee of any person to whom returns or return information is or may be disclosed shall be 

notified in writing by such person that any return or return information made available in any format shall be 

used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and that inspection of any such returns 
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or return information for a purpose or to an extent not authorized herein constitutes a criminal misdemeanor 

punishable upon conviction by a fine of as much as $1,000.00 or imprisonment for as long as 1 year, or both, 

together with the costs of prosecution. Such person shall also notify each such officer and employee that any 

such unauthorized inspection of returns or return information may also result in an award of civil damages 

against the officer or employee in an amount equal to the sum of the greater of $1,000.00 for each act of 

unauthorized inspection with respect to which such defendant is found liable or the sum of the actual damages 

sustained by the plaintiff as a result of such unauthorized inspection plus in the case of a willful inspection or 

an inspection which is the result of gross negligence, punitive damages, plus the costs of the action. The 

penalties are prescribed by IRC Sections 7213A and 7431.

Additionally, it is incumbent upon the contractor to inform its officers and employees of the penalties for improper 

disclosure imposed by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. Specifically, 5 U.S.C. 552a(i)(1), which is made 

applicable to contractors by 5 U.S.C. 552a(m)(1), provides that any officer or employee of a contractor, who by 

virtue of his/her employment or official position, has possession of or access to agency records which contain 

individually identifiable information, the disclosure of which is prohibited by the Privacy Act or regulations 

established there under, and who knowing that disclosure of the specific material is so prohibited, willfully discloses 

the material in any manner to any person or agency not entitled to receive it, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and 

fined not more than $5,000.

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 pre-award 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:

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 SECURITY INFORMATION AND PRODUCTION PLANS: Contractor must complete and 

submit the below items to the IRS within two (2) workdays after Government request.

 A copy of any internal security review and findings the contractor may have made within the previous 12 

months;

 A narrative description of the contractor’s proposal to comply with required security measures;

 A copy of all the contractor’s policies and procedures relating to security; 

 An organization listing or chart;

 Contractor’s Production Plans (written, detailed copies of each of the plans listed below); 

 Physical Security and Cyber Security Self-Assessments (see below);

Quality Control Plan: The contractor shall provide and maintain, within their own organization, an independent 

quality assurance organization of sufficient size and expertise to monitor the operations performed, and inspect the 

products of each operation to a degree and extent that will ensure the Government’s quality assurance, inspection, 

and acceptance provisions herein are met. The contractor shall perform, or have performed, the process controls, 

inspections and tests required to substantiate that the products provided under this contract conform to the 
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specifications and contract requirements. The contractor shall describe in detail their quality control/quality 

assurance and recovery plans describing how, when, and by whom the plans will be performed. These plans shall 

include a detailed explanation of both staff and management activities and responsibilities. 

The plans must provide for periodic samplings to be taken during the production run and shall contain control 

systems that will detect defective, missing, mutilated, or mismatched items. The plans shall detail the actions to be 

taken by the contractor when defective, missing, mutilated, or mismatched items are discovered. These actions must 

be consistent with the requirements found in GPO Contract Terms GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2, 

effective December 1, 1987 (Rev. 01-18)). The plan shall monitor all aspects of the job including material handling 

and mail flow to ensure that the production and delivery of the products in this contract meet specifications and 

Government requirements. This includes maintaining 100% accountability in the accuracy of imaging and mailing 

of all pieces throughout each run. The contractor must ensure that there are no missing or duplicate pieces. 

A recovery system will be required to ensure that all defective, missing, mutilated, or mismatched pieces detected 

are identified, reprinted, and replaced. 

The quality control plan must also include examples and a detailed description of all reports or logs the contractor 

will keep to document the quality control inspections performed on each run. Contractor must submit a quality 

control checklist for approval prior to award.

Furthermore, the plan must include the names of all quality assurance officials and describe their duties in 

relationship to the quality control plan.

The Government may periodically verify that the contractor is complying with the approved quality control plan 

through on-site examinations and/or requesting copies of the contractor’s quality assurance records and quality 

assurance random copies.

Mail Plan: This plan shall include sufficient detail as to how the contractor will comply with all applicable U.S. 

Postal Service (USPS) mailing requirements as listed in the USPS Domestic and International Mail Manuals in 

effect at the time of mailing and other USPS instructional material such as the Postal Bulletin. See “MAILING 

REQUIREMENTS” for additional mailing information.

Material Handling and Inventory Control: This plan shall explain in detail how the following materials will be 

handled: incoming data files, work-in-progress materials, quality control inspection materials, USPS inspection 

materials, and all outgoing materials cleared for USPS pick-up/delivery.

Personnel Plan: This plan shall include a listing of all personnel who will be involved with this contract. For any 

new employees, the plan shall include the source of these employees, and a description of the training programs the 

employee will be given to familiarize them with the requirements of this program. 

Production Plan: This plan shall include items such as a detailed listing of all production equipment and equipment 

capacities to be utilized on this contract. If new equipment is to be utilized, documentation of the source, delivery 

schedule and installation dates are required.

Security Control Plan: This plan must address, at a minimum, the following:

(a) Materials – How all accountable materials will be handled throughout all phases of production. This plan shall 

also include the method of disposal of all production waste materials.

(b) Production Area – The contractor must provide a secure area(s) dedicated to the processing and storage of data 

for the products in this contract (either a separate facility dedicated to this product or a walled-in limited access 

area within the contractor’s existing facility). Access to the area(s) shall be limited to security-trained employees 

involved in the production of the products in this contract. 

The following items must be stored in locked areas: 

• IRS Letterhead 
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• Items with variable data such as pre-printed forms and/or completed copies awaiting mailing. 

Part of the Security Control Plan shall include a floor plan detailing the area(s) to be used, showing existing 

walls, equipment to be used, and the printing and finishing locations.

Physical Security and Cyber Security Self-Assessments: When the contractor is notified to present their production 

plans, they will be provided the Physical Security Self-Assessment and Cyber Security Self-Assessment via 

Microsoft Excel and PDF file formats. Contractor must submit the completed self-assessments in conjunction with 

the production plans. 

These documents will be reviewed and analyzed by both Physical Security and Cyber Security and any other 

security components, if implicated, for completeness, accuracy and compliance to security standards. Any questions 

identified during the analysis will be coordinated with the GPO for clarification and verification. After coordination 

with security personnel, a recommendation on whether the contractor is able to meet the security standards will be 

made to GPO. 

The contractor may contact GPO (tcobb@gpo.gov) and IRS (Sylvia.J.Greene@irs.gov, Erika.J.Bryant@irs.gov, 

and Christopher.Diemont@irs.gov) regarding questions concerning requirements for a security clearance. The 

requirements include, but are not limited to, financial history of the contractor’s firm and on-site visit(s) by the IRS 

security personnel.

THE SECURITY INFORMATION AND PROPOSED PLANS ARE SUBJECT TO REVIEW AND 

APPROVAL BY THE GOVERNMENT AND AWARD WILL NOT BE MADE PRIOR TO APPROVAL 

OF SAME. ANY OR ALL OF THESE PLANS MAY BE WAIVED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE 

GOVERNMENT.

Option Years: For each option year that may be exercised, the contractor will be required to re-submit, in writing, 

the above plans detailing any changes and/or revisions that may have occurred. THE REVISED PLANS ARE 

SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT APPROVAL. The revised plans must be submitted to GPO within two (2) 

workdays of notification of the option year being exercised.

If there are no changes/revisions, the contractor will be required to submit to the Contracting Officer a statement 

confirming that the current plans are still in effect.

PRE-AWARD TEST: The contractor being considered for award may be required to demonstrate their ability to 

produce the items required in these specifications at the requisite quality level by completing a pre-award test. The 

Government reserves the right to waive the pre-award test if there is other evidence that, in the opinion of the 

Contracting Officer, indicates that the contractor being considered for award has the capability to successfully 

produce the items required. 

For the pre-award test, electronic files representative of the files to be furnished under these specifications 

(consisting of all required components for each wave) will be furnished by the Government via email. 

The pre-award test samples must be of the type required by these specifications. Each sample shall be printed and 

constructed as specified and must be of the size, kind, and quality that the contractor will furnish. Items (with the 

exception of items requiring IRS letterhead) must be printed on the paper required under these specifications. Items 

requiring IRS letterhead will print on 20# Bond for the pre-award test.

The prospective contractor will be required to submit separate, assembled packages (if applicable to the wave) of 

pre-award test samples to six (6) different residential addresses within the continental US. Addresses will be 

provided at the time of testing. 

Pre-award test samples must be submitted within seven (7) workdays of receipt of the Government furnished preaward test materials. 
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If the contractor fails the first test, the reason(s) for the failure will be conveyed to the contractor, and he/she will 

be allowed to make the appropriate corrections. The number of workdays allowed for the testing will be based upon 

the needs of the Government. A maximum of TWO (2) attempts will be allowed.

In the event the revised test samples are disapproved by the Government, the contractor shall be deemed to have 

failed to comply with the applicable requirements of these specifications for electronic prepress and printing and 

may be reason for a determination of non-responsibility. 

All operations necessary in the complete performance of this pre-award test shall be performed at the facilities and 

on the equipment in which the contract production will be performed. 

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

PRE-AWARD AND POST-AWARD TELECONFERENCE CALLS: The contractor will be contacted to set 

up several teleconference calls. 

Pre-Award Call (estimated 1-1/2 hours) – IRS Cybersecurity and Physical Security will provide the contractor with 

necessary forms and expectations leading up to the 1-hour post-award call 3 (see below).

Post-Award Call 1 (estimated 1 hour) – Provided production plans and quality system plans will be discussed 

between IRS Publishing and the contractor. Attending this meeting will be representatives from the Internal 

Revenue Service and the Government Publishing Office. 

Post-Award Call 2 (estimated 1 hour) – IRS Personnel Security will discuss the information that is needed from the 

contractor for each employee working on this contract. 

Post-Award Call 3 (estimated 1 hour call prior to the three day assessment) – Actual assessment of contractor by 

Cyber Security, Physical Security, and Personnel Security. Contractor will be given feedback on what was provided 

to the IRS. Discussion and review of all aspects of the contractor’s internal and external operations required to 

complete this contract. 

Post-Award Call 4 (estimated 1-1/2 hours) – The purpose of the conference call will be to discuss and review the 

requirements of the contract. Project-specific information will be reviewed. Representatives from the Internal 

Revenue Service Survey Team, the Government Publishing Office, and the Marketing Research Firm (if applicable) 

will attend this call. 

To establish coordination of all required operations, the contractor must have a representative from each involved 

production area in attendance for the calls.

POST-AWARD CONTRACTOR SECURITY MANAGEMENT: The IRS requires that the contractor’s 

employees having a need for staff-like access to SBU information must be approved through an appropriate level 

of security screening or investigation. Immediately upon award, the contractor must furnish the Government with 

a description of all positions requiring staff-like access to IRS data (files or on the printed product). The Government 

(including an IRS personnel security officer) will assess the risk level for each position and determine the need for 

individual security investigations.

Upon award of contract, the IRS will provide the necessary forms and instructions to the contractor. Within 24 

hours of receipt of the forms/instructions, the contractor must return the forms filled out for each employee who 

will be involved in the production on this contract. The contractor must comply/abide by the following IRS 

Acquisition Security clauses (see Exhibits A through I).

• IR1052.204-9000-Submission of Security Forms and Related Materials. 

• IR1052.204-9001-Notification of Change in Contractor Personnel Employment Status, Assignment, or 

Standing. 

• IR1052.204-9002-IRS Specialized Information Technology (IT) Security Training (Role-Based) Requirements.
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• IR1052.209-9002-Notice and Consent to Disclose and Use of Taxpayer Return Information. 

• IR1052.224-9000-Safeguards Against Unauthorized Disclosure of Sensitive but Unclassified Information. 

• IR1052.224-9001-Mandatory IRS Security Training for Information Systems, Information Protection and 

Facilities Physical Access.

• IR1052.239-9008-Information Systems and Information Security Controls for Contracting Actions Subject to 

Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) 10.8.1.

• IR1052.239-9009-Information Systems and Information Security Controls for Contracting Actions Subject to 

IRS Publication 4812. 

• IR1052.239-9010-Information System and Information Security Control Standards and Guidelines 

Applicability.

Contractor personnel requiring investigation will not be allowed staff-like access to IRS data until approved by the 

IRS National Background Investigation Center (NBIC). The IRS shall bear the cost of conducting a security 

screening for contractor employees requiring one. Other employees will be screened on an “as needed” basis. All 

employees will receive a moderate level security clearance initially, which may be raised, as applicable, if deemed 

necessary by the IRS at any time during the contract. 

All applicable employees must be fingerprinted. Fingerprinting must be done at a GSA Credentialing Station. When 

the employee receives an email in reference to fingerprinting, the employee shall schedule an enrollment 

appointment. Any costs for fingerprinting not conducted at an approved credentialing location will be borne by the 

contractor. Travel to and from the credentialing office will be borne by the contractor. 

Contractor must ensure that all contractor employees who require staff-like access to IRS information or information 

systems (where these are located at contractor managed facilities using contractor managed assets), regardless of 

their physical location, complete the required Privacy Training and Security Awareness Training prior to being 

granted access to SBU data. The IRS will forward training material upon award of the contract. 

Contractor employees who will have physical and/or logical access to IRS taxpayer data must be both eligible and 

suitable to work on an IRS contract as determined by IRS Personnel Security. Contractor is responsible for providing 

the following forms/documentation for their employees assigned to IRS contracts to IRS Personnel Security: 

Eligibility Requirements include the following: 

Any employee who is foreign-born must provide proof of U.S. citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident status. 

Employees must provide their Alien Registration Number (“A” number) for corroboration by IRS Personnel 

Security: 

1. Subjects must be federal tax compliant and must remain tax compliant while actively working on IRS contracts. 

IRS will check subjects’ tax compliance status upon notification of subject being assigned to work on the IRS 

contract. 

2. All male subjects born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service (SS). For male U.S. 

citizens, proof of registration can be obtained by accessing the SS website at https://www.sss.gov/ and following 

the prompts on the “Verify or Update Registration” tab. If the search results in a “Matched Record,” click on the 

“Print an Official Selective Service Registration Acknowledgment Letter” button and follow the prompts for saving 

the letter as a PDF file. The letter should then be provided to IRS Personnel Security. If the subject is not registered, 

he must provide a waiver of registration requirement from SS. 

Suitability Requirements include the following: 

• Two completed Form 14606 Risk Assessment Checklist (IT RAC and Non-IT RAC) spreadsheets. The 

spreadsheets will be completed by the contractor point of contact to provide needed information about each 

employee who will be handling variable data (data files or on the printed product) on the contract. 
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• OPM’s Position Designation Tool (PDT). The contractor will be required to provide position titles and position 

descriptions for each employee who will be handling variable data (data files or on the printed product) on the 

contract.

The following forms will be supplied by the Government and must be completed by each employee assigned 

to the contract: 

1. A completed and signed OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment 

2. A signed Form 15269 (English or Spanish as applicable), Conditional Access to Sensitive Information NonDisclosure Agreement

3. A signed Form 13340, Fair Credit Reporting Act

4. Review and initial Notice 1379, Tax Record Check Notice

5. A completed Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) package. The IRS Personnel 

Security will send each subject a separate email with instructions for completing e-QIP. The e-QIP package is only 

required for those subjects who do not have a favorably adjudicated federal background investigation within the 

last five (5) years. 

The IRS Human Capital Office, Personnel Security, Contractor Security Onboarding office may request additional 

forms to complete their investigation.

Contractor must complete mandatory briefings known as Security Awareness Training (SAT). The IRS Survey 

Team/Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) shall provide soft copy versions of each briefing. 

Upon completion of the briefings, the following certification forms must be submitted to the IRS survey team: 

• Form 11370, Certification of Annual UNAX Awareness Briefing

• Form 14616, Contractor Security Awareness Training (SAT) Certification

Contractor must return training certifications to IRS within 5 business days of receiving the Personnel Security’s 

memo approving interim or staff-like access to Erika.J.Bryant@irs.gov, Christopher.Diemont@irs.gov and 

Sylvia.J.Greene@irs.gov. If additional/newly hired employees will work on the contract, the training certificates 

are due 10 days after interim staff-like access approval. The training is due annually to the IRS on October 31st. 

See clause IR1052.224-9001 (Exhibit F).

Specialized Information Technology Security (SITS) training is required for some employees. Internal Revenue 

Manual 10.8.1.4.2.2 requires prospective contractor employees to complete specialized role-based training prior to 

beginning duties related to their specialized IT security role(s) under the contract. The SITS training is due annually 

to the IRS on June 1st. See clause IR1052.204-9002 (see Exhibit C).

The contractor is responsible for any costs incurred to meet the specialized role-based training requirements or the 

contractor has the option to take the required number of hours for each specialized role on the following website at 

no cost: https://fedvte.usalearning.gov.

The following form must be completed by the contractor to separate an employee/contractor from an IRS contract:

Form 14604, Contractor Separation Checklist (to be provided upon request). 

The contractor shall email the Form 14604 to Erika.J.Bryant@irs.gov, Christopher.Diemont@irs.gov and 

Sylvia.J.Greene@irs.gov, and the Contracting Officer within one (1) workday of the contractor becoming aware of 

any change in the employment status, information access requirement, assignment, or standing of a contractor 

employee under this contract or order.

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 will 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.
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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 Date of Award through April 30, 2024, 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.

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 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, 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 within the time specified in the order, and the rights and obligations of the contractor 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 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 time (specified as the local time zone) 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: 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 receiving payment. 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. 
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NOTE: Vendors are expected to submit invoices within 30 days of job shipping/delivery. 

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/agency/billing-and-payment. 

Contractor’s billing invoice must be itemized in accordance with the items in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.”

On the same day the billing invoice is submitted to GPO for payment, the contractor is to email a copy of the invoice

and all supporting documents to the IRS contact listed on the print order. The requisition number, program number, 

print order number, and form number shall be noted on the billing documents. 
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SECTION 2. - SPECIFICATIONS

SCOPE: These specifications cover the production of Research, Applied Analytics & Statistics (RAAS) Customer 

Satisfaction Surveys consisting of various forms (letters, inserts, and postcards) and envelopes requiring such 

operations as electronic prepress, proofing, printing, variable imaging, trimming, folding, wafer sealing, envelope 

construction, inserting, and mailing/distribution. 

Mailings may consist from one to ten waves with some waves having multiple contacts/multiple versions per wave. 

In addition, orders may require additional ad-hoc mailings. The print order will indicate the components and number 

of waves/contacts for the mailing (see “INSERTING AND ASSEMBLY” for typical components per mailing).

TITLE: Research, Applied Analytics & Statistics (RAAS) Customer Satisfaction Surveys

QUANTITY: 

Letters/Inserts (Pre-notes, IRS Letters, Marketing Research Firm Letters, FAQ, Instructions, Etc.):

Quantities will range from approximately 3,010 copies to approximately 85,010 copies per order.

 

Postcards:

Quantities will range from approximately 30,000 copies to approximately 60,000 copies per order.

Mailing Envelopes:

Quantities will range from approximately 12,040 copies to approximately 160,400 copies per order.

FREQUENCY OF ORDERS: Approximately 5-12 orders will be issued per year. Several orders may run 

concurrently. One print order will be issued for the complete mailing cycle of each project. 

NUMBER OF PAGES: 

Letters/Inserts: Face Only or Face and Back 

Postcards: Face and Back 

Mailing Envelopes: Face and Back (before construction)

TRIM SIZES: 

Letters/Inserts:

• 8-1/2 x 11" 

Postcards: 

• 5-1/2 x 4-1/4” 

• 5-1/2 x 8-1/4” (flat); 5-1/2 x 4-1/8” (folded)

Mailing Envelopes:

• 4-1/8 x 9-1/2”

• 4-3/8 x 9-3/4”

• 6 x 9”

EXHIBITS: Exhibits A through J are representative of the requirements which will be required under this contract. 

The most current version of the below forms will be used. It cannot be guaranteed that forms for future orders will 

correspond exactly to these exhibits.

• Exhibit A: IR1052.204-9000-Submission of Security Forms and Related Materials. 

• Exhibit B: IR1052.204-9001-Notification of Change in Contractor Personnel Employment Status, 

Assignment, or Standing. 

• Exhibit C: IR1052.204-9002-IRS Specialized Information Technology (IT) Security Training 

(Role-Based) Requirements.
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• Exhibit D: IR1052.209-9002-Notice and Consent to Disclose and Use of Taxpayer Return 

Information.

• Exhibit E: IR1052.224-9000-Safeguards Against Unauthorized Disclosure of Sensitive but 

Unclassified Information. 

• Exhibit F: IR1052.224-9001 Mandatory IRS Security Training for Information Systems, 

Information Protection and Facilities Physical Access.

• Exhibit G: IR1052.239-9008-Information Systems and Information Security Controls for 

Contracting Actions Subject to Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) 10.8.1.

• Exhibit H: IR1052.239-9009-Information Systems and Information Security Controls for 

Contracting Actions Subject to IRS Publication 4812.

• Exhibit I: IR1052.239-9010-Information System and Information Security Control Standards and 

Guidelines Applicability.

• Exhibit J: Form 12847, IRS Envelope 178-2.

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH: Electronic media will be furnished as follows –

Platform: Microsoft Windows (current or near current version)

Storage Media: Print files, manuscript copy, and dummy data will be furnished via email. The data files for 

the mailing addresses will be furnished to the contractor via Secure File Transfer Protocol 

(SFTP) or SecureZipTM. Contractor is responsible for setting up and maintaining a secure

network according to the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) SP 800-53 

security guidelines. Password for the encrypted SecureZipTM files will be provided during

the kick-off conference call conducted after award.

Software: Static Matter: Adobe Acrobat (current or near current version). On occasion, manuscript copy 

will be provided for the envelopes; Variable Data: Microsoft Excel, SecureZipTM. 

All platform system and software upgrades (for specific applications) which may occur 

during the term of the contract must be supported by the contractor.

Fonts: All fonts will be Embedded and/or Embedded Subset for the print files.

 Colors: May be identified as one or more of the following: RGB, CMYK, Black, and/or Pantone/Spot 

colors. If necessary, contractor to convert all colors to match ink color as indicated on the 

print order.

Additional

Information: 1) The contractor may be required to create variable data fields.

2) Contractor may be required to add the Domestic or International G-48 indicia (if 

applicable) to envelopes utilizing manuscript copy provided by the agency. Contractor to 

reset type and rule and add to print files when indicated on the print order. Indicia 

specifications (type style, size, & font) must conform to the appropriate regulations in the 

USPS manual for Domestic Mail or International Mail as applicable.

Print Orders (GPO Form 2511) will be emailed to the contractor.

IRS letterhead (8-1/2 x 11" pre-printed leaves of stock) to be used for letters as indicated on the print order (when 

applicable). Make-ready sheets will be included. Versions of the letterhead may vary depending on the business 

unit. Contractor to use the version specified on the print order. Letterhead will deliver to the contractor no later 

than five business days after placement of the initial print order. It is the responsibility of the contractor to maintain 

three (3) months inventory of the letterhead. When reordering the letterhead, the contractor must notify the IRS a 

minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the anticipated delivery of the letterhead.
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IRS Form 13456, IRS Publishing Postage Report, in a fillable PDF file format will be furnished by IRS via email 

with the print order.

Print files and manuscript copy (see above “Electronic Media”) will be supplied with each print order. 

Dummy data files with record layout to be used for proofing purposes (see above “Electronic Media”) will be 

supplied with each print order. NOTE: Dummy data files do not get processed through NCOA.

Data files with taxpayer information specific to the print order will be uploaded to the MRF or IRS SFTP or 

SecureZipTM (see above “Electronic Media”) a minimum of 5 workdays prior to the mail dates with the exception 

of the ad-hoc mailings. Data files for ad-hocs will be supplied 2 workdays prior to the mail dates.

Identification markings such as register marks, commercial identification marks of any kind, etc., GPO imprint, 

form number, and revision date, carried in the electronic files, must not print on finished product.

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.

Contractor is required to have Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional (or more recent) software (not Adobe Reader) and 

the capability to receive via email and open file attachments compressed into a SecureZipTM file format.

Some data programming may be required. 

The contractor must appoint a Project Manager to oversee the contract from beginning to end. The contractor must 

provide the name, email, and phone numbers of the Project Manager and the core team to GPO and the IRS. 

The contractor will be required to interact closely with the IRS and one or more Marketing Research Firms (MRF). 

Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the contractor to put safeguards in place that will distinguish between files 

generated by the IRS/each MRF to ensure that there is no possibility of inter-mixing data/files/etc.

Teleconferences for the products in this contract may require more contact initially. An overview of expectations 

and requirements of the order will be discussed. There will be opportunity for the contractor to obtain clarification 

and project-specific information as needed to fulfill the requirements of the order. Discussions include, but are not 

limited to, such issues as file layout, preferred format of sample, and target timeframes. 

The contractor’s inserter must be equipped with a camera or barcode reader to ensure accuracy in matching variable 

data of components. The contractor must create a second barcode or numerical code that is readable on the 

contractor’s inserting equipment for this quality control requirement. The matching components (second barcode 

or numerical code) must be of consistent size, font, and location throughout the run. One hundred percent accuracy 

is required when matching mail pieces.

Responsibility for Inspections and Tests: The contractor is responsible for any inspections and tests required to 

ensure that the products ordered under this contract conform to the specifications and contract requirements listed 

herein. The right of the Government to perform inspections and tests does not relieve the contractor from this 

responsibility. Inspections shall be made by the contractor of a representative sample of finished items to determine 

compliance with specifications. The sampling and inspections may be performed during the course of the production 

run. Contractor must develop and submit prior to award a quality assurance checklist (see “Quality Control Plan”)

for all components of the production process.

Contractor’s Records: The contractor shall maintain records of all inspections and tests performed on the products 

ordered under the contract. The contractor shall save and preserve all records of these inspections and tests for a 

minimum of 120 calendar days after delivery or until they are released by the Government. The contractor will 

make all records of these inspections and tests available for inspection by the Government. 

ELECTRONIC PREPRESS: Immediately upon receipt of Government furnished material and prior to image 

processing, the contractor shall perform an in-depth preflight check of the furnished media and publishing files to 
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assure correct output of the required reproduction image. This preflight check is to include: accurate identification 

of all fonts used and/or missing fonts, identification of colors used within file, and any errors, media damage or 

data corruption that might interfere with proper file image processing. All problems with furnished media must be 

reported within three (3) hours of receipt to the IRS contact listed on the print order and to GPO Atlanta, Traci 

Cobb (tcobb@gpo.gov).

The contractor shall create or alter any necessary trapping, set proper screen angles and screen frequency, and define 

file output selection for the imaging device being utilized. Furnished files must be imaged as necessary to meet the 

assigned quality level.

High resolution output (as indicated under “ACCEPTABLE PRINTING METHODS”) required for printing.

When required by the Government, the contractor shall make minor revisions to the electronic files. It is anticipated 

that the Government will make all major revisions. 

Prior to making revisions, contractor shall copy the furnished files and make all changes to the copy.

DATA FILE AND VARIABLE DATA REQUIREMENTS: The MRF or IRS will furnish the contractor with a 

data file for selected taxpayers targeted to receive a mailing. Upon receipt, the contractor will check the integrity 

of the data contained in the file to ensure that there are no file duplications and that all information is in the proper 

field. The contractor must send an email to the printing specialists and/or MRF confirming data integrity in a timely 

manner (within three (3) hours of receipt of data file) as follows: “Data received. Counts verified. Formatting 

verified.” 

Files may be in ASCII, MS Excel, or comma delimited text file (.CSV file) format. Addresses will be in Zip Code 

sequence and not truncated. The zip code column should be formatted as general or text not numeric or custom 

“zip code”. Contractor must be able to receive and utilize data that is furnished in various formats, for example 9-

digit zip, 5+4 zip. NOTE: If the file is furnished as Comma Delimited file, the contractor will need to manipulate 

the file in order for the "0" to print. Files saved in a comma delimited format do not allow for leading zeros in a zip 

code.

The data file may contain variables such as names, addresses, tax years, unique ID, username, and/or password/PIN. 

If a unique ID associated with each taxpayer is provided as a variable in the data file, the unique ID must be 

converted to a standard Barcode format (in 3 of 9 font) to print with the unique ID if specified in the print file. The 

font for the PIN should match the font used in the letters (Times New Roman). The PIN should also be in Bold.

The date will print on letters, but it will not be included in the data file. The contractor must use the actual mail 

date. The date must be the same font and size as the body of the letter and must align with the right margin. For any

Spanish letters, the date should be written in Spanish using the following format: Day Month Year. For example, 

January 5, 2023 should be written 5 de enero de 2023. 

The contractor must take the data and format it to produce all of the required information using their own equipment. 

It is the contractor's responsibility to ensure that the imaging equipment used on this contract has the capability to 

image all required areas. 

It is critical that the furnished unique ID number and its corresponding barcode be matched to its corresponding 

name, address, and other variables (when applicable). 100% matching accountability is required. 

It is the responsibility of the contractor to monitor all ID numbers to ensure that the unique ID number assigned to 

the individually selected taxpayer follows that selected taxpayer on all correspondence (when applicable due to 

multiple waves in the mailing).

CASS & PAVE: Contractor must pass all files (with the exception of those furnished for proof purposes and for the 

ad hoc mailings) against a USPS Code Accuracy Support System (CASS) certified software address hygiene 

program. Contractor's software must also be Presort Accuracy Validation and Evaluation (PAVE) certified.
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NCOA Link Processing, LACSLink, & Delivery Point Validation (DPV): Contractor is responsible for taking the 

IRS raw data files (with the exception of those furnished for proof purposes and for the ad hoc mailings) and passing 

the files against the National Change of Address Link (NCOALINK), LACSLink, and Delivery Point Validation 

(DPV) file using a licensed USPS Full Service Provider. 

Contractor must select the new move addresses from the mail file, verify the service center code of the new move 

addresses, make all necessary service center code corrections using the furnished electronic file, and merge the new 

move addresses back into the mail file. Any addresses that are determined to be undeliverable must be pulled from 

the mail file.

Any changes must be furnished to the MRF or IRS via SFTP or SecureZipTM within one (1) week of the update. All 

NCOA update files should be an Excel spreadsheet with the following variables: Unique ID, Name, Previous Street 

1, Street 1, Street2, City, State, Zip, and Zip4. Password for the encrypted file should be provided separately. The 

IRS survey team will not receive the updated file. Contractor must supply a list of the unique ID's associated with 

the undeliverable addresses to the IRS survey team.

Presort: Contractor must utilize a commercially prepared software package for assigning the mail file in an approved 

5-digit format in order to maximize postage savings.

PROOFS: Soft and hard proofs for all components of each unique mailing will be required as indicated on the 

print order. Soft proofs will be provided initially with hard proofs to follow after approval of the soft proofs. See 

below for types of proofs (*) that may be required. 

Soft Proofs (All Items):

(*) PDF Proofs: "Press Quality" PDF Proofs of all items to be emailed to the agency. The proofs for Items with 

variable data must utilize the furnished dummy data which usually consists of five to ten records. Proofs must

include all variable data that will print on the final product. One PDF proof will be required for envelopes. 

All PDF proofs are for content only and must be created using the same Raster Image Processor (RIP) that will be 

used to produce the final printed product. Proofs must show color and contain all crop marks. These proofs will 

not be used/approved for color match or resolution.

Emails must not exceed 10 MB, so multiple emails may be required. Contractor must call the IRS contact listed on 

the print order to confirm receipt.

Hard Proofs (upon approval of the PDF proofs): Hard Proofs must be assembled into complete mailing packets

if applicable (with the exception of the envelopes) for each wave as indicated on the print order. The package and 

accompanying documentation therein shall be marked “PROOFS” and shall include the GPO Purchase Order, 

Jacket, Program, and Print Order numbers. In addition, the tracking numbers for the proofs must be emailed to the 

IRS contact listed on the print order.

Envelopes:

(*) Content/Construction Proofs: Complete digital content/construction proofs created using the same Raster Image 

Processor (RIP) that will be used to produce the product. Proof shall be collated with all elements in proper position 

(not pasted up), imaged face and back, trimmed and folded (constructed) to the finished size/format of the product. 

NOTE: Proofs must clearly indicate the size and position of the window. In addition, contractor must include a 

sample of the window material in each proof package.

Letters/Inserts/Postcards:

(*) Content Proofs: Complete digital color content proofs created using the same Raster Image Processor (RIP) that 

will be used to produce the product. Proof shall be collated with all elements in proper position (not pasted up), 

imaged face and back (if applicable), trimmed and folded (if applicable) to the finished size/format of the product. 

The proofs for Items with variable data must utilize the furnished dummy data which usually consists of five to ten 

records. Proofs must include all variable data that will print on the final product.
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(*) Prior-to-Production Samples: Each sample shall be printed and constructed as specified and must be of the size, 

kind, and quality that the contractor will furnish. The priors for Items with variable data must utilize the furnished 

dummy data which usually consists of five to ten records. Proofs must include all variable data that will print on 

the final product. 

Prior-to-production samples will be inspected and tested for conformance of materials and must comply with the 

specifications as to construction, kind, and quality of materials. 

Contractor is responsible for all costs incurred in the delivery of the samples. The Government will approve, 

conditionally approve, or disapprove the samples. Approval or conditional approval shall not relieve the contractor 

from complying with the specifications and all other terms and conditions of the contract. A conditional approval 

shall state any further action required by the contractor. A notice of disapproval shall state the reasons therefore. 

If the samples are disapproved by the Government, the Government, at its option, may require the contractor to 

submit additional samples for inspection and test, in the time and under the terms and conditions specified in the 

notice of rejection. Such additional samples shall be furnished, and necessary changes made, at no additional cost 

to the Government and with no extension in the shipping schedule. The Government will require the time specified 

above to inspect and test any additional samples required. 

In the event the additional samples are disapproved by the Government, the contractor shall be deemed to have 

failed to make delivery within the meaning of the default clause in which event this contract shall be subject to 

termination for default, provided however, that the failure of the Government to terminate the contract for default 

in such event shall not relieve the contractor of the responsibility to deliver the contract quantities in accordance 

with the shipping schedule.

In the event the Government fails to approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the samples within the time 

specified, the Contracting Officer shall automatically extend the shipping schedule in accordance with Contract 

Clause 12, "Notice of Compliance With Schedules," of GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2, effective 

December 1, 1987 (Rev. 01-18)). 

Manufacture of the final product prior to approval of the samples submitted is at the contractor's risk. SAMPLE(S) 

WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE CONTRACTOR. All costs, including the costs of all samples, shall be 

included in the contract price for the production quantity. 

All samples shall be manufactured at the facilities and on the equipment in which the contract production quantities 

are to be manufactured. 

If any contractor’s errors are serious enough in the opinion of the GPO to require revised proofs, the revised proofs 

are to be provided at no expense to the Government. No extra time can be allowed for this reproofing; such 

operations must be accomplished within the original production schedule allotted in the specifications. 

Contractor must not print prior to receipt of an "OK to print" via email from the agency. Contractor furnished proof 

approval letters will not be recognized for proof approval/disapproval. Only GPO generated proof letters will be 

recognized for proof approval/disapproval. 

STOCK/PAPER: The specifications of all paper furnished must be in accordance with those listed herein or listed 

for the corresponding JCP Code numbers in the “Government Paper Specification Standards No. 13” dated 

September 2019. 

Government Paper Specification Standards No. 13 – https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-andstandards-files-for-vendors/vol_13.pdf. 

The paper to be used will be indicated on each print order. 
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Letters/Inserts:

White 25% Cotton Bond; 50% Recycled, Basis Weight: 20 lbs per 500 sheets, 17 x 22", equal to JCP Code G45.

Note: IRS letterhead (8-1/2 x 11" pre-printed leaves of stock) to be used for letters as indicated on the print order 

(when applicable). Make-ready sheets will be included. Versions of the letterhead may vary depending on the 

business unit. Contractor to use the version specified on the print order. Letterhead will deliver to the contractor no 

later than five business days after placement of the initial print order. It is the responsibility of the contractor to 

maintain three (3) months inventory of the letterhead. When reordering the letterhead, the contractor must notify 

the IRS a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the anticipated delivery of the letterhead.

White No. 1 Offset Book Smooth-Finish, Basis Weight: 60 lbs per 500 sheets, 25 x 38", equal to JCP Code A61.

Postcards:

White Index, Basis Weight: 110 lbs per 500 sheets, 25.5 X 30.5", equal to JCP Code K10.

Mailing Envelopes: 

White Writing Envelope, Wove Finish, Basis Weight: 24 lbs per 500 sheets, 17 x 22", JCP Code V20.

PRINTING: 

Letters/Inserts: Letters/inserts print static matter in Black ink only or Black plus one Pantone color on the face only

or on the face and back (head to head). Static matter may include type, rule, solid, screen, reverse, and/or line art. 

The majority of the letters print face only. 

In addition to the static matter, letters/inserts may print variable data in Black ink on the face and/or back. Variable 

data may include, but not limited to: name, address and corresponding IMb, human readable unique ID number 

with corresponding barcode, salutation, dates, tax year(s), username, and/or password/PIN. The unique human 

readable ID prints to the right of its corresponding barcode. The ID and barcode print above the name and address.

The IMb prints below the address block and must be visible through the window. 

Contractor’s option to print any dates included on the letter/inserts as variable data or static matter. 

Postcards: Postcards print static matter in Black ink only or Black plus one Pantone color on the face and back 

(head to head). Static matter may consist of type, rule, line art, screen, solid, and/or reverse matter.

In addition to the static matter, postcards print variable data in Black ink on the face and/or back. Variable data may 

include, but not limited to: name, address and corresponding IMb, human readable unique ID number with 

corresponding barcode, username, and/or password/PIN. The unique human readable ID prints to the right of its 

corresponding barcode. 

Mailing Envelopes: Envelopes print static matter in Black ink or in one Pantone color on the side opposite the 

seams. Static matter may include type, rule, and indicia. Inside of envelope requires a black opaquing security 

design. Contractor may use his own design, but must guarantee complete opacity and prevent show through of the 

contents therein.

Printing on envelopes must be in accordance with all applicable U.S. Postal Service regulations. The envelopes 

must accept printing without feathering or penetrating to the reverse side.

All Items:

Match Pantone number as indicated on the print order (if applicable).

The GPO imprint is waived and must not print on the finished products.

ACCEPTABLE PRINTING METHODS: 

Letters, Inserts, and Postcards may be produced via conventional offset or digital printing. Final output must be a 

minimum of 150-line screen and at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi x 1 bit or 600 x 600 dpi x 4 bit depth 
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technology. Inkjet printing is not acceptable for the shells of these items. If printing digitally, Pantone colors printed 

on digital items must match Pantone colors printed on offset items.

Envelopes may be produced via conventional offset, digital printing, or flexography. Final output must be a 

minimum of 150-line screen and at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi x 1 bit or 600 x 600 dpi x 4 bit depth 

technology. 

Variable data (when applicable) may be printed via digital, laser, and/or inkjet printing.

MARGINS: Per file setup or as indicated on the print order. Margins for envelopes must be in accordance with all 

applicable U.S. Postal Service regulations. 

When letters are folded and inserted into window envelopes, only the address block must appear in the window of 

the envelope. Contractor must perform the "tap test" to ensure that nothing other than this information appears in 

the window.

TRIMMING, FOLDING, AND/OR CONSTRUCTION: 

Letters/Inserts: Trim four sides and fold (if applicable) as indicated below:

• If inserting into a 6 x 9” envelope, fold from 8-1/2 x 11” to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2” (with address out) using one 

parallel fold.

• If inserting into a 4-1/8 x 9-1/2” or 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” envelope, fold from 8-1/2 x 11” to 8-1/2 x 3-2/3” (with 

address out) using two parallel wrap-around folds.

If multiple forms will be inserted for mailing, contractor has the option to collate flat 8-1/2 x 11" forms and fold 

together or collate pre-folded forms in the order indicated on the print order. 

Postcards: Trim four sides. If applicable, score and fold at 4-1/8" from top/bottom to a finished size of 5-1/2 x 4-

1/8” with mailing address out. Seal with Translucent paper seals with number of seals and placement of seals per 

USPS requirements at the time of mailing.

Mailing Envelope: Envelope must be open side, side or diagonal seams with water-soluble gummed, fold-over flap 

for sealing. Flap depth is at the contractor’s option with the exception of the 4-3/8 x 9-3/4”. The flap for the 4-3/8 

x 9-3/4” envelope is tapered 2-3/16” V flap (not to exceed 2-1/4”). Flaps must meet all USPS requirements. Flap 

adhesive must securely seal the envelope without adhering to contents, not permit resealing of the envelope, and 

permit easy opening by the recipient.

Die-cut face with one round cornered window. Window is to be covered with a 1.5 mil clear/transparent polystyrene

that must be clear of smudges, lines, and distortions and must meet the current USPS readability 

standards/requirements. Window material must be securely affixed to the inside of the envelope so as not to interfere 

with insertion of contents. 

4-1/8 x 9-1/2” window size/position: 4-1/2" (w) x 1-5/8" (h), with 4-1/2" (w) dimension parallel to the 9-1/2" 

dimension, at 3/4" from left and 1/2" from bottom edge when viewed with the flap at top. 

4-3/8 x 9-3/4” window size/position: multi-dimensional window (see Exhibit J) parallel to the 9-3/4" dimension, 

at 1/2" from left and 5/8" from bottom edge when viewed with the flap at top. 

6 x 9” window size/position: 4-1/2" (w) x 1-3/4" (h), with 4-1/2" (w) dimension parallel to the 9" dimension, at 7/8" 

from left and 2-1/2" from top edge when viewed with the flap at the top. 

The contractor has the option to adjust the size of the window opening (subject to Government approval) providing 

the visibility of the address block is not obscured and other extraneous information is not visible when material is 

inserted into the envelope. 
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INSERTING AND ASSEMBLY: 

Orders requiring one component (form) inserted into mailing envelope: Insert one form into one mailing envelope 

and seal envelope.

Orders requiring multiple components (one or more forms) inserted into mailing envelope: Collate one copy of each 

component in the sequence listed on the print order. Insert collated copies into one mailing envelope (with all 

printing facing towards the face of the envelope) and seal envelope.

Current Examples of Mailing Components per Wave/Contact:

RAAS Outreach/Special Study - Outreach Maximizer Treatment A, Outreach Maximizer Treatment B Outreach 

Maximizer Treatment C, and Outreach TAS No Child EITC:

 Wave 1, Contact 1: One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

Standard RAAS Web Surveys - ITBM, TEIT-T, TEIT-E, BTBS, BTBL, TCB-B, BCB-SY, BCB-MY, and ETB:

Wave 1 Example:

 Wave 1, Contact 1: One letter and one FAQ folded, collated, and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9”

envelope.

 Wave 1, Contact 2: One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

 Wave 1, Contact 3. One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

 Wave 1, Contact 4. One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

 Wave 1, Contact 5 (if applicable). One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

 Wave 1, Contact 6 (if applicable). One letter folded and inserted into one 4-3/8 x 9-3/4” or 6 x 9” envelope.

Form(s) with #10 Envelope -

 Forms(s) folded and inserted into one #10 envelope.

Additional waves will have the same number of contacts and components per contact as listed above. See 

“SCHEDULE” for waves per survey.

NOTES: 

- It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that only the specified component(s) for each recipient are inserted 

into the specified mailing envelope.

- Contractor has the option to collate flat 8-1/2 x 11" forms and fold together or collate pre-folded forms in the order 

indicated on the print order.

- It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that only the address block appears in the window of the envelope. 

Contractor must perform the "tap test" to ensure that nothing other than this information appears in the window.

MAILING REQUIREMENTS: All copies mailed must conform to the appropriate regulations in the U.S. Postal 

Service manuals for “Domestic Mail” or “International Mail” as applicable.

Contractor is to mail all copies (for all waves/contacts) according to the schedule listed on the print order. In addition 

to the scheduled waves/contacts of the specified mailing, there will be Ad-Hoc mailings once a week as needed. 

These mailings will be divided into 2 categories: 

--- 1. Ad-Hoc Request: Initiated when taxpayers request a mailing. 

--- 2. Ad-Hoc Postal Non-Deliverables (PND): Initiated when USPS sends a better address. 

Pulling respondents prior to mailing: Prior to the mail-out date for contacts as indicated on the print order (typically 

after contact 2 or 3), the contractor will receive pull lists on a daily basis for the four days prior to the mailing. 

These lists will contain the respondent IDs of participants who have recently completed the online survey (if 

applicable) or who have called to be removed from the mailing. The contractor will need to remove the materials 

for these respondents before the mail-out date.
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Indicia: The Government will furnish a permit number and indicia for the First Class Mail. The contractor must 

supply a local USPS contact name and number at time of award so that the permit process can be expedited. A PS 

Form 3602, Statement of Mailing with Permit Imprints, must be completed and submitted to the entry post office 

for all mailings using permit imprint. 

Orders (including ad-hocs) which result in mailings of less than 200 pieces will require the contractor to apply the 

appropriate postage to each mailing. Contractor will be reimbursed for this postage by submitting a properly 

completed Postal Service Form 3606 Certificate of Bulk Mailing with the invoice. For reimbursable postage, the 

contractor must apply metered postage. Loose and/or sloppy metering tabs will not be allowed. Metering tabs must 

not extend past the edge of the envelope as applicable and should not lift off causing ragged edge when sent through 

USPS equipment. Stamps are not acceptable! Contractor is responsible for the meter and all meter supplies. NOTE: 

Form 13456 is not required for these mailings.

USPS Regulation Compliance: The contractor must comply with all U.S. Postal Service regulations governing the 

preparation of First Class rate mailings which are in effect at the time of the mailing, including the issuance of the 

required forms (mailing statements) and the weighing of shipments. 

The current Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) has specific requirements regarding the minimum and maximum 

package sizes and must be adhered to by all mailers. 

Mailing Rate: The Postal Service will verify the total weight of the mailing. The contractor must comply with all 

current Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) regulations governing use of First Class Mail.

Internal Wrapping or Tying: All bundles containing mixed carrier routes or 3/5-digit ZIP codes require internal 

wrapping or tying in direct packages of ten or more letters. See current Domestic Mail Manual for details.

Postal Pallets: The USPS will provide pallets upon contractor's request, or contractor may use their own pallets that 

meet postal requirements, at his own expense. Loaded pallets must be wrapped with a shrinkable or stretchable 

plastic strong enough to retain the integrity of the pallet during transportation and handling. Pallets must be prepared 

in accordance with the requirements in the current Domestic Mail Manual for "Packages and Bundles Presented on 

Pallets" and "Palletizing Sacks". See the current DMM for preparation requirements for palletizing First-Class Mail. 

Packages must be palletized separately from sacks. The sack tags must be bar coded and readable by USPS 

equipment. Further details on pallet loading and flagging may be obtained by consulting local Postal Customer 

Representatives.

Pallet Staging and Storage: Loaded pallets must be assembled and stored "staged" for eventual turn over to U.S. 

Postal Service beginning no sooner than the date specified in the Schedule. The pallets are to be staged in an order 

so that the furthest destinations will be turned over first and the closest destinations last.

Upon completion of each mailing: The contractor must confirm the mail date on the same day the order mails (no 

later than 1:00 p.m., EST) via email to the address(es) indicated on the print order. The subject line of the email 

shall be “Mailing Notice for Program 1466-S, Wave X/Contact X, Print Order XXXXX, Jacket Number XXXXXX.” 

Upon completion of each contact: The contractor must provide all applicable tracking numbers for samples (if 

applicable) via email to the address(es) indicated on the print order. In addition, the contractor must electronically 

complete and submit via email Form 13456 (in a PDF file) to the IRS within three (3) workdays after each turnover 

of the product to the USPS. Details to fill in the data fields, rename the PDF, and email are on the second page of 

the furnished form. Scanned pages of the Form 13456 will not be accepted. Any delay or missing input could result 

in delay of payment.

 Contractor must capture the following fields from every postage statement (e.g. USPS Form 3602): 

o Name of contractor;
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o Contact person at contractor’s office;

o Telephone number of contact person;

o Email address of contact person;

o Mailing start date: The date the first piece is mailed;

o Mailing end date: If not all pieces were sent on the start date, this is the date the last piece is mailed

o Mailings: (Optional). Check this box to note there will be multiple mailings;

o Wave: Check this box to note that the multiple mailings will be sent in “waves”. Use the blank fields 

next to this check box to distinguish the number of current wave from the number of total waves;

o Zip Code: The ZIP code of the post office from which pieces are mailed;

o Date on Mailing Statement: The mailing date on the postage statement;

o Pieces Mailed: The number of envelopes, containers, or cartons, etc., that is mailed;

o Copies Mailed: The total number of items inside each envelope, container, or carton, etc., that is 

mailed;

o Postage Amount: The total dollar amount listed on each postage statement;

o Postage Statement Type: Use the pull down menu to designate which type of postage statement (i.e., 

USPS Form 3602, 3602-R, 3605, 3600, 3607R) was used.

 Form 13456 must contain only postage information for the IRS requisition number at the top of the form. 

Contractor must not combine postage associated with multiple print order/requisition numbers on a single 

form.

 If all the lines on the front of Form 13456 are filled in, use the “Add New Mailing” button to add another 

row of data.

In addition, contractor must email postal documentation to the IRS Printing Specialist listed on the Print Order

weekly after each ad hoc mailing or at the end of each month (contractor's option). 

DISTRIBUTION: Ship agency samples f.o.b. contractor’s city. Mail f.o.b. contractor’s city per data file(s).

Complete addresses and quantities will be furnished with each print order. 

All mailings shall be made at the First Class rate – see “MAILING REQUIREMENTS”.

All agency samples must be shipped GROUND via a furnished IRS Small Package Carrier (UPS) account number. 

If the contractor does not have such an account, the IRS will establish one for the contractor upon award of the 

contract. Contractor must not use their own small package carrier account. Contractor is cautioned that the small 

package carrier account number is for use under these specifications only.

Upon completion of each print order, contractor must destroy the balance of any unused items with the possible 

exception of the envelopes. The envelopes may be reusable. The contractor is to notify the contact on the print order 

of the quantity of leftover envelopes. The contractor will be instructed on the disposition of the envelopes (destroy 

or ship using the agency’s shipping account).

Upon completion of the contract, contractor must return/ship the balance of any unused furnished stock to one 

address as instructed by the ordering agency using the agency’s shipping account.

All expenses incidental to submitting proofs/prior to production samples must be borne by the contractor. Proofs 

must be sent to the address(es) as specified on the print order.

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).

The ordering agency will furnish required materials (i.e. IRS letterhead) to the contractor using the agency’s 

shipping account. Letterhead will deliver to the contractor no later than five business days after placement of the 

initial print order.
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No definite schedule for placement of orders can be predetermined. The schedule begins upon notification of the 

availability of print order and print files (agency’s option to submit via email or SFTP upload). 

NOTE: The contractor may be handling several orders in the same calendar month with all of the processes running 

concurrently. 

Proofs: PDF proofs followed by hard proofs will be required.

 No specific date is set for submission of proofs. Proofs must be submitted as soon as possible to allow for 

revised proofs, if contractor’s errors are judged serious enough to require them. 

 Each round of proofs will be withheld not longer than 2 workdays from date of receipt by the Government 

to date of proof approval and/or corrections from the ordering agency via email. The first workday after 

receipt of proofs at the ordering agency is day one (1) of the hold time. 

Current schedules:

RAAS Outreach/Special Study - Outreach Maximizer Treatment A, Outreach Maximizer Treatment B, Outreach 

Maximizer Treatment C, and Outreach TAS No Child EITC:

 Each of these four mailings requires one (1) wave with one (1) contact per wave.

The below schedule applies to each RAAS Outreach/Special Study mailing.

 Contact 1 mails 15-20 workdays after receipt of the Print Order. 

Standard RAAS Web Surveys -

 ITBM: This survey requires up to ten (10) waves with four (4) to six (6) contacts per wave. 

 TEIT-T and TEIT-E: Each of these two surveys requires three (3) waves with four (4) contacts per wave.

 BTBS and BTBL: Each of these two surveys requires four (4) waves with four (4) contacts per wave.

 TCB-B, BCB-SY, BCB-MY, and ETB: Each of these four surveys requires one (1) wave with four (4) 

contacts per wave.

The below schedule for Wave 1 applies to each Standard RAAS Web Survey with multiple contacts per wave.

Subsequent waves (if applicable) follow the same turnaround time. Exact dates will be listed on the Print Order.

 Contact 1 mails 15-20 workdays after receipt of the Print Order. 

 Contact 2 mails 10 workdays after Contact 1.

 Contact 3 mails 15 workdays after Contact 2.

 Contact 4 mails 10 workdays after Contact 3.

 Contact 5 if applicable mails 20 workdays after Contact 4.

 Contact 6 if applicable mails 15 workdays after Contact 5.

 If needed, Ad-hocs will continue to mail weekly for up to 6 weeks after the final mail date.

Form(s) with #10 Envelope -

 Components mail 15 workdays after receipt of the Print Order.

Postcards -

 Postcards mail 15 workdays after receipt of the Print Order.

The "ship/deliver dates" indicated on the print order are the dates products ordered must be delivered to the U.S.

Postal Service for mailing and IRS/MRF agency samples ship. NO EARLY MAILOUT IS PERMITTED!

Contract Closeout: Within 30 calendar days of completion of each order, all Government furnished materials 

(except those ordered held for future use) must be permanently deleted from the contractor’s network. Information 

must not be recoverable. Contractor is required to keep a log capturing file name and date of deletion. 

Unscheduled material such as shipping documents, receipts or instructions, delivery lists, labels, etc., will be 

furnished with each order or shortly thereafter. In the event such information is not received in due time, the 
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contractor will not be relieved of any responsibility in meeting the shipping schedule because of failure to request 

such information.

For compliance reporting purposes, the contractor must notify the U.S. Government Publishing Office of the date 

of shipment via email to the GPO Atlanta Regional Office (infoatlanta@gpo.gov). The subject line of this message 

shall be "Distribution Notice for Program 1466-S, Print Order XXXXX, Jacket Number XXX-XXX.”. The notice 

must provide all applicable tracking numbers and shipping methods. Contractor must be able to provide copies of 

all shipping receipts upon request.
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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 (1) 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. (a) 587

(b) 680

(c) 2,280

II.

1. (a) 1,001

(b) 50

(c) 411

(d) 50

2. (A) (B)

 (a) 60 (a) 40

 (b) 60 (b) 30

3. (A) (B) (C)

 (a) 100 (a) 993 (a) 100

III. (a) 1,352

(b) 190

(c) 1,193

IV. (a) 878

(b) 275

(c) 120

(d) 70
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SECTION 4. - SCHEDULE OF PRICES

Bids offered are f.o.b. contractor’s city.

Prices must include the cost of all required materials and operations for each item listed in accordance with these 

specifications.

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

alteration of the order and manner of submitting quotes, 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 will 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 invoices submitted to the GPO shall be based on the most economical method of production. 

Fractional parts of 1,000 will be prorated at the per 1,000 rate.

Cost of all required paper must be charged under Item IV., “PAPER.”

Contractor’s billing invoices must be itemized in accordance with the line items in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.”

I. PROOFING: 

(a) PDF Proof ..............................................................................per proof per item ............$___________

(b) Content or Content/Construction Proof ................................per proof per item.............$___________

(c) Prior-to-Production Sample ................................................. per proof per item ............$___________

II. PRINTING, VARIABLE DATA IMAGING, AND ENVELOPE CONSTRUCTION: Prices offered shall 

include the cost of all required materials and operations necessary (excluding items identified in sections I, III, and 

IV) for the printing, variable data imaging, and envelope construction.

1. Letters/Inserts:

(a) Printing 1-color/0 ......................................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

(b) Printing 2-color/0......................................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

(c) Printing 1-color/1-color............................................................ per 1,000 leaves ............$___________

(d) Printing 2-color/2-color ............................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

__________________

 (Initials)
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2. Postcards:

(A) 5-1/2 x 4-1/4”:

 (a) Printing 1-color/1-color........................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

 (b) Printing 2-color/2-color .......................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

(B) 5-1/2 x 8-1/4”:

 (a) Printing 1-color/1-color........................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

 (b) Printing 2-color/2-color .......................................................per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

3. Mailing Envelopes:

(A) 4-1/8 x 9-1/2”:

 (a) Printing 1-color/1-color..................................................per 1,000 envelopes.............$___________

(B) 4-3/8 x 9-3/4”:

 (a) Printing 1-color/1-color..................................................per 1,000 envelopes.............$___________

(C) 6 x 9”:

 (a) Printing 1-color/1-color..................................................per 1,000 envelopes ............$___________

III. PAPER: Payment for all paper supplied by the contractor under the terms of these specifications, as ordered 

on the individual print orders, will be based on the net number of leaves furnished for the products ordered. The 

cost of any paper required for makeready or running spoilage must be included in the prices offered. 

Computation of the net number of leaves will be based on the following: 

Letters/Inserts/Postcards - Each page-size leaf. 

All Envelopes – One page-size leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

(a) White No. 1 Offset Book Smooth-Finish (60 lb.).................... per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

(b) White Index (110 lb.)............................................................... per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

(c) White Writing Envelope (24 lb.).............................................. per 1,000 leaves.............$___________

IV. COLLATING, INSERTING, TRIMMING, FOLDING, WAFER SEALING, AND MAILING: Prices 

offered must include the cost of all required materials and operations necessary for the mailings including 

processing of mail files, collating multiple components in proper sequence, trimming, folding (if applicable) to 

required size, insertion of single or multiple component(s) as required into appropriate mail-out envelope, wafer 

sealing of postcards (if applicable), pulling respondents prior to mailing (if applicable) and mailing in accordance 

with these specifications. 

(a) Inserting single component into specified mail envelope ...............per 1,000 mailers ....$___________

(b) Inserting two or more components into specified mail envelope ...per 1,000 mailers ....$___________

(c) Flat postcards..................................................................................per 1,000 cards........$___________

(d) Folding and wafer sealing of postcards ..........................................per 1,000 cards........$___________

__________________

 (Initials)
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LOCATION OF POST OFFICE: All mailing will be made from the __________________________________ 

Post Office located at Street Address _____________________________________________________________, 

City____________________________, State__________________________, Zip Code____________________.

__________________

 (Initials)
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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 Solicitation 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 

points(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 email, fill out and return one copy 

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

electronic signatures will be accepted in accordance with the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, §2. Electronic 

signatures must be verifiable of the person authorized by the company to sign bids. 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

Certified by: ___________________________ Contracting Officer: ___________________________ 

(Initials and Date) (Initials and Date) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________
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EXHIBIT A 

IR1052.204-9000 Submission of Security Forms and Related Materials (JUN 2021) 

The Treasury Security Manual (TD P 15-71) setsforth investigative requirements for contractors and subcontractors 

who require staff-like access, wherever the location, to (1) IRS-owned or controlled facilities (unescorted); (2) IRS 

information systems(internal or external systems that store, collect, and/or process IRS information); and/or (3) IRS 

sensitive but unclassified (SBU) information. 

“Staff-Like Access” is defined as authority granted to perform one or more of the following: 

• Enter IRS facilities or space (owned or leased) unescorted (when properly badged); 

• Possess login credentials to information systems (internal or external systems thatstore, collect, and/or

process IRS information); 

• Possess physical and/or logical access to (including the opportunity to see, read, transcribe, and/or

interpret) SBU data; (See IRM 10.5.1 for examples of SBU data);

• Possess physical access to (including the opportunity to see, read, transcribe, and/orinterpret) security 

items and products (e.g., items that must be stored in a locked container, security container, or a secure 

room. These items include, but are not limited to security devices/records, computer equipment-and 

identification media. Fordetails see IRM 1.4.6.5.1, Minimum Protection Standards);or, 

• Enter physical areas storing/processing SBU information (unescorted) 

Staff-like access is granted to an individual who is not an IRS employee (and includes, but is not limited to: 

contractor/subcontractor personnel, whether procured by IRS or another entity, vendors, delivery persons, experts, 

consultants, paid/unpaid interns, other federal employee/contractor personnel, cleaning/maintenance personnel, 

etc.), and is approved uponrequired completion of a favorable suitability/fitness determination conducted by IRS

Personnel Security.

For security requirements at contractor facilities using contractor-managed resources, pleasereference Publication 

4812, Contractor Security & Privacy Controls. The contractor shall permit access to IRS SBU information or 

information system/assets only to individuals who have received staff-like access approval (interim or final) from

IRS Personnel Security.

Contractor/subcontractor personnel requiring staff-like access to IRS equities are subject to (and must receive a 

favorable adjudication or affirmative results with respect to) the followingeligibility/suitability pre-screening 

criteria, as applicable:

• IRS account history for federal tax compliance (for initial eligibility, as well asperiodic checks for 

continued compliance while actively working on IRS contracts);

• Selective Service registration compliance (for males born after 12/31/59); 

• Contractors must provide proof of registration which can be obtained from the Selective Service website at

www.sss.gov.; 

• U.S. citizenship/lawful permanent residency compliance; If foreign-born, contractors must provide proof 

of U.S. citizenship or Lawful Permanent Residency status by providing their Alien Registration Number 

(“A” Number); 

• Background investigationforms;

• Credit history;

• Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint results;and,

• Review of prior federal government background investigations.
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In this regard, Contractor shall furnish the following electronic documents to Personnel Security (PS) at 

hco.ps.contractor.security.onboarding@irs.gov within 10 business days (or shorter period) of assigning (or 

reassigning) personnel to this contract/order/agreement and prior to the contractor (including subcontractor) 

personnel performing any work or being granted staff-like access to IRS SBU or IRS/contractor (including 

subcontractor) facilities, information systems/assets that process/store SBU information thereunder: 

• IRS-provided Risk Assessment Checklist (RAC);

• Non-Disclosure Agreement (if contract terms grant SBU access); and, 

• Any additional required security forms, which will be made available through PS and the COR.

Contract Duration: 

a. Contractor (including subcontractor) personnel whose duration of employment is180 calendar days or more 

per year must meet the eligibility/suitability requirements forstaff-like access and shall undergo a 

background investigation based on the assigned position risk designation as a condition of work under the 

Government contract/order/agreement.

b. If the duration of employment is less than 180 calendar days per year and the contractor requires staff-like

access, the contractor (including subcontractor) personnel must meet the eligibility requirements for stafflike access(federal tax compliance, SelectiveService Registration, and US Citizenship or Lawful Permanent 

Residency), as well as an FBI Fingerprint result screening.

c. For contractor (including subcontractor) personnel not requiring staff-like access to IRS facilities, IT 

systems, or SBU data, and only require infrequent access to IRS-owned or controlled facilities and/or 

equipment (e.g., a time and material maintenance contract that warrants access one or two days monthly), 

an IRS background investigation is not needed and will not be requested if a qualified escort, defined as an 

IRS employee or as a contractorwho has been granted staff-like access, escorts a contractor at all times 

while the escorted contractor accesses IRS facilities, or vendor facilities where IRS IT systems hardware 

or SBU data is stored. As prescribed in IRM 10.23.2, escorting in lieu of staff-like access for IT systems

and access to SBU data (escorted or unescorted) will not be allowed. 

The contractor (including subcontractor) personnel will be permitted to perform under the contract/order/agreement 

and have staff-like access to IRS facilities, IT systems, and/orSBU data only upon notice of an interim or final stafflike approval from IRS Personnel Security, as defined in IRM 10.23.2 – Contractor Investigations, and is otherwise

consistent with IRS security practices and related IRMs, to include, but not limited to:

• IRM 1.4.6 – Managers Security Handbook; IRM10.2.14 – Methods of ProvidingProtection; and, IRM 

10.8.1 - Policy and Guidance.

Current Investigation Reciprocity: Individuals who possess a prior favorably adjudicated Government background 

investigation that meets the scope and criteria required for their position may be granted interim staff-like access 

approval upon verification of the prior investigation, receipt of all required contractor security forms, and favorable 

adjudication ofIRS pre-screening eligibility/suitability checks. If their current investigation meets IRS established 

criteria for investigative reciprocity, individuals will be granted final staff-like access, and will not be required to 

undergo a new investigation beyond an approved pre- screening determination.

Flow down of clauses: The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or arrangements or 

outsourced service agreements) that entails access to SBU information by asubcontractor, at any tier, the same 

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and local security or safeguard clauses or provisions for protecting SBU 

information or information systems that apply to and are incorporated in its prime contract with IRS.

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT B

IR1052.204-9001 Notification of Change in Contractor Personnel Employment Status,Assignment, or

Standing (JUN 2021)

The contractor, via e-mail (hco.ps.contractor.security.onboarding@irs.gov), shall notify the Contracting Officer 

(CO), Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and Personnel Securitywithin one (1) business day of the 

contractor (including subcontractor) becoming aware of anychange in the employment status, information access 

requirement, assignment, or standing ofa contractor (or subcontractor) personnel under this contract or order – to 

include, but not limited to, the following conditions:

• Receipt of the personnel’s notice of intent to separate from employment or discontinue work under this 

contract/order;

• Knowledge of the personnel’s voluntary separation from employment or performance on this contract/order

(if no prior notice was given);

• Transfer or reassignment of the personnel and performance of duties under this contract/order, in whole or 

in part, to another contract/order (and if possible, identify thegaining contract/order and representative 

duties/responsibilities to allow for an assessment of suitability based on position sensitivity/risk level

designation);

• Denial of or revocation of staff-like access as determined by IRS Personnel Security;

• Separation, furlough, or release from employment;

• Anticipated extended absence of more than 45 days;

• Change of legal name;

• Change to employment eligibility;

• Change in gender or other distinction when physical attributes figureprominently in the biography of an 

individual;

• Actual or perceived conflict of interest in continued performance under this contract/order (provide

explanation); or

• Death.

When required by the COR, the contractor may be required to provide the information required by this clause to the 

IRS using the Risk Assessment Checklist (RAC) or securitydocuments as identified by Personnel Security. The 

notice shall include the following minimum information:

• Name of contractor personnel;

• Nature of the change in status, assignment or standing (i.e., provide a brief non-personal, broad-based

explanation);

• Affected contract/agreement/order number(s);

• Actual or anticipated date of departure or separation;

• When applicable, the name of the IRS facility or facilities this individual routinelyworks from or has stafflike access to when performing work under this contract/order;

• When applicable, contractor (including subcontractor) using contractor (or subcontractor)owned systems

for work must ensure that their systems are updated to ensure personnel no longer have continued stafflike access to IRS work, either for systems administration or processing functions; and

• Identification of any Government Furnished Property (GFP), Government FurnishedEquipment (GFE), or

Government Furnished Information (GFI) (to include PersonalIdentity Verification (PIV) credentials or 

badges – also referred to as SmartID Cards) provided to the contractor personnel and its whereabouts or
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status.

In the event the subject contractor (including subcontractor) is working on multiple contracts,orders, or agreements, 

notification shall be combined, and the cognizant COR for each affected contract or order (using the Contractor 

Separation Checklist (Form 14604 (Rev. 8- 2016)) shall be included in the joint notification along with Personnel 

Security. These documents (the RAC and security forms) are also available by email request to Personnel Security.

The vendor POC and the COR must ensure all badges, Smart Cards, equipment, documents, and other government 

furnished property items are returned to the IRS, systems accesses are removed, and Real Estate & Facilities 

Management is notified offederal workspace that is vacant.

As a rule, the change in the employment status, assignment, or standing of a contractor (orsubcontractor) personnel 

to this contract or order would not form the basis for an excusabledelay for failure to perform under the terms of

this contract, order or agreement.

Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or arrangements or 

outsourced service agreements) that entails staff-like access to SBU information by a subcontractor, at any tier, the 

same Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)and local security or safeguard clauses or provisions for protecting SBU 

information or information systems that apply to and are incorporated in its prime contract with IRS.

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT C

IR1052.204-9002 IRS SPECIALIZED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) SECURITY

TRAINING (ROLE-BASED) REQUIREMENTS (JUN 2021)

a. Consistent with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA), specialized

information technology (IT) security training (role-based) shall be completed prior to access to Information

Systems and annually thereafter by contractor and subcontractor personnel who have an IT security role or

responsibility.

b. Identifying contractor/subcontractor with a role or responsibility for IT security is completed by the

Contractor, and verified by the COR, by completing the Risk Assessment Checklist (RAC). The roles listed in

the RAC conform to those roles listed in the Internal Revenue Manual 10.8.1.2 that apply to contractor

personnel. This process applies to new contractors/subcontractors, replacement personnel and for existing 

contractors/subcontractors whose roles change during their work on a contract. This includes, but is not limited

to, having an approved elevated privilege to one or more IRS systems through the OL5081 process or Business 

Entitlement Access Request System (BEARS).

c. Prior to accessing any IT system, all contractor/subcontractor personnel must successfully complete

all provisions of IR1052.204-9000 Submission of Security Forms and Related Materials.

d. In keeping with the Security Orientation outlined in IR1052.224-9001, contractors/subcontractors 

designated on the Risk Assessment Checklist as performing a role shall complete approved training equal to the

assigned hours within 5 business days of receiving the Personnel Security’s memo approving staff-likeaccess.

e. Annual Requirements: Thereafter, on an annual basis within a FISMA yearcycle beginning July 1st

of each year, contractor/subcontractor personnel performing under this contract in the role identified herein is 

required to complete specialized IT security, role- based training by June 1st of the following year.

f. Training Certificate/Notice: The contractor shall use the Government system identified by 

Cybersecurity to annually complete specialized IT security training (role- based). The COR will track the courses,

hours completed and the adhere to the established due dates for each contractor/subcontractor personnel.

Alternatively, courses may be completed outside of the Government system. Any courses taken outside of the

Government system must be pre-approved by IRS Cybersecurity’s Security System Management team via the

COR. Adequate information such as course outline/syllabus must be provided for evaluation. Once a course is 

approved, certificates of completion provided for each contractor/subcontractor shall be provided to COR in order

to receive credit toward the required hours for the contractor/subcontractor personnel. Copies of completion

certificates for externally completed course must be shared with the Contracting Officer upon request.

g. Administrative Remedies: A contractor/subcontractor who fails to complete the specialized IT 

security training (role-based) requirements, within the timeframe specified, may be subject to suspension,

revocation or termination (temporarily or permanently) of staff-like access to IRS IT systems.

h. Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or

arrangements or outsourced service agreements) that entailsstaff-like access to SBU information by a

subcontractor, at any tier, the same Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and local security or safeguard

clauses or provisions for protecting SBU information or information systems that apply to and are

incorporated in its prime contract with IRS.

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT D

IR1052.209-9002 NOTICE AND CONSENT TO DISCLOSE AND USE OF TAXPAYER RETURN

INFORMATION (MAY 2018)

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

“Authorized representative(s) of the offeror” means the person(s) identified to the Internal Revenue Service 

(IRS) within the consent to disclose by the offeror as authorized to represent the offeror in disclosure matters 

pertaining to the offer.

“Delinquent Federal tax liability” means any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which 

all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a 

timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability.

“Tax check” means an IRS process that accesses and uses taxpayer return information to support the 

Government’s determination of an offeror’s eligibility to receive an award, including but not limited to

implementation of the statutory prohibition of making an award to corporations that have an unpaid Federal 

tax liability (see FAR 9.104-5(b)).

(b) Notice. Pursuant to 26 USC 6103(a) - taxpayer return information, with few exceptions, is

confidential. Under the authority of 26 U.S.C. 6103(h)(1), officers and employees of the Department of the 

Treasury, including the IRS, may have access to taxpayer return information as necessary for purposes of 

tax administration. The Department of the Treasury has determined that an IRS contractor’s compliance 

with the tax laws is a tax administration matter and that the access to and use of taxpayer return information 

is needed for determining an offeror’s eligibility to receive an award, including but not limited to 

implementation of the statutory prohibition of making an award to corporations that have an unpaid Federal 

tax liability (see FAR9.104-5).

(1) The performance of a tax check is one means that will be used for determining an offeror’s eligibility 

to receive an award in response to this solicitation (see FAR 9.104). As a result, the offeror may want to 

take steps to confirm it does not have a delinquent Federal tax liability prior to submission of its response 

to this solicitation. If the offeror recently settled a delinquent Federal tax liability, the offeror may want to 

take steps to obtain information in order to demonstrate the offeror’s responsibility to the contracting officer 

(see FAR 9.104-5).

(c) The offeror shall execute the consent to disclosure provided in paragraph (d) of this provision and 

include it with the submission of its offer. The consent to disclosure shall be signed by an authorized person 

as required and defined in 26 U.S.C. 6103(c) and 26 CFR301.6103(c)-1(e)(4).

(d) Consent to disclosure. I hereby consent to the disclosure of taxpayer return information (as defined in 

26 U.S.C. 6103(b)(2)) as follows:

___________________ [OFFEROR NAME]

The Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, may disclose the results of the tax check conducted in 

connection with the offeror’s response to this solicitation, including taxpayer return information as necessary to 

resolve any matters pertaining to the results of the tax check, to the authorized

representatives of on this offer:

___________________ [OFFEROR NAME]
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I am aware that in the absence of this authorization, the taxpayer return information of ___________________ is 

confidential and may not be disclosed, which subsequently may remove the offer from eligibility to receive an 

award under this solicitation.

________________________________________________ 

[PERSON(S) NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION]

I consent to disclosure of taxpayer return information to the following person(s):

I certify that I have the authority to execute this consent on behalf of: ___________________ [OFFEROR 

NAME]

Offeror Taxpayer Identification Number: ______________________ 

Offeror Address: ________________________________________ 

Name of Individual Executing Consent: ____________________ 

Title of Individual Executing Consent: ______________________ 

Signature: ______________________ 

Date: ___________________ 
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EXHIBIT E

IR1052.224-9000 Safeguards Against Unauthorized Disclosure of Sensitive butUnclassified Information 

(JUN 2021)

1. Treasury Directive Publication 15-71 (TD P 15-71), Chapter III – Information Security,Section 24 –

Sensitive But Unclassified Information defines SBU information as ‘any information, the loss, misuse, or 

unauthorized access to or modification of which could adversely affect the national interest or the conduct 

of Federal programs, or the privacy to which individuals are entitled under Section 552a of Title 5, United 

States Code (USC) (the Privacy Act) but which has not been specifically authorized under criteria 

established by an executive order or an act of Congress to be kept secret in the interest of national defense 

orforeign policy.’ SBU may be categorized in one or more of the followinggroups—

• Federal Tax Information (FTI), including any information on or related to a taxreturn

• Returns and Return Information

• Sensitive Law EnforcementInformation

• Employee and Personnel Information

• Personally IdentifiableInformation (PII)

• Information Collected or Created fromSurveys

• Other ProtectedInformation

2. Confidentiality requirements for tax returns and return information (FTI) are established by Section 6103

of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) (26 USC 6103), and the penalties for unauthorized access and disclosure 

of returns and return information are found in Sections 7213, 7213A and 7431 of the IRC (26 USC 7213, 

7213A and 7431). This contract is covered by IRC 6103(n) and the related regulation - 26 CFR

§301.6103(n)-1.

3. Contractors who perform work at contractor (including subcontractor) managed sitesusing contractor or 

subcontractor managed IT resources shall adhere to the general guidance and specific privacy and security 

control requirements contained in Publication 4812, Contractor Security & Privacy Controls, IRM 10.23.2 

- Personnel Security, ContractorInvestigations, IRM 10.5.1 Privacy Policy, and IRM 10.8.1 - Information 

Technology (IT) Security, Policy and Guidance. Publication 4812 and IRM 10.5.1, 10.8.1 and 10.23.2

provide comprehensive lists of all security, privacy, information protection and disclosure controls and

guidance.

4. Eligibility, Fitness and Suitability. Contractor (including subcontractor) personnel hiredfor work within the 

United States or its territories and possessions and who require staff-like access, wherever the location, to 

IRS-owned or controlled facilities or work on contracts that involve the design, operation, repair, or 

maintenance of information systems, and/or require staff-like access to SBU information, must meet the 

eligibility requirements under IRM 10.23.2, Personnel Security, Contractor Investigations, and shall be 

subject to security screening and investigative processing, commensurate with the position sensitivity level, 

andin accordance with IRM 10.23.2, and TD P 15-71. Contractor (including subcontractor) personnel must 

be found both eligible and suitable, and approved for staff- like access (interim or final) by IRS Personnel 

Security prior to starting work on the contract/order, and before being granted access to IRS information

systems or SBU information.

5. General Conditions for Allowed Disclosure. Any SBU information, in any format, made available to or 

created by the contractor (including subcontractor) personnel shall be treated as confidential information 

and shall be used only for the purposes of carrying out the requirements of this contract. Inspection by or 

disclosure to anyone other than duly authorized officer or personnel of the contractor (including 

subcontractor) shall require priorwritten approval of the IRS. Requests to make such inspections or 

disclosures shall be addressed to the CO.
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6. Nondisclosure Agreement. Consistent with TD P 15-71, Chapter II, Section 2, and IRM 10.23.2.15 - 

Nondisclosure Agreement for Sensitive but Unclassified Information, each contractor (including 

subcontractor) personnel who requires staff-like access to SBU information shall complete, sign and submit 

to Personnel Security – through the CO (or COR, if assigned) — an approved Nondisclosure Agreement 

prior to being granted staff-likeaccess to SBU information under any IRS contract or order.

7. Training. All Contractor personnel assigned to this contract with staff-like access to SBU information must 

complete IRS-provided privacy and security awareness training, including the Privacy, Information 

Protection, and Disclosure training, as outlined in IR1052.224-9001 Mandatory IRS Security Training for 

Information Systems, Information Protection and Facilities Physical Access.

8. Encryption. All SBU information must be protected at rest, in transit, and in exchanges (i.e., internal and 

external communications). The contractor (including subcontractor) shall employ encryption methods and 

tools to ensure the confidentiality,integrity, and availability of SBU information.

9. Particularly relevant to this clause are the updated sections to IRM 10.8.1 and Publication 4812 regarding 

email and text messages, alternative work sites, and incidentmanagement:

• For email and text messaging, the contractor shall abide by IRM 10.8.1.4.17.2.2“Electronic Mail 

(Email) Security”, IRM 10.5.1.6.8 “Email” plus all subsections, and IRM 10.8.2.2.1.18 “Contractor”; 

or Pub. 4812 section 28.3.1 “Electronic Mail (Email) Security,”. Included are requirements on 

encryption, subject line content, and restrictions on personal email accounts.

• For alternate work sites the contractor shall abide by IRM 10.8.1.4.11.16 “PE-17 Alternate Work Site” 

or Publication 4812 section 21.16 “PE-17 Alternate Work Site,”. Included are requirements for incident 

reporting, encryption, and secure access.

10. Incident and Situation Reporting. Contractors and subcontractors are required to report a suspected or 

confirmed breach in any medium or form, electronically, verbally or inhardcopy form immediately upon 

discovery. All incidents related to IRS processing, information or information systems shall be reported 

immediately upon discovery to the CO,COR, and CSIRC. Contact the CSIRC through any of the following 

methods: 

CSIRC Contacts: Telephone: 240.613.3606 E-mail to csirc@irs.gov

In addition, if the SBU information is or involves a loss or theft of an IRS IT asset, e.g., computer, laptop, router, 

printer, removable media (CD/DVD, flash drive, floppy, etc.), or non-IRS IT asset (BYOD device), or a loss or 

theft of hardcopy records/documents containing SBU data, including PII and tax information, the contractor shall 

report the incident/situation to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) hotlineat (800) 366-

4484.

11. Staff-Like Access to, Processing and Storage of Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) Information. The 

contractor (including subcontractor) shall not allow contractor or subcontractor personnel to access, 

process, or store SBU on Information Technology (IT) systems or assets located outside the continental

United States and its outlying territories.

Contractors (including subcontractors) utilizing their own IT systems or assets to receive orhandle IRS SBU data

shall not commingle IRS and non-IRS data.

12. Disposition of SBU Information. All SBU information processed during the performance of this contract, 

or to which the contractor (or subcontractor) was given staff- like access (as well as all related output,

deliverables, or secondary or incidental by- products, information or data generated by the contractor or 

others directly or indirectly fromthe source material), regardless of form or format, shall be completely 

purged from all data storage components of the contractor’s or subcontractor facilities and computer 

systems, and no SBU/Personally Identifiable Information (PII) information will be retained by the

contractor either--

• When it has served its useful, contractual purpose, and is no longer needed tomeet the contractor’s 
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(including subcontractor) other, continuing contractual obligations to the IRS or

• When the contract expires, oristerminated by the IRS (for convenience, default, or cause).

The contractor (including subcontractor) shall completely purge from its systems and Electronic Information 

Technology, and/or return all SBU data, including PII and tax information (originals, copies, and derivative works) 

within 30 days of the point at which it has served its useful contractual purpose, or the contract expires or is 

terminated by the IRS(unless, the CO determines, and establishes, in writing, a longer period to complete the

disposition of SBU data including PII and tax information).

The contractor shall provide to the IRS a written and signed certification to the COR that all SBU 

materials/information (i.e., case files, receipt books, PII and material, tax information, removable media (disks, 

CDs, thumb drives)) collected by, or provided to, the contractor have been purged, destroyed or returned.

13. Records Management.

A. Applicability

This language applies to all Contractors whose personnel create, work with, or otherwise handle Federal 

records, as defined in Section B, regardless of the medium in which the record exists. 

Contractor/subcontractor personnel are boundby the Records Management by Federal Agencies (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 31) regarding the care and retention of federal records.

B. Definitions

"Federal record" as defined in 44 U.S.C. § 3301, includes all recorded information, regardless of form or 

characteristics, made or received by a Federal agency under Federal law or in connection with the 

transaction of public business and preserved orappropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate 

successor as evidence ofthe organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other

activities of the United States Government or because of the informational value of data in them.

The term Federal record:

1. includes [Agency] records;

2. does not include personal materials;

3. applies to records created, received, or maintained by Contractors pursuant totheir [Agency] contract;

and

4. may include deliverables and documentation associated withdeliverables.

C. Requirements

1. Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National 

Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal 

Records Act (44 U.S.C. chapters. 21, 29,31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, 

and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C.

552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of

transmission, or state of completion.

2. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use anddelivered to, or falling under 

the legal control of, the Government are Federal recordssubject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 

29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act

of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only aspermitted

by statute orregulation.

3. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records createdfor Government use or 

created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the 

Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated 

metadata must be accompanied by enough technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the 

records and data.
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4. IRS and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, 

including all forms of mutilation. Records may not beremoved from the legal custody of IRS or destroyed 

except for in accordance with the provisions of IRM 1.15.5, Relocating/Removing Records, the agency 

records schedules and with the written concurrence of the CO. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage

or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. In the event 

of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must 

immediately notify the appropriate CO. The CO must report the loss using the PII Breach Reporting Form. 

Privacy, Governmental Liaisonand Disclosure (PGLD, Incident Management) will review the PII Breach 

Reporting Form and alert the Records and Information Management (RIM) Program Office that a suspected 

records loss has occurred. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR1230.

5. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate CO immediately upon discovery of any inadvertent 

or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records, or equipment. Disclosure 

of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the 

[contract vehicle].The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and

physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, 

documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove 

material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the 

Government's behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When 

information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned 

to [Agency] control or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the 

Government shall be hand-carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the CO or 

address prescribed in the [contract vehicle]. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless 

in accordance with Paragraph (4).

6. The Contractor is required to obtain the approval of the CO prior to engaging inany contractual relationship 

(sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material 

and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Contractor (and any sub- contractor) is

required to abide by Government and [Agency] guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information,

andcontrolled unclassified information.

7. The Contractor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specificallytied to or authorized by

the contract and in accordance with IRS policy.

8. The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-publicIRS information that are 

not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

9. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverablethat contains information 

covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an

exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

10. IRS owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the 

contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which IRS shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose 

of, or disclose such data contained therein as itdetermines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights 

in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20.

11. Training. All Contractor personnel assigned to this contract who create, work with, or otherwise handle 

records are required to take IRS-provided records management training. The Contractor is responsible for 

confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any

annual or refresher training.

D. Flow down of requirements to subcontractors

1. The Contractor shall incorporate the substance of this language, its terms, andrequirements including this 

paragraph, in all subcontracts under this [contract vehicle], and require written subcontractor

acknowledgment of same.

2. Violation by a subcontractor of any provision set forth in this language will beattributed to the Contractor.
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3. Other Safeguards. [Insert any additional disclosure safeguards provided by the Program Office/COR or that 

the CO determines are necessary and in the best interest ofthe Government and not addressed elsewhere in 

the contract. If none are entered here, there are no other safeguards applicable to this contract action.]

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT F

IR1052.224-9001 Mandatory IRS Security Training for Information Systems, InformationProtection and 

Facilities Physical Access (JUN 2021)

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) requires each federal agency to provide 

periodic information security awareness training to all contractors/subcontractors involved in the management, use, 

or operation of Federal information and information systems. In addition, contractor/subcontractor personnel are

subject to the Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act of 1997, which prohibits willful unauthorized inspection of returns

and return information and details that any violation of the Act could result in civil and criminal penalties. 

Contractor/subcontractor personnelare subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a; Pub. L. No. 93-579), 

December 1974. Contractor/subcontractor personnel are bound by the Records Management by Federal Agencies 

(44 U.S.C. Chapter 31) regarding the care and retention of federalrecords.

1. The contractor must ensure all new contractor/subcontractor personnel complete allassigned briefings 

which are based on the responses provided on the Risk Assessment Checklist Form 14606. These responses 

pertaining to access to any IRS system, including basic LAN, email, and internet; access to any Sensitive 

but Unclassified (SBU) data; and access to any IRS facility. Since new contractor/subcontractor personnel 

will not have access to the IRS training system, the COR shall provide softcopy versions of each briefing.

i. Exception: Contractor personnel (including subcontractors) performing under IRS contracts with 

Nonprofit Agencies Employing People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (as described in FAR 

Subpart 8.7) are exempted from the aforementioned briefing requirements, unless the contractor 

requests access to the training, or there is a compelling justification for requiring the training that is

approved by the Contracting Officer (CO). An example of this would be in an instance where visually 

impaired personnel is assigned to perform systems development and has potential staff-like access to

IRSinformation.

ii. Contractor/subcontractor personnel working with IRS information at contractor-controlled facilities 

with no access to the IRS network will besubject to all mandatory briefing excepting the Facilities 

Management Physical Security briefing as outlined in Publication4812.

iii. Service Personnel: Inadvertent Sensitive Information AccessTraining

Contractor personnel performing: (i) janitorial and cleaning services (daylight operations), (ii) building 

maintenance, or (iii) other maintenance and repair andneed staff-like access to IRS facilities are 

required to complete Inadvertent Access to Sensitive Information (SBU) Access training.

iv. Service Personnel Security Awareness Training: Contractor personnel providing services in the 

following categories are required to complete FMSS Physical Security Training:

o Medical;

o Cafeteria;

o Landscaping;

o Janitorial and cleaning (daylight operations);

o Building maintenance; or

o Other maintenance and repair

2. In combination these mandatory briefings are known as IRS Security Awareness Training (SAT). The 

topics covered are: Cybersecurity Awareness, Privacy Information Protection and Disclosure, Unauthorized 

Access to Taxpayer Data, Records Management, Inadvertent Sensitive Information Access, Insider Threat 

and/or Facilities Physical Security.The completion of the assigned mandatory briefings constitutes the 

completion of the Security Orientation.

3. The SAT must be completed by contractor/subcontractor personnel within 5 business days of successful 

resolution of the suitability and eligibility for staff-like access as outlined in IR1052.204-9000 Submission

of Security Forms and Related Materials and before being granted access to SBU data. The date listed on 

the memo provided by IRS Personnel Security shall be used as the commencement date.
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4. Training completion process:

The contractor must submit confirmation of completed SAT mandatory briefingsfor each contractor/subcontractor

personnel by either:

i. Using Form 14616 signed and dated by the individual and authorized contractor management entity 

and returned to the COR. This option is used for new contractor/subcontractor personnel and any that 

do not havean IRS network account.

ii. Using the IRS training system which is available to all contractors withIRS network accounts

5. Annual Training. For contracts/orders/agreement exceeding one year in length,either on a multiyear or 

multiple year basis, the contractor must ensure that personnelcomplete assigned SAT mandatory briefings 

annually no later than October 31st of the current calendar year. The contractor must submit confirmation 

of completed annual SAT on all personnel unable to complete the briefings in the IRS training systems by 

submitting completed Form 14616 assigned to this contract/order/agreement, via email, to the COR, upon

completion.

6. Contractor’s failure to comply with IRS privacy and security policy (to include completion and certification 

of SAT requirements within the timeframe specified) may be subject to suspension, revocation, or 

termination (temporarily or permanently) of staff-like access to IRS IT systems and facilities.

7. Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts(or arrangements or 

outsourced service agreements) that entails staff-like access to SBU information by a subcontractor, at any 

tier, the same Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and local privacy and security or safeguard clauses or 

provisions for protecting SBU information or information systems that apply to and are incorporated in its 

prime contract with IRS.

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT G

IR1052.239-9008 INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION SECURITY CONTROLS FOR 

CONTRACTING ACTIONS SUBJECT TO INTERNAL REVENUE MANUAL (IRM) 10.8.1 (JUN 2021)

In performance of this contract, the contractor agrees to comply with the following requirements and assumes 

responsibility for compliance by its personnel and subcontractors (and their personnel): 

(a) General. The contractor shall ensure IRS information and information systems are protected at all times. 

The contractor shall develop, implement, and maintain effective controls and methodologies in its business 

processes, physical environments, and human capital or personnel practices that meet or otherwise adhere 

to the security and privacy controls, requirements, and objectives described in applicable security and 

privacy control guidelines, and their respective contracts.

(b) IRM 10.5.1 and IRM10.8.1 Applicability. This contract action is subject to Internal Revenue Manual 

(IRM) Part 10.8.1– Information Technology (IT) Security, Policy and Guidance, and IRM 10.5.1 – Privacy 

Policy. The contractor shall adhere to the general guidance and specific security and privacy control 

standards or requirements contained in IRM10.5.1 and 10.8.1. While the IRM 10.8.1 shall apply to the 

requirements to access systems, and IRM 10.5.1 shall apply to access SBU data, IRS Publication 4812, 

Contractor Security & Privacy Controls, may also govern as addressed in another clause. It will 

address the requirements related to physical and personnel security that must continue to be maintained at 

contractor sites.

(c) Based on the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA), and standards and 

guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), IRM 10.8.1 provides 

overall IT security control guidance for the IRS, and uniform policies and guidance to be used by each 

office, or business, operating, and functional unit within the IRS that uses IRS information systems to 

accomplish the IRS mission. 

(d) Contractor Security Representative. The contractor shall assign and identify, in its offer, a Contractor 

Security Representative (CSR) and alternate CSR to all contracts requiring staff-like access to IRS 

information, information technology and systems, facilities, and/or assets. The CSR is the contractor’s 

primary point for the Government on all security-related matters and the person responsible for ensuring 

the security and privacy of information and information systems in accordance with the terms and 

conditions of the contract and all applicable security controls. 

(e) Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or arrangements 

or outsourced service agreements) that entail staff-like access to SBU information by a subcontractor or 

agent, at any tier, the same Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and local security or safeguard clauses 

or provisions for protecting SBU information or information systems that apply to and are incorporated in 

its prime contract with IRS. 

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT H

IR1052.239-9009 INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION SECURITY CONTROLS FOR 

CONTRACTING ACTIONS SUBJECT TO IRS PUBLICATION 4812 (JUN 2021) 

Publication 4812 Contractor Security & Privacy is an IRS specific guide to NIST SP 800-53 Release 5 when stafflike access to IRS information or information systems under contracts for services on behalf of the IRS is outside 

of IRS controlled facilities or the direct control of the Service (as opposed to Internal Revenue Manual 10.8.1 - 

Information Technology (IT) Security, Policy and Guidance, which applies when contractors are accessing IRS 

information and information systems at Government controlled facilities). 

The IRS Publication 4812 is a living document and updated annually to reflect changes from Executive Orders, 

OMB requirements, NIST updates, etc. The current version of Publication 4812 is located on the irs.gov website. 

In performance of this contract, the contractor agrees to comply with the following requirements and assumes 

responsibility for compliance by its personnel and subcontractors (and their personnel): 

1. The contractor shall ensure IRS information and information systems (those of the IRS and/or the contractor, 

as appropriate) are protected at all times. In order to do so, the contractor shall develop, implement, and maintain 

effective controls and methodologies in its business processes, physical environments, and human capital or 

personnel practices that meet or otherwise adhere to the security and privacy controls, requirements, and objectives 

described in applicable security and privacy control guidelines, and their respective contracts.

(a) Publication 4812 applicability. This contracting action is subject to Publication 4812 –Contractor Security 

& Privacy Controls. Publication 4812 is available at: 

Publication 4812 is available at: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4812.pdf 

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4812.pdf 

(b) The contractor shall adhere to the general guidance and specific security control standards or requirements 

contained in Publication 4812. By inclusion of this clause in the contract, the most recent version of Publication 

4812 is incorporated into the contract and has the same force and effect as if included in the main body of the 

immediate contract.

2. Flowing down from the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) and standards 

and guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Publication 4812 identifies 

basic Technical, Operational, and Management (TOM) security and privacy controls and standards required of 

under contracts for services in which contractor (or subcontractor) personnel will either— 

(a) Have staff-like access to ,develop, operate, or maintain IRS information or information systems on behalf 

of the IRS (or provide related services) outside of IRS facilities or the direct control of the Service, and/or 

(b) Have staff-like access to, compile, process, or store IRS SBU information on their own information 

systems/Information Technology (IT) assets or that of a subcontractor or third-party Service Provider, or 

when using their own information systems (or that of others) and on IT, or Electronic Information and 

Technology (EIT) (as defined in FAR Part 2) other than that owned or controlled by the IRS. 

3.Unless the manual specifies otherwise, the IRS-specific requirements in Publication 4812 meet the standard 

from the latest version of the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53 Release 5–Federal Information Systems and 

Organizations. The security and privacy controls, requirements, and standards described within the Publication 4812

are to be used in lieu of the common, at-large security and privacy control standards enumerated in the latest version 

of NIST SP 800-53 Release 5. 
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Publication 4812 also describes the framework and general processes for conducting contractor security 

reviews –performed by IT Cybersecurity—to monitor compliance and assess the effectiveness of security and 

privacy controls applicable to any given contracting action subject to Publication 4812.

4. Contractor Security Representative. The contractor shall assign and identify, upon award, a Contractor 

Security Representative (CSR) and alternate CSR to all contracts requiring staff-like access to Treasury/bureau 

information, information technology and systems, facilities, and/or assets. The CSR is the contractor’s primary 

point for the Government on all security-related matters and the person responsible for ensuring the security of 

information and information systems in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract and all applicable 

security and privacy controls.

5. Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or arrangements 

or outsourced service agreements) that entails staff-like access to SBU information by a subcontractor, at any tier, 

the same Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and local security, privacy or safeguard clauses or provisions for 

protecting SBU information or information systems that apply to and are incorporated in its prime contract with 

IRS. IRS Publication 4812 also applies to subcontractors. 

(End of clause)
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EXHIBIT I

IR1052.239-9010 – INFORMATION SYSTEM AND INFORMATION SECURITY CONTROL

STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES APPLICABILITY (JUN 2021)

As part of its information security program, IRS identifies security controls for the organization’s information and 

information systems in the following three key standards and guiding documents:

o Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) 10.8.1 – Information Technology (IT) Security, Policy and Guidance

o IRM 10.5.1 – Privacy Policy, and

o Publication 4812 – Contractor Security & Privacy Controls.

While IRM 10.8.1 and Publication 4812 are both based on the latest version of NIST SP 800-53, they apply to 

different operating environments—internal and external to the organization, respectively.

The contractor, by signing its offer, hereby asserts to the best of its knowledge and belief that the security and 

privacy control guideline(s) most suitable and applicable to the immediate contracting action, with due 

consideration to its proposed approach (and work environment) for fulfilling the Government’s requirements and 

standards for applicability described herein, is as follows (check only one block):

 IRM 10.8.1 only ☐ Publication 4812 ☐ Both IRM 10.8.1 and PUB 4812

Unless IRS Cybersecurity, (Contract Security Assessment – CSA) determines, through a notification to the 

Contractor by the CO, that a different (or a second) security control standard or guideline is warranted, the security 

level selected/applied for by the contractor under IR1052.239-9010 shall stand. In the event IRS Cybersecurity 

(Contractor Security Assessment – CSA) determines a different (or second) security control standard or guideline 

is warranted, the CO shall advise the contractor, in writing, of the Government determination, and reflect the 

correct/appropriate security control standard or guideline in the ensuing contract.

a. If Publication 4812 is selected (alone or in combination with IRM 10.8.1) as the most suitable security 

control guideline, the Contractor must identify, as part of its proposal submissions (or its submissions under any 

modification to an existing contract incorporating this clause), the most suitable security control level within the 

following hierarchy of security control levels (from lowest or highest):

▪ Software Application Development or Maintenance (SOFT)

▪ Networked Information Technology Infrastructure (NET)

(See Publication 4812, Appendix C for guidance in selecting the security control level most suitable and appropriate 

to the immediate contracting action. If additional guidance is needed in selecting the security control level, contact 

IRS Cybersecurity (Contractor Security Assessment - CSA).

b. The contractor, by signing its offer, hereby asserts to the best of its knowledge and belief that the security 

control level under Publication 4812 most suitable and applicable to the immediate contracting action, with due 

consideration to its proposed approach (and work environment) and standards for applicability described herein, is 

as follows (check only one):

☐SOFT ☐NET 

c. Unless IRS Cybersecurity (Contractor Security Assessment - CSA) determines that a different (higher or 

lower) security control level is warranted for contracts subject to the most recent version of Publication 4812, the 
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security level selected/applied for by the contractor will govern throughout the life of the contract. In the event the 

IRS Cybersecurity (Contractor Security Assessment - CSA) determines a different (higher or lower) security level 

is warranted, the CO will advise the contractor, in writing, of the Government determination. At the end of the 

contract, for all security levels, the contractor must provide a plan and document the implementation of this plan to 

ensure that all hard copy and electronic data is returned to the IRS, sanitized, or destroyed.

d. Failure by the contractor to check any block will result in the use of both guidelines (for the Publication 

4812 portion, use of the most stringent security control level (Software)) until and unless the IRS Cybersecurity 

(Contractor Security Assessment - CSA), determines otherwise via notification to the Contractor by the CO.

e. Flow down of clauses. The contractor shall include and flow down, in its subcontracts (or arrangements) 

that entails staff-like access to SBU information by a subcontractor, at any tier, the same Federal Acquisition 

Regulation (FAR) and local security or safeguard clauses or provisions for protecting SBU information or 

information systems that apply to and are incorporated in its prime contract with IRS.

(End of provision)
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EXHIBIT J