Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is GPO?

A. The U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE (GPO) 

is the official, digital and secure source for producing, 

protecting, preserving and distributing the official 

publications and information products of the Federal 

Government. 

Q. Why do we need GPO?

A. GPO provides public access to the official publications 

and information of the Government. GPO’s mission can 

be traced to the requirement in Article I of the Constitution 

that each House keep a journal of its proceedings and 

from time to time publish the same. 

Q. What does GPO do?

A. The GPO:

n	 produces and distributes information products 

and services for all three branches of the Federal 

Government, including U.S. passports for the 

Department of State, official publications of Congress, 

the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital 

and print formats. 

n	 provides for permanent public access to Federal 

Government information at no charge through govinfo, 

partnerships with approximately 1,200 libraries 

nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library 

Program (FDLP), and our traditional and secure online 

bookstores.

n	 operates distribution centers in Laurel, MD and Pueblo, 

CO that fulfill orders for Government publications. 

Q. Where is GPO located?

A. The central office is located in Washington, DC. GPO 

has regional and satellite procurement offices nationwide 

to support the needs of regional Federal agencies in 

Atlanta, Boston, Charleston SC, Chicago, Columbus, 

Dallas, Denver, Virginia Beach, New York, Oklahoma City, 

Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and 

Seattle.

Q. How does GPO work with the printing/publishing 

industry?

A. GPO provides product and services for all Federal 

government agencies and organizations. GPO’s 

procurement services offers a wide range of items:

n	 traditional print (books, pamphlets, single-sheet and 

multi-part forms, folders, posters, business cards, 

magazines and more)

n	 specialty products (secure credentials, RFID cards, 

CD/DVD replication, packaging, library binding of 

documents and more)

n	 promotional items (mugs, t-shirts, magnets, pens, 

pencils, mouse pads, and more)

n	 digital services (scanning and archiving of documents, 

direct mail services, Web site design and development, 

Web hosting, eBooks, 508 compliance)

GPO purchases approximately $350 million annually 

from private sector vendors nationwide for our agency 

customers. GPO procures approximately 75% of all the 

products ordered annually (other than passports and 

secure credentials), including Social Security cards, 

census and tax forms, and Medicaid and Medicare 

materials. All printed products ordered by GPO comply 

with current sustainability requirements. Since the early 

1990s, papers used by GPO’s production operations 

contain recycled content. Since 1994, all inks used by 

GPO are made with sustainable vegetable oils. 

Q. How are contracts awarded?

A. Contracts are awarded on a purely competitive basis. 

There are no set-asides or preferences in contracting 

other than what is specified in law and regulation, 

including a requirement for Buy American. GPO’s 

procurement program provides great economic 

opportunity for the private sector. The majority of the firms 

GPO deals with are small businesses of 20 employees 

or less. The total number of contractors registered to do 

business with GPO is currently 16,000.

732 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 www.gpo.gov | facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/usgpo

Keeping America Informed OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE
Q. How is GPO funded?

A. GPO operates on a revolving fund basis, just like a 

business, and is reimbursed by its customers for the cost 

of work performed. 

Total revenues for FY 2016 were $875.3 million, which 

included about $360 million in pass-through payments 

to procurement vendors. Approximately 16% of GPO’s 

funding comes from direct appropriation, comprising 

about 4% of the overall legislative branch budget. 

Appropriated funds are to cover the cost of congressional 

work (and may only be accessed when work is performed 

as ordered by Congress) and the depository library 

program and supporting distribution programs. All other 

revenues to GPO are reimbursements from agencies for 

work performed or sales of publications to the public.

Q. Who runs GPO?

A. As an agency of the legislative branch of the Government, 

GPO is headed by the Director, who serves as the 

agency’s chief executive officer. The Director is nominated 

by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Davita 

Vance-Cooks currently serves as Director, the first woman 

in GPO’s history to hold the post.

Q. How do I get documents from GPO?

A. Over 50 collections of official Federal Government 

publications are available to the public through govinfo. 

Printed copies of many of those documents ranging from 

the Federal Register to reports from the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics may also be purchased in person, online, via 

phone, fax, or postal mail. 

To order:

n	 in person, visit the GPO Main Bookstore at 710 North 

Capitol St. NW, Washington, DC (corner of North Capitol 

and H Streets) from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. EST. 

n	 online, visit the U.S. Government Online Bookstore.

n	 by phone or inquire about an order, call toll-free 

866.512.1800 (in the D.C. metro area, call 202.512.1800 

from 7 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. EST). 

n	 by fax, dial 202.512.2104 or send order inquiries to the 

Contact Center. 

n	 by mail: 

U.S. Government Publishing Office

P.O. Box 979050

St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

All orders require prepayment by VISA, MasterCard, 

American Express, or Discover/NOVUS credit cards, 

check, or SOD deposit account.

Q. How do I stay connected to GPO?

A. Visit us online at gpo.gov or connect with us on:

n	 Facebook facebook.com/usgpo

n	 Twitter twitter.com/usgpo

n	 Instagram instagram.com/usgpo/ 

n	 YouTube youtube.com/user/gpoprinter 

n	 Pinterest pinterest.com/usgpo/

n	 LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/

 u.s.-government-printing-office

n	 GovBook Talk govbooktalk.gpo.gov/ 

732 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 www.gpo.gov | facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/usgpo

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