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A B CD E F G H I J K L 

Program: 0212sTitle: MEDICARE (Part D Subsidy) NOTICESTerm: Date of Award To December 31, 2021

Item No. Description Basis of

Award UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE COST UNIT RATE 

I. PROCESSING/FORMATTING FILES:

Processing/Formatting Files.............................................per mailer...... 12 $250.00 $3,000.00 $50.00 $600.00 NC $0.00 $5,747.00 $68,964.00 NC 

II. COMPOSITION:

Envelopes........................................................................per envelope...... 17 $250.00 $4,250.00 $50.00 $850.00 NC $0.00 $50.00 $850.00 NC 

III. Transmission Test:

(a) Transmission Test...........................................................per test............. 1 $10,000.00 $10,000.00 $100.00 $100.00 NC $0.00 $13,992.00 $13,992.00 NC 

IV. PRINTING/IMAGING, BINDING AND CONSTRUCTION:

(a) *Daily make ready/setup charge................................................................ 252 $250.00 $63,000.00 $100.00 $25,200.00 NC $0.00 $867.00 $218,484.00 $200.00 

(b) Notices/Scannable Forms (Mailers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10):

printing in two ink colors, imaging in black, including binding

.....................................................................................per 1,000 pages...... 25932 $10.00 $259,320.00 $12.30 $318,963.60 $15.00 $388,980.00 $5.29 $137,180.28 $8.00 

(c ) Personalized Summary Sheets and CMS Letter: Mailers 3‐7,9, & 10

including printing and the imaging of personalized, variable

information................................................................per 1,000 pages...... 4026 $10.00 $40,260.00 $6.84 $27,537.84 $7.00 $28,182.00 $5.29 $21,297.54 $10.00 

(d) Notices/Scannable Forms (Bulk Mailers): Printing in two

ink colors, including static 2‐D barcode in black, and binding

....................................................................................per 1,000 pages...... 17440 $10.00 $174,400.00 $6.80 $118,592.00 $8.00 $139,520.00 $5.29 $92,257.60 $4.00 

(e ) BRM Return Envelopes: Printing in black ink, including construction

................................................................................per 1,000 envelopes... 4628 NC $0.00 $7.70 $35,635.60 NC $0.00 $15.75 $72,891.00 NC 

(f) Mail‐out Envelopes: (With Window): Printing in black ink, including

construction......................................................per 1,000 envelopes...... 3608 NC $0.00 $14.15 $51,053.20 NC $0.00 $20.90 $75,407.20 NC 

(g) Mail‐out Envelopes (Non‐Window): Printing in black ink, including

construction ......................................................per 1,000 envelopes..... 1600 NC $0.00 $13.20 $21,120.00 NC $0.00 $22.08 $35,328.00 NC 

V. PAPER: (PER 1,000 LEAVES)

(a) Notices/Scannable Forms and Inserts: White OCR Bond (20‐lb.)....... 25853 $8.00 $206,824.00 $5.48 $141,674.44 $6.00 $155,118.00 NC $0.00 $6.80 

(b) CMS Letters: International Paper, Springhill, Opaque Offset

Gray (50‐lb.)................................................................................................ 1740 $10.00 $17,400.00 $7.09 $12,336.60 $14.00 $24,360.00 NC $0.00 $15.00 

(c ) BRM Return Envelopes: White Writing (20‐lb.).................................... 4628 $18.78 $86,913.84 $7.70 $35,635.60 $12.50 $57,850.00 NC $0.00 $18.26 

(d) Mail‐out Envelopes (With Window): White Kraft Envelope (24‐lb.);

or at contractor's option, White Uncoated Text (50‐lb.)....................... 3028 $23.91 $72,399.48 $14.15 $42,846.20 $14.50 $43,906.00 NC $0.00 $22.50 

(e ) Mail‐out Envelopes (Non‐Window): White Kraft Envelope (24‐lb.);

or at contractor's option, White Uncoated Text (50‐lb.)....................... 1600 $21.71 $34,736.00 $13.20 $21,120.00 $14.00 $22,400.00 NC $0.00 $22.50 

VI. INSERTING AND MAILING:

(a) Inserting all required materials into window mail‐out envelope

(Mailers 1‐6, 8‐10)............................................per 1,000 mailers......... 3028 $26.20 $79,333.60 $42.00 $127,176.00 $10.00 $30,280.00 $115.26 $349,007.28 $35.00 

(b) Inserting all required materials into window mail‐out envelope

(Mailer 7)...........................................................per 1,000 mailers......... 580 $26.20 $15,196.00 $18.50 $10,730.00 $10.00 $5,800.00 $115.26 $66,850.80 $50.00 

VII. INSERTING, PACKING AND DISTRIBUTION:

(a) Inserting all required materials into mail‐out envelopes, packing, and

sealing shipping containers (1BL through 2BL)......per 1,000 mailers... 1600 $26.20 $41,920.00 $24.00 $38,400.00 $25.00 $40,000.00 $4.66 $7,456.00 $30.00 

VIII. CERTIFIED/REGISTERED MAIL:

(a) Certified/Registered mailing..............................per 1,000 mailers......... 6 $500.00 $3,000.00 $10.00 $60.00 $100.00 $600.00 $1,500.00 $9,000.00 $250.00 

CONTRACTOR TOTALS $1,111,952.92 $1,029,631.08 $936,996.00 $1,168,965.70 

DISCOUNT 0.50% $5,559.76 0.25% $2,574.08 1.00% $9,369.96 5.00% $58,448.29 0.00% 

DISCOUNTED TOTALS $1,106,393.16 $1,027,057.00 $927,626.04 $1,110,517.41 

A

ADVANTAGE MAILING LLC

ANAHEIM, CA

BMS DIREC

LYNCHBUR

PINNACLE DATA SYSTEMS

CLAYSBURG, PA NILES, SUWANEE, GA IL

NPC, INC. SPECIALTY PRINT, COMM
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | Keeping America Informed | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 

http://www.gpo.gov | www.facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/USGPO 

December 28, 2020 

This is Amendment No. 1. The specifications in our invitation for bids on Program 0212-S, scheduled 

for opening at 11:am on December 29, 2020, are amended as follows: 

 Change the bid opening date to December 30, 2020.

 On page 33 of 57, Delete

Mailer 7 (CMS Letter and Annual Minimum: 300,0000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM or Annual Maximum: 580,000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

$QG,QVHUW

Mailer 7 (CMS Letter and Annual Minimum: 300,000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM or Annual Maximum: 580,000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) Printed Pages: 14 (6 page CMS Letter and 8 page SSA-1020B-OCR-SM) 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

 On page 52 0f 57

Delete

9, 3,028

$QG,QVHUW

VI. (a) 3,028

VI. (b) 580

 On page 55 of 57, 'elete

9, INSERTING AND MAILING: Prices offered must include the cost of all required materials and

operations necessary for the mailing of Mailers 1 through10, including cost of collating notice(s)

(single or multiple leaves) in proper sequence and folding to required size in accordance with these

specifications, insertion of all items into mail-out envelope and delivery of the mailers to the post

office in accordance with these specifications.

Per 1,000 Mailers

(a) Inserting all required materials into window mail-out envelope (Mailers 1-10) ............... $ 

$QG,QVHUW

VI. INSERTING AND MAILING: Prices offered must include the cost of all required materials and

operations necessary for the mailing of Mailers 1 through10, including cost of collating notice(s)
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | Keeping America Informed | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 

http://www.gpo.gov | www.facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/USGPO 

(single or multiple leaves) in proper sequence and folding to required size in accordance with these 

specifications, insertion of all items into mail-out envelope and delivery of the mailers to the post 

office in accordance with these specifications. 

Per 1,000 Mailers

VI (a) Inserting all required materials into window mail-out envelope (Mailers 1-6,8-10) .. $ 

VI (b) Inserting all required materials into window mail-out envelope (Mailer 7)........... ... $ 

All other specifications remain the same. 

Amended bid or acknowledgement of amendment must be submitted via email to: bidsapsdc@gpo.gov

for this solicitation. Telephone or facsimile acknowledgement is not acceptable.

 

Bidder must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to bid opening. Failure to acknowledge receipt 

of amendment, by amendment number, prior to bid opening time, may be reason for bid being declared 

nonresponsive. 

Sincerely, 

REBECCA R. SWAN 

Contracting Officer 

Digitally signed by Rebecca R Swan 

Date: 2020.12.28 15:31:48 -05'00'
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | Keeping America Informed | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 

http://www.gpo.gov | www.facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/USGPO 

December 29, 2020 

This is Amendment No. 2. The specifications in our invitation for bids on Program 0212-S, scheduled 

for opening at 11:00am on December 29, 2020, are amended as follows: 

1. Change the bid opening date to January 5, 2021. 

2. On page 52 of 57, Under DETERMINATION of AWARD: 

Delete 

I. 12 

II. 17 

III. 1 

IV. (a) 252 

(b) 25,932 

(c) 1,706 

(d) 17,440 

(e) 4,628 

(f) 3,028 

(g) 1,600 

V. (a) 25,853 

(b) 580 

(c) 4,628 

(d) 3,028 

(e) 1,600 

VI. 3,028 

VII. 1,600 

VIII. 6 

and insert

I. 12 

II. 17 

 

III. 1 
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE | Keeping America Informed | OFFICIAL | DIGITAL | SECURE

732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401-0001 

http://www.gpo.gov | www.facebook.com/USGPO | twitter.com/USGPO 

IV. (a) 252 

(b) 25,932 

(c) 4,026 

(d) 17,440 

(e) 4,628 

(f) 3,608 

(g) 1,600 

V. (a) 25,853 

 (b) 1740 

 (c) 4,628 

 (d) 3,028 

 (e) 1,600 

VI. (a) 3,028 

 (b) 580 

VII. 1,600 

VIII. 6

All other specifications remain the same. 

Amended bid or acknowledgement of amendment must be submitted via email to: bidsapsdc@gpo.gov

for this solicitation. Telephone or facsimile acknowledgement is not acceptable.

 

Bidder must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to bid opening. Failure to acknowledge receipt 

of amendment, by amendment number, prior to bid opening time, may be reason for bid being declared 

nonresponsive. 

Sincerely, 

REBECCA R. SWAN 

Contracting Officer 
Program 212-S Page 1 of 57 

Specifications by JB 

Reviewed by MRN

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

Washington, DC 

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS 

For the Procurement of 

MEDICARE (Part D Subsidy) NOTICES

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

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Single Award

TERM OF CONTRACT: The base term of this contract is beginning Date of Award and ending December 31, 

2021, 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: Contractor interfacing with SSA’s National File Transfer Management System (FTMS) for electronic 

transmission of files from SSA to the production facility will take place after award (or from completion date of 

transmission connectivity) through December 31, 2021 for transmission of test files; actual production begins 

June 1, 2021. (Orders for bulk material will be available from Date of Award). 

BID OPENING: Bids shall be publicly opened at 11:00 a.m., prevailing Washington, DC time, December 29, 

2020 at the U.S. Government Publishing Office, APSDC. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will NOT be a 

public bid opening. 

BID SUBMISSION: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical office will NOT be open. Based on this, 

bidders must submit email bids to bidsapsdc@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. Bids received after 11:00 a.m. on the bid opening date specified above will not be 

considered for award. 

RESTRICTION ON LOCATION OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES: Due to the security requirements set 

forth in these specifications, this program must be produced in the United States. 

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: This program was formerly Program 272-S. These specifications have been 

extensively revised; therefore, all bidders are cautioned to familiarize themselves with all provisions of these 

specifications before bidding, with particular attention to: “SECURITY REQUIREMENTS” and “100% 

ACCOUNTABILITY OF PRODUCTION AND MAILING” requirements specified in Section 1. 

These specifications include matched mailing language (personalized notices imaged with recipients name (and 

other personal information) will be matched with the scannable forms (which contain 2-D barcodes with 

personalized data) for the same recipient). 

Abstracts of contract prices for Program 272-S are available at https://www.gpo.gov/how-to-work-withus/vendors/contract-pricing. 

For information of a technical nature, contact Jim Ballou at jballou@gpo.gov or (202) 512-0310 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 2 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

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-standardsfiles-for-vendors/contractterms2018.pdf. 

GPO QATAP (GPO Publication 310.1) – https://www.gpo.gov/docs/default-source/forms-and-standards-files-forvendors/qatap-rev-09-19.pdf. 

PREDOMINANT PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS: The predominant production functions are the printing of 

notices, the laser printing only of data for the notices from electronically transmitted files (inkjet is not allowed), 

folding, inserting, and disposal of waste. Any bidder who cannot perform the predominant production functions of 

this contract will be declared non-responsible. The contractor may subcontract the printing and manufacturing of 

the envelopes. 

The contractor is responsible for enforcing all contract requirements outsourced to a subcontractor. 

If the contractor needs to add a subcontractor at any time after award, the subcontractor must be approved by the 

Government prior to production starting in that facility. If the subcontractor is not approved by the Government, 

then the contractor must submit new subcontractor’s information to the Government for approval 30 calendar 

days prior to the start of production at that facility. 

If the contractor plans to enter into a “Contractor Team Arrangement” or Joint Venture, to fulfill any requirements 

of this contract, they must comply with the terms and regulations as detailed in the Printing Procurement 

Regulation (GPO Publication 305.3; Rev. 2-11). 

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

these specifications: 

Product Quality Levels: 

(a) Printing Attributes – Level III. 

(b) Finishing 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. 

(c) Transparent, low-gloss, poly-type window material, covering the envelope window, must pass a 

readability test with a rejection rate of less than 1/4% when run through a USPS OCR scanner. 

(d) Exception: ANSIX3.17 “Character Set for Optical Character Recognition (OCR-A)” shall apply to these 

specifications. The revisions of this standard are effective as of the date of this contract are those which 

shall apply. 

(e) Exception: The PDF417 2-D barcodes must be in accordance with the requirements of ANSI MH 

10.8.3M unless otherwise specified.
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 3 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

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

 Attribute Specified Standard

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity O.K. Press Sheets 

P-9. Solid and Screen Tint Color Match O.K. Press Sheets 

Special Instructions: In the event that inspection of press sheets is waived by the Government, the following 

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

ANSI Standards may be obtained from the American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor, 

New York, NY 10036. 

 Attribute Specified Standard 

 

P-7. Type Quality and Uniformity O.K. Press Samples/O.K. Proofs/ 

 Average Type Dimension in Publication/ 

 Electronic Media/Camera Copy/ 

 Manuscript Copy 

 

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

NOTE: The scannable forms produced under these specifications must be guaranteed to function properly when 

processed through the High Speed Scanner equipment at SSA. SSA will be using Top Image Systems scanning 

software to process the images and OCR engines to do the OCR/ICR recognition. The 2-D barcodes will be read 

during scanning by proprietary software from the scanner manufacturer. 

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 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 

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 December 31, 2021 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. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 4 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

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 September 

30, 2020, called the base index. The percentage change (plus or minus) of the variable index from the base index 

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

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

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

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

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

PAPER PRICE ADJUSTMENT: Paper prices charged under this contract will be adjusted in accordance with 

“Table 9 - Producer Price Indexes and Percent Changes for Commodity Groupings and Individual Items” in 

Producer Price Indexes report, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as follows: 

NOTE: For the purpose of this contract, the Paper Price Adjustment will be based on the date of actual 

production. Actual production begins June 1, 2021. 

1. BLS code 0913-01 for Offset and Text will apply to all paper required under this contract. 

2. The applicable index figures for the month of May 2021, will establish the base index. 

3. There shall be no price adjustment for the first three (3) production months of the contract. 

4. Price adjustments may be monthly thereafter, but only if the index varies by an amount (plus or minus) 

exceeding 5% by comparing the base index to the index for that month, which is two months prior to the 

month being considered for adjustment. 

5. Beginning with order placement in the fourth month, index variances will be calculated in accordance 

with the following formula: 

X – base index x 100 = ____% 

 base index 

where X = the index for that month which is two months prior to the month being considered for 

adjustment. 

6. The contract adjustment amount, if any, will be the percentage calculated in 5 above less 5%. 

7. Adjustments under this clause will be applied to the contractor’s bid price(s) for Item V., “PAPER” in the 

“SCHEDULE OF PRICES” and will be effective on the first day of any month for which prices are to be 

adjusted. 

The Contracting Officer will give written notice to the contractor of any adjustments to be applied to invoices for 

orders placed during months affected by this clause. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 5 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

In no event, however, will any price adjustment be made which would exceed the maximum permissible under 

any law in effect at the time of the adjustment. The adjustment, if any, shall not be based upon the actual change 

in cost to the contractor, but shall be computed as provided above. 

The contractor warrants that the paper prices set forth in this contract do not include any allowance for any 

contingency to cover anticipated increased costs of paper to the extent such increases are covered by this price 

adjustment clause. 

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: Protection of Confidential Information – 

(a) The contractor must restrict access to all confidential information obtained from the Social Security 

Administration in the performance of this contract to those employees and officials who need it to 

perform the contract. Employees and officials who need access to confidential information for 

performance of the contract will be determined at the postaward conference between the Contracting 

Officer and the responsible contractor representative. 

(b) The contractor must process all confidential information obtained from SSA in the performance of this 

contract under the immediate supervision and control of authorized personnel, and in a manner that will 

protect the confidentiality of the records in such a way that unauthorized persons cannot retrieve any such 

records. 

(c) The contractor must inform all personnel with access to the confidential information obtained from SSA 

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) For knowingly disclosing information in violation of the Privacy Act, the contractor and the contractor 

employees may be subject to the criminal penalties as set forth in 5 U.S.C. Section 552a (i)(1), which is 

made applicable to contractors by 5 U.S.C. 552a (m)(1) to the same extent as employees of the SSA. For 

knowingly disclosing confidential information as described in section 1106 of the Social Security Act (42 

U.S.C. 1306), the contractor and contractor’s employees may also be subject to the criminal penalties as 

set forth in that provision. 

(e) The contractor must ensure that each contractor employee with access to confidential information 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 and/or the Social Security Act. When the contractor 

employees are made aware of this information, they will be required to sign form SSA-301, “Contractor 

Personnel Security Certification” (See Exhibit A). A copy of this signed certification must be forwarded 

to: Social Security Administration, Division of Printing Management Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A 

Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

(f) All confidential information obtained from SSA for use in the performance of this contract must, at all 

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

(g) Performance of this contract may involve access to tax return information as defined in 26 U.S.C. Section 

6103(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). All such information must be handled as confidential and 

may not be disclosed without the written permission of SSA. For willingly disclosing confidential tax 

return information in violation of the IRC, the contractor and contractor employees may be subject to the 

criminal penalties set forth in 26 U.S.C. Section 7213. 

(h) The Government reserves the rights to conduct on-site visits to review the contractor’s documentation and 

in-house procedures for protection of confidential information. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 6 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

SSA EXTERNAL SERVICE PROVIDER SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: 

This resource identifies the basic information security requirements related to the procurement of Information 

Technology (IT) services hosted externally to SSA’s Network. 

The following general security requirements apply to all External Service Providers (ESP). 

a. The solution must be located in the United States, its territories, or possessions. 

“United States” means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, 

American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Johnston Island, Wake Island, and Outer Continental 

Shelf Lands as defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331, et seq.), but does not 

include any other place subject to U.S. jurisdiction or any U.S. base or possession within a foreign 

country (29 CFR 4.112). 

b. Upon request from the SSA Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) the ESP shall provide 

access to the hosting facility to the U.S. Government or authorized agents for inspection and facilitate an 

on-site security risk and vulnerability assessment. 

c. The solution must meet Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and guidance developed by the 

National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) under its authority provided by the Federal 

Information Security Management Act (FISMA) to develop security standards for federal information 

processing systems, and Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-130 Appendix III. 

d. ESPs classified as Cloud Service Providers (CSP) must be FEDRAMP authorized. Further information 

may be found at: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/102371. As part of these requirements, CSPs must 

have a security control assessment performed by a Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). 

e. The ESP shall submit to the SSA COTR documentation describing how the solution implements security 

controls in accordance with the designated categorization (FIPS 199) and the Minimum Security 

Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems (FIPS 200) which requires the use of 

NIST SP 800-53 Rev4 before SSA provides data. 

f. All ESPs that process or store Personally Identifiable Information (PII) are considered a moderate impact 

categorization. If PII or sensitive data (defined by the COTR) is stored or processed by the ESP, then the 

ESP shall provide a Security Authorization Package (SAP) created by an independent assessor. The SAP 

should include a System Security Plan (SSP), Security Assessment Report (SAR), Risk Assessment 

Report (RAR), and Plan of Action & Milestone Report (POA&M). The SAP must be reviewed by SSA 

before the SSA transfers data to the ESP. Refer to NIST SP 800-37 for more information on the Security 

Authorization Package. 

PII is any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including (1) any information that 

can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and 

place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or 

linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information. 

Independent assessor is any individual or group capable of conducting an impartial assessment of security 

controls employed within or inherited by an information system. 

g. SSA will consider a self-assessment of security controls for solutions that do not involve sensitive 

information or PII. 

For additional security requirements and NIST 800-53, REV 4 organization defined parameters, refer to “ESP 

Additional Security Controls Document.” 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 7 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

References - Refer to most up to date revision –

 Federal Information Security Modernization Act (P.L. 113-283), December 2014. 

https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-113publ283

 &OLQJHUဨ&RKHQ $FW RI  also known as the “Information Technology Management Reform Act of 

1996.” 

 Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579), December 1974. 

 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/STATUTE-88/STATUTE-88-Pg1896

 +RPHODQG6HFXULW\3UHVLGHQWLDO'LUHFWLYH+63'ဨ33ROLF\IRUD&RPPRQ,GHQWLILFDWLRQ6WDQGDUGIRU

Federal Employees and Contractors,” August 27, 2004. 

 https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-presidential-directive-12

 Revision of OMB Circular No. A–130, ‘‘Managing Information as a Strategic Resource’’ July 28, 2016 

 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-07-28/pdf/2016-17872.pdf

 20%0HPRUDQGXP0ဨဨ3(ဨ$XWKHQWLFDWLRQ*XLGDQFHIRU)HGHUDO$JHQFLHV ́'HFHPEHU

o https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/memoranda/fy04/m04-

04.pdf 

and 

o ITL bulletin for December 2011 revised guideline for electronic authentication of users helps 

organizations protect the security of their information systems 

https://csrc.nist.gov/csrc/media/publications/shared/documents/itl-bulletin/itlbul2011-12.pdf

 FIPS PUB 199, National Institute of Standards and Technology Federal Information Processing Standards 

Publication 199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems, 

February 2004. 

 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.FIPS.199

 FIPS PUB 200, National Institute of Standards and Technology Federal Information Processing Standards 

Publication 200, Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems, 

March 2006. 

 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.FIPS.200 

 FIPS 140-3 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules, March 22, 2019 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/fips/140/3/final

 NIST Special Publication 800-18, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems, 

February 2006. 

 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-18r1 

 NIST SP 800-30, Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments, September 2012. 

 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-30r1

 ITL Bulletin Contingency Planning for Information Systems NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-34, Rev. 

1 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/CSRC/media/Publications/Shared/documents/itl-bulletin/itlbul2010-07.pdf
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 8 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

 NIST 63ဨ5HYLVLRQ5LVN0DQDJHPHQW)UDPHZRUNIRU,QIRUPDWLRQ6\VWHPVDQG2UJDQL]DWLRQV- 

A System Life Cycle Approach for Security and Privacy, December 2018 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-37/rev-2/final

 NIST SP 800-47, National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-47, Security 

Guide for Interconnecting Information Technology Systems, August 2002. 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-47/final

 NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and 

Organizations, April 2013 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-53/rev-4/final

 NIST SP 800-53A Revision 4, Assessing Security and Privacy Controls in Federal Information Systems 

and Organizations: Building Effective Assessment Plans, December 2014 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-53a/rev-4/final

 NIST SP 800-60 Volume 1 Revision 1, Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information 

Systems to Security Categories, August 2008. 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-60/vol-1-rev-1/final

and 

 NIST SP 800-60 Volume 1 Revision 1, Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information 

Systems to Security Categories: Appendices, August 2008. 

 https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-60/vol-2-rev-1/final

 OMB M-07-16, Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable 

Information, May 22, 2007 

 https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2007/m07-16.pdf

NOTE: Refer to “Exhibit B: SSA External Service Provider Additional Security Requirements” for complete 

details regarding this requirement. 

Templates for Required Security Documents: 

 Exhibit C: Security Assessment Report (SAR) Template 

 Exhibit D: Risk Assessment Report (RAR) Template 

 Exhibit E: System Security Plan (SSP) Template 

PHYSICAL SECURITY: Contractor’s facilities storing SSA assets and information are required to meet the 

Interagency Security Committee’s standard for Federal facilities. This information can be found in the “Facility 

Security Plan: An Interagency Security Committee Guide,” dated February 2015, 1st Edition. SSA reserves the 

right to inspect contractor facilities to ensure compliance with the ISC guidelines. If facilities are found deficient, 

the contractor must implement corrective actions within 60 calendar days of notification. Requirements can 

include but not be limited to, the physical security countermeasures, such as access control systems, closed circuit 

television systems, intrusion detection systems, and barriers. 

NOTE: Contractor must pass all External Service Provider Security and Physical Security requirements as 

specified above before the Government can award this contract. Any bidder who cannot obtain approval for any 

of these security requirements within 60 calendar days of approval of production plans and physical security 

inspection will be declared non-responsible. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 9 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Due to PII issues, the Government cannot provide production test files to the contractor until all Public Trust 

Security Requirements and Suitability Determination requirements, as specified herein, are met. If the contractor 

fails to meet these requirements within 90 calendar days of award, the contractor will be declared non-responsive. 

SECURITY WARNING: It is the contractor’s responsibility to properly safeguard personally identifiable 

information (PII) from loss, theft, or inadvertent disclosure and to immediately notify the Government of any loss 

of personally identifiable information. 

NOTE: These requirements apply to all contractor’s facilities used for production of the products. 

Contractor is cautioned that no Government provided information will be used for non-Government business 

specifically; no Government information will be used for the benefit of a third party.

All employees working on this contract must: 

 Be familiar with current information on security, privacy, and confidentiality as they relate to the 

requirements of this contract. 

 Obtain pre-screening authorization before using sensitive or critical applications pending a final 

suitability determination as applicable to the specifications. 

 Lock or logoff their workstation/terminal prior to leaving it unattended. 

 Act in an ethical, informed, and trustworthy manner. 

 Protect sensitive electronic records. 

 Be alert to threats and vulnerabilities to their systems. 

 Be prohibited from having any mobile devices or cameras in sensitive areas that contain any confidential 

materials. This includes areas where shredding and waste management occurs. 

Contractor’s managers working on this contract must: 

 Monitor use of mainframes, PCs, LANs, and networked facilities to ensure compliance with national and 

local policies, as well as the Privacy Act statement. 

 Ensure that employee screening for sensitive positions within their department has occurred prior to any 

individual being authorized access to sensitive or critical applications. 

 Implement, maintain, and enforce the security standards and procedures as they appear in this contract 

and as outlined by the contractor. 

 Contact the SSA, Division of Printing Management, within 24 hours of a systems security violation being 

discovered or suspected. 

Applicability: 

The responsibility to protect personally identifiable information applies during the entire term of this contract and 

all option year terms, if exercised. All contractors must secure and retain written acknowledgement from their 

employees stating they understand these policy provisions and their duty to safeguard personally identifiable 

information. These policy provisions include, but are not limited to, the following: 

 Employees are required to have locking file cabinets or desk drawers for storage of confidential material, 

if applicable. 

 Material is not to be taken from the contractor’s facility without express permission from the 

Government. 

 Employees must safeguard and protect all Government records from theft and damage while being 

transported to and from contractor’s facility. 

The following list provides examples of situations where personally identifiable information is not properly 

safeguarded: 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 10 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

 Leaving an unprotected computer containing Government information in a non-secure space (e.g., leaving 

the computer unattended in a public place, in an unlocked room, or in an unlocked vehicle). 

 Leaving an unattended file containing Government information in a non-secure area (e.g., leaving the file 

in a break-room or on an employee’s desk). 

 Storing electronic files containing Government information on a computer or access device (flash drive, 

etc.) that other people have access to (not password-protected). 

This list does not encompass all failures to safeguard personally identifiable information but is intended to act as 

an alert to the contractor’s employees to situations that must be avoided. Misfeasance occurs when an employee is 

authorized to access Government information that contains sensitive or personally identifiable information and, 

due to the employee’s failure to exercise due care, the information is lost, stolen, or inadvertently released. 

Whenever the contractor’s employee has doubts about a specific situation involving their responsibilities for 

safeguarding personally identifiable information, they should consult the GPO and/or SSA. 

SECURITY AND SUITABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR GOVERNMENT PRINTING (NOV 2018): 

NOTE: For the purposes of this contract, the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or Contracting 

Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) is the SSA representative/Program Lead. The terms “vendor” and 

“contractor” are used interchangeably throughout this contract. Additionally, the terms “business days” and 

“workdays” are used interchangeably throughout this contract. 

(a) Suitability Process 

The background investigation and adjudication processes are compliant with 5 CFR 731 or equivalent. Any 

new vendor personnel (i.e., those who have not previously received a suitability determination under this 

contract) requiring access to a SSA facility, site, information, or system, must complete and submit, through 

the COR-COTR, the documents listed in (a)(1) at least 30 workdays prior to the date vendor personnel are to 

begin work. The suitability process cannot begin until the vendor submits, and SSA receives, accurate and 

complete documents. 

(1) Suitability Document Submission 

a. Immediately upon award, the Company Point of Contact (CPOC) must provide to the Center for 

Suitability and Personnel Security (CSPS) and a copy to the Contracting Officers Representative 

(COR) for all vendor personnel requesting a suitability determination using a secured/encrypted 

email* with a password sent separately to DCHR.OPE.Suitability@ssa.gov: 

(i) An e-QIP applicant listing including the names of all Vendor personnel requesting suitability; 

(ii) Completed Optional Form (OF) 306, Declaration for Federal Employment (see Exhibit F); 

(iii)Work authorization for non-United States (U.S.) born applicants, if applicable. 

b. The e-QIP applicant listing must include the vendor’s name, the Social Security Administration 

vendor number, the CPOC’s name, the CPOC’s contact information, the COR’s name, the COR’s 

contact information, and the full name, Social Security Number, date of birth, place of birth (must 

show city and state if born in the U.S. OR city and country if born outside of the U.S.), and a valid 

email address for all vendor personnel requesting suitability. All spelling of names, email addresses, 

places, and numbers must be accurate and legible. 

 

(2) e-QIP Application 

a. Once SSA receives all completed documents, listed in (a)(1), the Center for Suitability and Personnel 

Security (CSPS) will initiate the e-QIP process using the e-QIP applicant listing. CSPS will email the 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 11 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

e-QIP notification to the CPOC and COR inviting vendor personnel to the e-QIP website to 

electronically complete the background investigation form (Standard Form (SF) 85P, Questionnaire 

for Public Trust Positions (see Exhibit G). 

b. Vendor personnel will have up to 10 business days to complete the e-QIP application. The 10-

business day timeframe begins the day CSPS sends the invitation to the CPOC and COR. Vendor 

personnel must electronically sign the signature pages before releasing the application in e-QIP. 

Signature pages include the Certification Release, and Medical Release pages for the SF 85P. 

Find information about the e-QIP process in the e-QIP Quick Reference Guide for e-QIP Applicants 

at https://nbib.opm.gov/e-qip-background-investigations/. 

c. If vendor personnel need assistance with e-QIP logon and navigation, they can call the e-QIP Hotline 

at 1-844-874-9940. 

(3) Fingerprinting 

a. The e-QIP notification email also provides vendor personnel with instructions to obtain electronic 

fingerprinting services. Vendor personnel must report for fingerprint services immediately upon 

completion and release of the e-QIP application and within 10 business days from the day CSPS 

sends the invitation. 

b. If vendor personnel cannot report to the designated fingerprint locations (in the notification email), 

CSPS will accept completed Field Division (FD) 258 fingerprint cards (see Exhibit H). The COR can 

provide the FD 258, if required. Vendor personnel must complete all fields on the FD 258. 

Incomplete fields may delay suitability processing. 

c. If the vendor needs to mail completed FD 258 fingerprint cards, the vendor can send them, via 

certified mail, along with a completed Vendor Personnel Suitability Cover Sheet to: Social Security 

Administration, Center for Suitability and Personnel Security, Attn: Suitability Program Officer, 6401 

Security Boulevard, 2246 Annex Building, Baltimore, MD 21235. 

(4) Status Check 

If vendor personnel have completed each of the steps in (e) in their entirety and do not receive a 

suitability determination within 15 business days of their last submission, they are to call 1-844-874-9940 

to determine suitability status. 

(b) Suitability Determination 

(1) CSPS uses a Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint check as part of the basis for making a suitability 

determination. This determination is final unless information obtained during the remainder of the full 

background investigation, conducted by the Office of Personnel Management, is such that SSA would 

find the vendor personnel unsuitable to continue performing under this contract. CSPS will notify the 

CPOC and the COR of the results of these determinations. 

(2) SSA will not allow vendor personnel access to a facility, site, information, or system until CSPS issues a 

favorable suitability determination. A suitability determination letter issued by CSPS is valid only for 

performance on the vendor specified in the letter. 

(3) If personnel has been cleared at a previous contractor’s facility and are to perform work under a new 

vendor, the CPOC must submit a fully completed, legible Contractor Personnel Rollover Request Form to 

the COR (see Exhibit I). CSPS will notify the CPOC, COR, and Contracting Officer (CO) of suitability 

to work under the new vendor. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 12 of 57 

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(c) Vendor Personnel Previously Cleared by SSA or Another Federal Agency 

If vendor personnel previously received a suitability determination from SSA or another Federal agency, the 

CPOC should include this information next to the vendor personnel’s name on the initial applicant listing (see 

paragraph (a)(1)b.) along with the OF306. CSPS will review the information. If CSPS determines another 

suitability determination is not required, it will provide a letter to the CPOC and the COR indicating the 

vendor personnel was previously cleared under another Federal contract and does not need to go through the 

suitability determination process again. 

(d) Unsuitable Determinations 

(1) The vendor must notify the contractor personnel of any unsuitable determinations as soon as possible 

after receipt of such a determination. 

(2) The vendor must submit requests for clarification for unsuitable determinations in writing within 30 

calendar days of the date of the unsuitable determination to the email mailbox or address listed below. 

Vendor personnel must file their own requests; vendor may not file requests on behalf of vendor 

personnel. 

dchr.ope.suitclarify@ssa.gov; or, Social Security Administration, Center for Suitability and Personnel 

Security, Attn: Suitability Program Officer, 6401 Security Boulevard, 2246 Annex Building, Baltimore, 

MD 21235 

(e) Vendor Notification to Government 

The vendor shall notify the COR and CSPS within one business day if any vendor personnel is arrested or 

charged with a crime, or if there is any other change in the status of vendor personnel (e.g., leaves the 

company, no longer works under the vendor, the alien status changes, etc.) that could affect their suitability 

determination. The vendor must provide in the notification as much detail as possible, including, but not 

limited to: name(s) of vendor personnel whose status has changed, SSA vendor number, the type of charge(s), 

if applicable, date of arrest, the court date, jurisdiction, and, if available, the disposition of the charge(s). 

*Email Procedures: 

For the contractor’s convenience, SSA has included the following instructions to send emails with sensitive 

documentation or messages containing personally identifiable information (e.g., SSNs, etc.) securely to an SSA 

email address. Contractor is to consult their local information technology staff for assistance. If the contractor 

utilizes an alternate secure method of transmission, it is recommended that the contractor contact the recipient to 

confirm receipt. 

To Encrypt a File using WinZip: 

i. Save the file to contractor’s hard drive 

ii. Open Windows Explorer and locate the file 

iii. Right click on the file 

iv. Select “WinZip” 

v. Select “Add to Zip File” 

vi. An Add box pops up. Near the bottom of the box is an “Options” area 

vii. Click the “Encrypt added files” checkbox 

viii. Click the “Add” button 

ix. Check the “Hide Password” checkbox if not already checked 

a. Enter a string of characters as a password composed of letters, numbers, and special characters 

(minimum 8 characters – maximum 64) 

b. Select the 256-Bit AES encryption radio button 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 13 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

c. Click “OK” 

x. The file has been successfully encrypted, and the new Zip file can now be attached to an email. 

Providing the Recipient with the Password: 

Send the password to the intended recipient in a separate email message prior to sending the encrypted file or after 

sending the encrypted file. Do not send the password in the same email message to which the encrypted file is 

attached. 

If possible, it is recommended to provide the password to the COR-COTR by telephone or establish a 

predetermined password between the contractor and the COR-COTR. 

The COR-COTR should also submit the password in a separate email from the documentation when submitting to 

^DCHR OPE Suitability. Due to the large volume of submissions, the COR-COTR must always provide the 

password to ^DCHR OPE Suitability in a separate email, even if it is a pre-established password for a contract. 

Sending an encrypted Zip File via email: 

1. Compose a new message

2. Attach the Zip File

3. Send message

PREAWARD 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. 

Additionally, the preaward survey will include a review of all subcontractors involved, along with their specific 

functions; and the contractor’s/subcontractor’s mail, material, personnel, production, quality control/recovery 

program, security, and backup facility plans as required by this specification. 

If award is predicated on the purchase of production and/or systems equipment, the contractor must provide 

purchase order(s) with delivery date(s) of equipment to arrive, be installed, and be fully functional at least 90 

calendar days prior to the start of live production. 

If the Government, during the preaward survey, concludes that the contractor does not or cannot meet all of the 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 14 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

requirements as described in this contract, the contractor will be declared non-responsive. 

Preaward Production Plans: As part of the preaward survey, the contractor shall present, in writing, to the 

Contracting Officer within five (5) workdays of being notified to do so by the Contracting Officer or his/her 

representative, detailed plans for each of the following activities. The workday after notification to submit will be 

the first day of the schedule. If the Government requests additional information after review of plans, the 

contractor must submit updated plans within two (2) workdays of request. 

Five (5) additional workdays will be permitted to provide a Security Assessment Package as required. The 

contractor, at SSA’s discretion, may be granted five (5) additional workdays if additional information is required 

for the Security Assessment Package. The workday after notification to submit will be the first day of the 

schedule. 

Option Years - For each option year that may be exercised, the contractor will be required to review their 

production plans and 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 the 

Contracting Officer or his/her representative within five (5) workdays of notification of the option year being 

exercised. 

NOTE: If there are no changes/revisions, the contractor will be required to submit to the Contracting Officer or 

his/her representative a statement confirming that the current plans are still in effect. 

These proposed plans are subject to review and approval by the Government, and award will not be made 

prior to approval of same. The Government reserves the right to waive some or all of these plans. 

NOTE: If the contractor intends to use multiple plants (with same contractor code), the preaward survey plans 

must indicate which plants will be used and the quantity to be produced in each plant. This requirement applies to 

the Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test in addition to the live production. 

Due to PII issues, the Government cannot award the contract until all security requirements are met. If the 

contractor fails to meet these requirements within 90 calendar of start of live production, the contractor will be 

declared nonresponsive. 

Information Sheet – If the contractor is currently producing on other GPO contracts, they must submit an 

information sheet specifying how the workload(s) on this contract will fit into the pre-existing Government 

production without hampering the production/delivery schedules for all the contracts. (NOTE: This is a 

requirement of this program due to the legislated nature of certain GPO contracts.) 

At a minimum, the information sheet must include a list of the contracts currently held and the 

production/delivery schedules for each of those contracts. The sheet must also specify which of those contracts 

would run concurrently with the projected schedule for this contract. 

Backup Facility - The failure to deliver these notices in a timely manner would have an impact on the daily 

operations of SSA. Therefore, if for any reason(s) (Act of God, labor disagreements, pandemics, national 

emergencies etc.) the contractor is unable to perform at said location for a period longer than 24 hours, the 

contractor must have a backup facility with the capability of producing the notices. The backup facility must be 

operated by the contractor. 

Plans for their contingency production must be prepared and submitted to the Contracting Officer as part of the 

pre-award survey. These plans must include the location of the facility to be used, equipment available at the 

facility, security plans at the facility, and a timetable for the start of production at that facility. Part of the plans 

must also include the transportation of Government materials from one facility to another. 

The contractor must produce items from a test file at the new facility for verification of software prior to 

producing notices at this facility. SSA also has the option to install a connection into the backup facility. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 15 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

NOTE: All terms and conditions of this contract will also apply to the backup facility. 

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 specified 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 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. 

The quality control plan must also include examples and a detailed description of all quality control samples and 

their corresponding inspection reports or logs the contractor will keep to document the quality control inspections 

performed on each run. Furthermore, the plan must include the names of all quality assurance officials and 

describe their duties in relationship to the quality control plan. 

The quality control plan must account for the number of pieces mailed daily and must also cover the security 

over the postage meters as well as the controls for the setting of the meters. 

Quality Control Sample Plan – The plan must provide a description of how the contractor will create quality 

control samples for periodic samplings to be taken during the production run, provide for backup and re-running 

in the event of an unsatisfactory sample, and contain control systems that will detect defective, missing, or 

mutilated pieces. 

The plan should include the sampling interval the contractor intends to utilize. The contractor will be required to 

create two (2) control samples every 4,000 notices. 

The samples to be drawn from the production stream at the same time: 

 One (1) sample will be drawn, inspected, and retained as part of the contractor’s quality assurance 

records. 



 One (1) sample will be drawn for the Social Security Administration and packed with the remaining 

samples associated with each task order and shipped to: Social Security Administration, Division of 

Printing Management Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

NOTE: Mailers with low volumes (less than 4,000) will require at least one (1) set of samples to be produced. 

The plan shall detail the actions to be taken by the contractor when defects, missing, or mutilated items are 

discovered. These actions must be consistent with the requirements found in 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 assure that the 

production and delivery of these notices 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. 

The contractor must maintain quality control samples, inspection reports, and records for a period of no less than 

210 calendar days subsequent to the date of the check tendered for final payment by the Government Publishing 

Office. The Government will 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. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 16 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Computer System Plan – This plan must include a detailed listing of the contractor’s operating software 

platform and file transfer system necessary to interface with SSA’s National File Transfer Management System 

(FTMS) for electronic transmission of notice files from SSA. The plan must also include the media type on 

which files from SSA will be received to the extent that operator intervention (e.g., a tape mount) is not required 

at SSA or the contractor’s production facility. 

The system plan shall demonstrate the contractor’s ability to provide complete hardware and software 

compatibility with SSA’s existing network (see “PREPRODUCTION TESTS, Transmission Test” for additional 

information). The contractor must complete a Computer System Plan (see Exhibit J). 

Included with the Computer System Plan shall be a resume for each employee responsible for the monitoring and 

the programming of the contractor’s computer system and file transmissions. If the contractor plans to use a 

consultant, a resume must still be included. 

Mail Plan – This plan should 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 the mailing and other USPS instructional material such as the Postal Bulletin. 

The contractor must also disclose how they will achieve multi-level USPS presort postal discounts as outlined in 

the contract. 

Material Handling and Inventory Control – This plan should explain in detail how the following materials 

will be handled: incoming raw materials; work-in-progress materials; quality control inspection materials; USPS 

inspection materials; and all outgoing materials cleared for USPS pickup/delivery. 

Personnel Plan – This plan should include a listing of all personnel who will be involved with this contract. For 

any new employees, the plan should include the source of these employees and a description of the training 

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

Production Plan – The contractor is to provide a detailed plan of the following: 

(a) List of all production equipment and equipment capacities to be utilized on this contract; 

(b) The production capacity currently being utilized on this equipment; 

(c) Capacity that is available for these workloads; and, 

(d) If new equipment is to be utilized, documentation of the purchase order, source, delivery schedule, and 

installation dates are required. 

Materials – List how all accountable materials will be handled throughout all phases of production. 

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

for the notices, either a separate facility dedicated to these products, 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 notices. 

Part of the Production Area 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. 

Contractor must have in place a building security system that is monitored 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week, 

and a badging/keypunch system that limits access to Government materials (data processing center/production 

facility and other areas where Government materials with PII are stored or are accessible) that is only accessible 

by approved personnel. Contractor must present this information, in detail, in the production area plan. 

Disposal of Waste Materials – The contractor is required to demonstrate how all waste materials used in the 

production of sensitive SSA records (records containing PII information as identified in “SECURITY 

WARNING”) will be definitively destroyed (ex., burning, pulping, shredding, macerating, or other suitable 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 17 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

similar means). Electronic Records must be definitively destroyed in a manner that prevents reconstruction. 

Sensitive records are records that are national security classified or exempted from disclosure by statue, including 

the Privacy Act or regulation. Definitively destroying the records means the material cannot be reassembled and 

used in an inappropriate manner in violation of law and regulations. 

The contractor, at a minimum, must crosscut shred all documents into squares not to exceed 1/4 inch. All 

documents to be destroyed cannot leave the security of the building and must be destroyed at contractor’s printing 

site. The contractor must specify the method planned to dispose of the material. 

Security Control Plan – The contractor shall maintain in operation, an effective security system where items by 

these specifications are manufactured and/or stored (awaiting distribution or disposal) to assure against theft 

and/or the product ordered falling into unauthorized hands. 

Contractor is cautioned that no Government provided information shall be used for non-Government business. 

Specifically, no Government information shall be used for the benefit of a third party. 

The Government retains the right to conduct on-site security reviews at any time during the term of the contract. 

The plan shall contain at a minimum: 

(1) How Government files (data) will be secured to prevent disclosure to a third party. 

(2) How the disposal of waste materials will be handled. 

(3) How all applicable Government-mandated security/privacy/rules and regulations as cited in this contract 

shall be adhered to by the contractor and/or subcontractor(s). 

(4) How contractors classified as Cloud Service Providers (CSP) will adhere to additional FedRAMP security 

control requirements. CSPs must have a security control assessment performed by a Third Party 

Assessment Organization (3PAO). Additional information is also available at: 

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/102371. 

(5) The contractor shall submit a System Authorization Package (SAP) as described in the “SSA 

EXTERNAL SERVICE PROVIDER SECURITY REQUIREMENTS” section. The SSP, a part of this 

package, documents how the solution implements security controls in accordance with the designated 

FIPS 199 security categorization and the Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and 

Information Systems. This SSP requires the use of NIST SP 800-53 v4. The SAP should be completed by 

either an independent assessor or another Federal agency. 

UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: Unique identification numbers will be used to track each individual 

notice, thereby providing 100% accountability. This enables the contractor to track each notice through 

completion of the project. The contractor will be required to create a test sample every 4,000 notices. This 

sample must have a unique number and must be produced on each notice. The contractor will generate a list of 

the unique identifying numbers for each sample. As samples are pulled, the unique numbers will be marked off 

the list. This enables the contractor to track which samples have been produced and pulled and what records have 

been produced. 

 

The contractor may create their own sequence number and run date to facilitate their presorting and inserting 

process but must maintain the original SSA identification number. 

RECOVERY SYSTEM: A recovery system will be required to ensure that all defective, missing, or mutilated 

pieces detected are identified, reprinted, and replaced. The contractor’s recovery system must use the unique 

alpha/numeric identifiers assigned to each piece (including quality control samples) to aid in the recovery and 

replacement of any defective, missing, or mutilated pieces, and must be capable of tracking and/or locating any 

individual piece of mail from the time it leaves the press, up to and including when it is off-loaded at the U.S. 

Postal Service (USPS) facility. An explanation of the contractor’s sequential numbering system is required to 

understand the audit trail required for each and every piece. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 18 of 57 

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100% ACCOUNTABILITY OF PRODUCTION AND MAILING: Contractor must have a closed loop 

process* to determine that the data from the original print file is in the correct envelope with the correct number 

of pages. Notices requiring print regeneration must be reprinted from their original print image with the original 

job ID and piece ID remaining unchanged as each mail piece continues through the inserting life cycle. This 

process will repeat itself (since subsequent reprint runs may yield damages) until all mail pieces from the original 

print run have been inserted and accounted for. 

*Closed Loop Processing – A method for generating a plurality of mail pieces including error detection and 

reprinting capabilities. The method provides a mail handling process which tracks processing errors with the use 

of a first and second scan code which obtain information regarding each mail piece, diverts mail pieces in 

response to error detection, transmits such errors to a processor, and automatically generates a reconfigured print 

file to initiate reprints for the diverted mail pieces. 

Contractor will be responsible for providing a unique identifying number that will be used to track each 

individual notice, thereby providing 100% accountability and validating the integrity of every notice produced in 

all phases of printing, inserting, and mailing, and to ensure all notices received from SSA were correctly entered 

into the United States postal system. 

NOTE: Contractor must have all hardware, programming, and finalized reports in place to meet this requirement, 

arrive at least 90 calendar days prior to the start of live production. Contractor must submit a sample of their 

proposed Audit and Summary reports (see Exhibit K) with the required Preaward Production Plans for approval. 

The Government considers grounds for the immediate default of this contract if the contractor, at any time, is 

unable to perform or found not complying with any part of this requirement. 

Notice integrity shall be defined as follows: 

 Each notice shall include all pages (and only those pages) intended for the designated recipient as 

contained in the print files received from SSA. 

 The contractor’s printing process must have automated systems which can detect all sync errors, stop 

printing when detected, and identify, remove, and reprint all effected notices. 

Mailing integrity shall be defined as follows: 

 All notices received from SSA for each file date were printed, inserted, and entered correctly into the United

States postal system. 

The contractor is responsible for providing the automated inserted notice tracking/reporting systems and processes 

required to validate that 100% of all notices received from SSA were printed, all pages for each notice are 

accounted for, inserted, and mailed correctly. 

The contractor’s inserting equipment must have automated systems that include notice coding and scanning 

technology capable of: 

(a) Uniquely identifying each notice and corresponding notice leaves within each individual file by mailer 

number and file date. 

(b) Unique identifier to be scanned during insertion to ensure all notices and corresponding notice leaves are 

present and accounted for. 

(c) Entrance Scanning: A camera system must electronically track and scan all leaves of each mail piece as 

the inserting equipment pulls them into the machine to ensure each mail piece was produced and inserted. 

If there is any variance on a mail piece or if a mail piece is not verified that all leaves are present, that 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 19 of 57 

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piece and the piece prior to and immediately following must be diverted and sent back for reprint. All 

instances of variance must be logged. 

(d) Touch and Toss: All spoilage, diverted, mutilated, or mail pieces that are acted upon directly by a human 

hand prior to sealing must be immediately recorded, discarded, properly destroyed, and automatically 

regenerated in a new print file for reprint. 

(e) Exit Scanning: A camera system must be mounted just aft of the inserting equipment. This camera system 

must read a unique code through the window of each mail piece and be capable of identifying and 

reporting all missing notices that were lost or spoiled during production for each individual file by mailer 

number and file date. This system must ensure that no missing mail pieces have been inadvertently 

inserted into another mail piece. The equipment must check the mail pieces after insertion, verify that all 

leaves are accounted for, and divert any suspect product. During exit scanning, if a sequence number is 

missing, the notice prior to and immediately after must be diverted. The equipment must divert all 

products that exhibit missing or out of order sequence numbers and any other processing errors. All 

diverted pieces are to be automatically recorded and regenerated in a new print file for reprint. 

(f) Reconciliation: All notices and the amount of correct finished product must be electronically accounted 

for after insertion through the use of the audit system that is independent of the inserting equipment as 

well as independent of the operator. The sequence numbers for each file must be reconciled, taking into 

account any spoilage, duplicate, and/or diverted product. If the reconciliation yields divergent results, 

corrective action must be taken to locate the mail pieces that are causing any difference between the input 

and outputs of the inserting process. Therefore, all finished mail for that sequence run must be held in an 

accessible area until this reconciliation is complete. 

(g) Generate a new production file for all missing, diverted, or mutilated notices (reprint 

 

(h) Contractor must generate an automated audit report from the information gathered from scanning for each 

mailer number, file date, and each notice (manual inputs are not allowed). This audit report will contain 

detailed information for each notice as outlined above for each individual file by mailer number and file 

date. Contractor must maintain this information for 210 calendar days after mailing. 

(i) Audit report must contain the following information: 

1. Job name 

2. Mailer number, file date, and mail date(s) 

3. Machine ID 

4. Date of production with start and end date and time for each phase of the run (i.e., machine ID). 

5. Start and end sequence numbers in each run 

6. Status of all sequence numbers in a run 

7. Total volume in run 

8. Status report for all incidents for each sequence number and cause (e.g., inserted, diverted, and reason 

for divert such as missing sequence number, missing leaves, mutilated, duplicate, pulled for 

inspection). 

9. Bottom of audit report must contain total number of records for that run, quantity sent to reprint, 

number of duplicates, duplicates verified and pulled, and total completed. 

10. Audit report must contain the same information for all the reprints married with this report as listed 

above showing that all pieces for each mailer number and file date are accounted for with 

corresponding date stamp of completion of each. 

(j) Contractor must generate a final automated 100% accountability summary report for each individual file 

by mailer number and file date. This information must be generated directly from the audit report (manual 

inputs are not allowed). The summary report must contain the following: 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 20 of 57 

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1. Job information - Job name, file date, mailer number, piece quantity, sequence start and end number, 

if multiple batches for a single file include number of batches and batch number (i.e., 1 of 4, due date, 

etc.). 

2. Job Start Time and Job End Time 

3. Volume of sequence numbers associated with an individual file by mailer number and file date that 

were inserted and date completed. 

4. Volume of reprints that were inserted for each file date and when completed. 

5. Total volume inserted for each file date and final date and time that each batch was completed. 

A PDF copy of the summary report(s) and matching USPS Certificate of Bulk Mailing, USPS 3607R and/or GPO 

712 form(s) must be submitted to Jamey Cunningham at Jamey.cunningham@ssa.gov within two (2) workdays of 

mailing. 

Contractor must submit a sample of their Audit and Summary reports (see Exhibit K) with the required Preaward 

Production Plans for Government review and approval. The audit team must approve the audit and summary 

reports prior to award. During the term of the contract, NO changes are to be made to the approved audit and 

summary reports without prior approval from the audit team. The contractor must submit in writing a request to 

make changes to the audit and summary reports, along with samples of the proposed audit and summary reports 

for review and approval. 

Contractor must generate an automated audit report when necessary showing the tracking of all notices 

throughout all phases of production for each mail piece. This audit report will contain all information as outlined 

in item (i) above. Contractor is required to provide any requested Summary and/or Audit reports within one (1) 

hour of a request via email in an MS Word, MS Excel, or PDF file to Jamey Cunningham at 

Jamey.cunningham@ssa.gov. 

NOTE: The Government reserves the right to conduct an audit at any time during the term of the contract. The 

audit team will provide the contractor a minimum of a 24-hour notice prior to audit. If the contractor produces 

multiple SSA contracts, the audit team will provide a list of contracts and print orders they will require full audit 

reports, summary reports, and postal documentation for during the audit. 

The contractor must provide the required audit reports within one (1) hour of request; the audit team will grant 

one (1) hour for each report to be pulled. The audit team may request a full tour and demonstration of the 

accountability process at the time of the audit. A wrap-up meeting will occur at the conclusion of the audit. The 

audit team will review their findings with the contractor at this time. The contractor will need to provide in 

writing responses to all findings, questions, and concerns within one (1) week of the wrap-up meeting. If 

corrections are required to the contractors audit reports the Government may grant the contractor 60 calendar days 

to complete the changes. The audit team must approve the audit and summary report changes prior to the 

contractor implementing the changes. 

Once the new report is approved, the contractor must update the sample of the audit and summary reports 

provided with the production plans. The Government considers grounds for the immediate default of this contract 

if the contractor, at any time, is unable to perform or found not in compliance with any part of this requirement. 

All notice tracking/reporting data must be retained in electronic form for 210 calendar days after mailing and must 

be made available to SSA for auditing of contractor performance upon request. 

NOTE: The Government will not routinely request that the contractor produce individual pieces in transit within 

the plant. However, the contractor must demonstrate that they will have an audit trail established that has the 

ability to comply with this type of request when and if the need arises. 

REQUEST FOR FOREIGN NOTICES PULLS FROM FILE PRIOR TO PRODUCTION: The contractor 

is to remove foreign notices from files transmitted prior to production of the files. The contractor is to provide a 

daily count for number of foreign notices pulled from each mailer. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 21 of 57 

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ON-SITE REPRESENTATIVES: One (1) or two (2) full-time Government representatives may be placed 

on the contractor’s premises on a limited basis or throughout the term of the contract. 

The contractor will be required to provide one private office of not less than 150 square feet, furnished with at 

least one desk, two swivel arm chairs, secure internet access for Government laptop computers, a work table, and 

two 4-drawer, letter-size file cabinets with combination padlock, and pendaflex file folders or equal. 

On-site representative(s) may be stationed at the contractor’s facility to: provide project coordination in receipt 

of transmissions; verify addresses; monitor the printing, imaging, folding, inserting, mail processing, quality 

control, sample selections, and inspections; and, monitor the packing and staging of the mail. 

These representatives will not have contractual authority and cannot make changes in the specifications or 

in contract terms, but will bring any and all defects detected to the attention of the company Quality Control 

Officer. The representatives must have full and unrestricted access to all production areas where work on this 

program is being performed. 

NOTE: This requirement applies to all contractor’s facilities (i.e., multiple plants) used in the production of all 

mailers produced on this contract. 

POSTAWARD CONFERENCE: Unless waived by the Contracting Officer, the total requirements of the job as 

indicated in these specifications will be reviewed by Government representatives with the contractor’s 

representatives at the Social Security Administration, Baltimore, MD, immediately after award. At the 

Government’s option, the postaward conference may be held via teleconference. 

Person(s) that the contractor deems necessary for the successful implementation of the contract must be in 

attendance. 

PREPRODUCTION MEETING: A preproduction meeting covering the printing, imaging, folding, inserting, 

and mailing shall be held at the contractor’s facility after award of the contract to review the contractor’s 

production plan and to establish coordination of all operations. Attending this meeting will be representatives 

from the Government Publishing Office, Social Security Administration, and U.S. Postal Service. The contractor 

shall present and explain their final plan for the printing, imaging, folding, inserting, and mailing. 

The contractor shall meet with SSA and USPS representatives to present and discuss their plan for mailing. The 

preproduction meeting and may include a visit to the contractor’s mailing facility where the contractor is to 

furnish specific mail flow information. 

In addition, the contractor shall be prepared to present detailed production plans, including such items as quality 

assurance, projected commencement dates, equipment loading, pallet needs, etc. The contractor is to provide the 

name of the representative responsible for the mailing operation and that individual’s backup. 

Person(s) that the contractor deems necessary for the successful implementation of the contract must be in 

attendance. 

ASSIGNMENT OF JACKETS, PURCHASE, PRINT, AND TASK 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 weekly “Task Order” for each job placed with the contractor. A print order will be 

issued weekly and will indicate the total number of notices produced that week. The print order will also indicate 

any other information pertinent to the particular order 

ORDERING: Items to be furnished under the contract shall be ordered by the issuance of weekly print orders 

supplemented by daily electronic notice count. Orders may be issued under the contract from Date of Award 

through December 31, 2021, plus for such additional period(s) as the contract is extended. All print orders and 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 22 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

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 or task order. 

Daily notice counts will be “issued” daily for purposes of the contract and shall detail the daily volume of 

notices required. A print order (GPO Form 2511) will be used for billing purposes, will be issued weekly, and 

will cover all daily task orders issued that week. 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. 

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 1974 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 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 23 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

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 

(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. 

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. 

 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 24 of 57 

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

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

Contractor’s billing invoice must be itemized in accordance with the items in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.” 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 25 of 57 

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SECTION 2. - SPECIFICATIONS

SCOPE: These specifications cover the production of imaging for 10 mailers (English and Spanish) consisting of a 

personalized or non-personalized notice/scannable form, a personalized summary sheet, a Business Reply Mail 

(BRM) return envelope, and a mail-out envelope (as applicable to each mailer) requiring such operations as the 

receipt and processing of transmitted data; composition; printing; imaging (computerized printing); binding; 

construction; assembly; packing; and, distribution. 

In addition, these specifications cover the production of bulk mailers 1BL and 2BL (English and Spanish 

language mailers) consisting of a non-personalized notice/scannable form (containing 2-D barcode), a Business 

Reply Mail (BRM) return envelope, and a mail-out envelope requiring such operations as composition; printing; 

binding; construction; assembly; packing; and bulk shipment delivery. 

Note; contractor is to produce a keyline that appears above the mailing address and shows through the OE 

window. The keyline must contain the following information, workload (1020 SM,1020 SM RRB,1020 SMSP,1020 Cert, 1026 SCE, 1026 SCE RRB, 1026 SCE-SP, 1026 SCE Cert,1026 REDE SM, 1026 REDE SM RRB, 

1026 REDE-SM-SP, 1026 REDE Cert), Mailer number, file date (mm/dd) i.e. 1020 SM M1 10-30. 

TITLE: Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices. 

QUANTITY: Mailers 1 through 10: The combined total annual quantity for Personalized Medicare Notices 

mailers will be approximately 3,028,300 mailers. A breakdown for each mailer follows: 

Mailer Title Form Number Quantity

1

Application for Help with Medicare Prescription 

Drug Plan Costs Notice/Scannable Form 

(English) Mailing Package 

SSA-1020-OCR-SM 2,078,000 

2

Application for Help with Medicare Prescription 

Drug Plan Costs Notice/Scannable Form 

(Spanish) Mailing Package SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP 97,000 

3

Reporting A Change That May Affect Your Extra 

Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan 

Costs Summary Notice and Scannable Form 

(English) Mailing Package 

SSA-1026 -OCR-SM-SCE 12,000 

4

Reporting A Change That May Affect Your Extra 

Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan 

Costs Summery Notice and Scannable Form 

(Spanish) Mailing Package 

SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP 600

5 

Review of Your Eligibility for Extra Help with 

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs 

Summary Notice and Scannable Form (English) 

Mailing Package 

SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE 250,000 

6 

Review of Your Eligibility for Extra Help with 

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs 

Summary Notice and Scannable Form 

(Spanish) Mailing Package 

SSA-1026 -OCR-SM-REDE-SP 10,000
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 26 of 57 

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7 

CMS Redeeming Letter (English or Spanish 

versions) with Application for Help with Medicare 

Prescription Drug Plan Costs Scannable Form 

(English) Mail out and return Envelopes) 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP 

550,000 

30,000 

8 

Application for Help with Medicare Prescription 

Drug Plan Costs Notice/Scannable Form (English

and Spanish versions ) SSA-1020B-OCR-SM or 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP 500

9 

Reporting A Change That May Affect Your Extra 

Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs 

Summary Notice and Scannable Form (English 

and Spanish versions) 

SSA-1026 -OCR-SM-SCE or 

SSA 1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP 50

10 

Review of Your Eligibility for Extra Help with 

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs 

Summary Notice and Scannable Form (English 

and Spanish versions) 

SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE or 

SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE -SP 150

NOTE: For mailers 8, 9, and 10, both English and Spanish versions require Certified Mail. (M8 = Mailer 1 & 2 

Certified Mail), (M9= Mailer 3 & 4 Certified Mail), (M10= M5 & M6 Certified Mail) 

Bulk shipment mailers, shown below, DO NOT require computerized imaging of variable data. All bulk 

shipment mailers must contain the 2-D barcode (See “PRINTING” for additional information). 

Bulk Mailers: The combined total annual quantity for the bulk mailers (Mailers 1BL and 2BL) will be 

approximately 1,600,000 mailers. A breakdown for each bulk mailer follows: 

Bulk

Mailer Title Form Number Quantity

1BL 

Application for Help with Medicare Prescription 

Drug Plan Costs Notice/Scannable Form 

(English) Mail out and Return Envelopes 

(Bulk Shipment) 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM 1,500,000 

2BL 

Application for Help with Medicare Prescription 

Drug Plan Costs Notice/Scannable Form 

(Spanish) Mail out and Return Envelopes 

(Bulk Shipment) 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP 100,000 

The bulk shipment quantities are approximate and the Government reserves the right to increase or decrease the 

combined annual (total) quantity by 20%. Exact quantities will be furnished with bulk shipment distribution lists. 

NOTE: During the term of this contract, the Government expects to develop new notice workloads with the same 

requirements as the 10 notice workloads with computerized imaging of variable data described by these 

specifications. All terms and conditions in this specification will apply to these future notice workloads. It is 

estimated that approximately one (1) to four (4) new notice workloads may be added during the term of this 

contract. 

Personalized Medicare notice mailers are English and Spanish represented by the following data set names: 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 27 of 57 

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 Mailer Name Data Set Name* 

Mailer 1 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM) MMAPPNOT.VEND101.RTST1116 

Mailer 2 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) MMAPPNOT.VEND1SP.RTST1116 

Mailer 3 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE) MMAPPNOT.VEND101.RTST1116 

Mailer 4 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP) MMAPPNOT.VEND1SP.RTST1116 

Mailer 5 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE) MMAPPNOT.VEND101.RTST1116 

Mailer 6 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP) MMAPPNOT.VEND1SP.RTST1116 

Mailer 7 (CMS-Letter/SSA-1020B-OCR-SM/ 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP) MMAPPNOT.VEND101.RTST1116 

Mailer 8 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM)/ 

(SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) Certified MMAPPNOT.MEDCRTEN.RTST1116 

Mailer 9 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE)/ 

(SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP) Certified MMAPPNOT.MEDCRTEN.RTST1116 

Mailer 10 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE)/ 

(SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP) Certified MMAPPNOT.MEDCRTEN.RTST1116 

*The data set names listed throughout these specifications are not the final data set names that will be transmitted 

to the contractor. The actual data set names will be provided to the contractor at the postaward meeting.

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH: 

Manuscript copy for nine (9) mail-out envelopes and eight (8) BRM return envelopes. 

Manuscript copy for the recycled paper logo and legend (English). 

Manuscript copy for all notices. 

Camera Copy, TIF, JPEG, or PDF files for SSA and CMS logos will be emailed to contractor or uploaded to 

contractor maintained SFTP site. 

PS Form 3615, Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile (1 for SSA; 1 for CMS). 

CASS certificate and NCOA certificate (except for RRB Files and CASS for CMS files). 

Instruction form for Small Package Common Carrier Billing. 

Vendor/Record Specifications 

Social Security Administration (SSA) will transmit all distribution data electronically. 

A data connection between the contractor’s specified location and the nearest available SSA network interface 

location or SSA’s National Computer Center in Baltimore, MD. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 28 of 57 

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

imprint, form number, and revision date, carried in the furnished copy or electronic files, must not print on the 

finished product. 

EXHIBITS:

Exhibit A: Contractor Personnel Security Certification (SSA 301) 

Exhibit B: SSA External Service Provider Additional Security Requirements 

Exhibit C: Security Assessment Report (SAR) Template 

Exhibit D: Risk Assessment Report (RAR) Template 

Exhibit E: System Security Plan (SSP) Template 

Exhibit F: Declaration for Federal Employment (Optional Form 306) 

Exhibit G: Standard Form (SF) 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions 

Exhibit H: Sample of Fingerprint Card (FD-258) 

Exhibit I: Contractor Personnel Rollover Request Form 

Exhibit J: Computer System Plan 

Exhibit K: 100% Accountability Audit and Summary Reports 

Exhibit L: MVRP Request Letter 

CONTRACTOR TO FURNISH: All materials and operations, other than those listed under “GOVERNMENT 

TO FURNISH,” necessary to produce the products in accordance with these specifications. 

The contractor is required to have an SFTP site that will permit SSA to transmit files electronically. The site must 

allow SSA the ability to upload and download files for proofing and validation. 

Contractor must have programmer(s) capable of handling AFP (Mixed mode or Fully Composed) resources. 

TRANSMISSIONS: Upon award of this contract, the Government will determine the connectivity method 

between SSA and the contractor. Internet Protocol (IP) will be the connection protocol for the transmissions. At 

the Government’s option, the Government will either place an order for a dedicated circuit data connection to be 

installed (within 60 calendar days) between the contractor’s location(s) and SSA’s network interface location or 

the connectivity method will be through the Internet using an encrypted VPN tunnel. The connection method is at 

the sole discretion of the Government. 

The Government shall not be responsible for installation delays of data connections due to any external influences 

such as employee strikes, weather, supplies, etc., which are conditions beyond the control of the Government. 

If the Government selects a VPN Internet connection method, the contractor must have an Internet ready VPN IP 

security (IPsec) capable devise. The Government will not be responsible for any cost associated with the VPN 

Internet connection that the contractor may incur. 

If the Government selects a dedicated circuit transmission, SSA will determine the appropriate bandwidth for the 

connection. The cost of this connection will be borne by the Government. The contractor shall immediately 

provide a complete delivery address with nearest cross-street, contact name, and phone number for installation of 

data transmission services and equipment. The contact person at the contractor’s site will be available for delivery 

of services at the specified location. The Government shall not be responsible for incorrect or lack of address 

information, nor for non-availability of contact person at the delivery site. SSA will provide the necessary 

dedicated data connection, including a router, modem, and firewall at the contractor’s specified location(s). 

The contractor shall provide adequate rack space for securing the router and firewall and a dedicated analog dialup line within eight (8) feet of the router. This dedicated analog dial-up line will be used for router management 

and access for troubleshooting. The line must be in place and active prior to the installation of the circuit/router 

and equipment. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 29 of 57 

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The contractor must provide capability to utilize the capacity of the connection(s) to fulfill the intended purposes 

of this contract. The contractor shall provide a suitable environment for installation of the equipment. Power 

specifications for the router(s) are: AC Power Dissipation (280W maximum) and AC input voltage (100 to 

240VAC). The cabinet specifications are: 36U enclosure; frame (72” H x 24” W x 36” D); 23-19 inch appropriate 

revsa rails (10-32 tapped); louvered side panels; Plexiglas locking front door; solid locking rear door; heavy duty 

lockable dual width casters; top fan assembly (4 fans); 10- or 12-outlet 20-amp power strip; 19” width slide-out 

shelf; cable management (wire loops); appropriate cabinet grounding for installation; or equivalent to previous 

specifications. 

Any reprogramming and/or reformatting of data supplied by transmission or VPN Internet transmission 

necessitated due to the contractor’s method of production shall be the responsibility of the contractor and done at 

no cost to the Government. 

Contractor must verify counts within 24 hours of receipt of transmission.

FILE TRANSFER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FTMS) REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall provide 

the capability to interface with SSA’s National File Transfer Management System (FTMS) for electronic 

transmission of notice files from SSA to the production facility. SSA will provide the necessary data connection 

into the contractor’s location. At the discretion of SSA, the line speed may be either increased or decreased 

depending on utilization. The contractor must provide, at their expense, the equipment and operating software 

platform, and the file transfer software required at their location. The contractor assumes all responsibility for 

configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting of their equipment and software. 

SSA utilizes, and the contractor must provide compatibility with, Managed File Transfer (formerly known as 

Cyberfusion Integration Suite) software from TIBCO. The contractor may implement the Managed File Transfer 

Platform Server that has embedded software encryption capable of being enabled. The personal computers/servers 

must have the capability to run Managed File Transfer software with encryption enabled using IP protocols on 

Windows, UNIX (i.e., IBM’s AIX, SUN or HP), or z/OS platforms. 

SSA will not permit any private class A, B, or C IP addresses, i.e., 10.xxx.xxx.xxx type IP addresses from 

external users on its network. At connection time to SSA, the contractor will be provided a suitable IP address for 

access to SSA’s network via a firewall. SSA will provide the necessary subnet(s) for connection at the remote 

site. The contractor will be responsible for their own name/address translation to fulfill the intended purpose of 

data transfers. SSA will provide Managed File Transfer node information to the contractor as required to 

accomplish file transfers. 

The contractor may determine the media type on which files from SSA will be received, to the extent that operator 

intervention (e.g., a tape mount) is not required at SSA or the contractor’s production facility. Simultaneous 

multiple transmission sessions must be possible on the contractor’s equipment. All files transmitted by the SSA 

will be written as Physical Sequential or “flat” files at the contractor’s location and will be distinguished with a 

“run date” in the contractor’s file name. Virtual Storage Access Method files and Generation Data Groups, 

supported by IBM/MVS or IBM z/OS operating systems are not permitted under this contract. 

The contractor’s storage format must not preclude the availability of the Managed File Transfer software 

Checkpoint/Restart feature. 

The contractor may not use VM/VSE/ESA on a mainframe system, as this hampers automated file transmission. 

The contractor’s FTMS software shall be operational for the receipt of data files 24 hours per day, seven (7) days 

per week, unless otherwise specified by the Government. The communications protocol between SSA and the 

contractor shall be the Internet Protocol (IP). The contractor must specify the type of Local Area Network (LAN) 

connection that will be used at the location where the SSA connection is to be installed. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 30 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

The contractor is responsible for providing complete hardware and software compatibility with SSA’s existing 

network. Production file transfers will be established according to SSA’s standard procedures for transmission 

control, dataset naming, and resource security. 

The contractor’s file management system must accommodate multiple file transmission sessions without 

intervention at either end. The contractor must have sufficient capacity to support the number of concurrent 

transmission file sessions as dictated by SSA. 

All data provided by the Government or duplicates made by the contractor or his representatives and any 

resultant printouts must be accounted for and kept under strict security to prevent their release to any 

unauthorized persons. Data may not be duplicated in whole or in part for any other purpose than to create 

material to be used in the performance of this contract. 

Any duplicate data and any resultant printouts must be destroyed by the contractor. Data provided to the 

contractor must be retained for 21 workdays after mailing. 

MAKE-UP OF MAILERS:

A record will be transmitted for each mailing address. The records will contain all the data relevant for the mailing of 

an associated mail piece. 

Personalized and Bulk Shipment Medicare notice mailers page count and make-up below: 

Personalized Mailers:

Mailer 1 - Personalized English Notice/Scannable English Form (SSA-1020-OCR-SM) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail out Window Envelope 

Mailer 2 - Personalized Spanish Notice/Scannable Spanish Form (SSA-1020-OCR- SM-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 3 - Personalized English Summary Notice/Personalized Scannable English Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SMSCE) 

BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 4 - Personalized Spanish Summary Notice/Personalized Scannable Spanish Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SMSCE-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 5 - Personalized English Summary Notice/Personalized Scannable English Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SMREDE) 

BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 6 - Personalized Spanish Summary Notice/Personalized Scannable Spanish Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SMREDE-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 7 - Personalized English Letter/Personalized Spanish Letter/Non-Personalized English Notice/Scannable 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 31 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

English Form (SSA-1020B-OCR-SM)/Non-Personalized Spanish Notice/Scannable English Form 

(SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP) 

 BRM Envelope and 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

NOTE: Mailer 7 English (ONLY) uses the same bulk form as 1BL. Mailer 7 Spanish (ONLY) uses the same bulk 

form as 2BL. 

Mailer 8 - CERTIFIED Personalized English or Spanish Notices/Scannable English Form (SSA-1020-OCRSM) or Scannable English Form (SSA-1020-OCR- SM-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 9 - CERTIFIED Personalized English or Spanish Summary Notices/Personalized Scannable English 

Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE) or (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Mailer 10 - CERTIFIED Personalized English or Spanish Summary Notice/Personalized Scannable English 

Form (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE) or (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Window Envelope 

Non-Personalized Bulk Mailers:

1BL - Non-Personalized English Notice/Scannable English Form (SSA-1020B-OCR-SM) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Non-Window Envelope 

2BL - Non-Personalized Spanish Notice/Scannable English Form (SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP) 

 BRM Envelope 

 Mail-out Non-Window Envelope 

FOR QUALITY CONTROL AND AUDITING PURPOSES:

The contractor must not merge file dates and mailers during processing, printing, and mailing. 

All files transmitted by SSA will be physical sequential. Any alteration of the notice content in the file is not 

permitted. 

FREQUENCY OF ORDERS: Files for the Medicare Notices (Mailers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10) will be 

electronically transmitted daily. 

SPIKE files for Mailers 1, 2, and 8 will be transmitted approximately the 25th of each month, however the 

transmission could begin as early as the 22nd calendar day of each month or as late as the 27th calendar day of each 

month. 

During all Monthly SPIKE runs, annual REDE, and CMS Mailer 7 Production, the contractor must provide a 

daily production report in Excel format showing how many notices have printed, inserted, and mailed and are 

remaining for printing, inserting, and mailing. 

Each year, SSA determines the quantities for Mailers 5, 6, and 10 (Redetermination Notices), which are 

processed in August. The majority of the annual quantity is transmitted in one (1) session for processing in August. 

The quantities will decline during the months of September through January and from February through July the 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 32 of 57 

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quantities for Mailers 5, 6, and 10 will be minimal. (For additional information, see “PRODUCTION 

SCHEDULE.”) 

Files for Mailer 7 are transmitted electronically. Mailer 7 includes an English or Spanish CMS Letter and the 

SSA-1020B-OCR-SM or SSA-1020B-OCR-SM-SP. The record layout provided for Mailer 7 contains 

information associated only with this mailer. A separate Excel spreadsheet will be provided for CMS toll-free 

numbers for each State to be included in the CMS letter. 

The figures indicated below are estimates. The figures show the minimum and maximum quantities required daily

for the Medicare Notices also the minimum and maximum spike quantities, the number of printed pages in a notice 

and how the notice is to be folded. Exact quantities will not be known until each run is electronically transmitted to 

the contractor. No shortages will be allowed. 

The quantities for Mailers 1 through 10 (and SPIKE runs) are approximate and the Government reserves the 

right to increase or decrease the combined annual total mailer quantity by 20%. Exact quantities will be 

furnished with the electronic file. 

The bulk shipment quantities are approximate and the Government reserves the right to increase or decrease the 

combined annual (total) quantity by 20%. Exact quantities will be furnished with bulk shipment distribution lists. 

Medicare Mailers: 

Mailer 1 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 7,400 

 Printed Pages: 8 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

 SPIKE Minimum: 80,000 

 SPIKE Maximum: 150,000 

Mailer 2 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 425 

 Printed Pages: 8 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

 SPIKE Minimum: 2,000 

 SPIKE Maximum: 8,000 

Mailer 3 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 125 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

Mailer 4 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 25 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

*Mailer 5 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 200 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 33 of 57 

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 SPIKE Minimum: 88,700 

 SPIKE Maximum: 450,000 

*Mailer 6 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP) Daily Minimum: 0 

 Daily Maximum: 10 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

 SPIKE Minimum: 1,500 

 SPIKE Maximum: 15,000 

*REDE SPIKE: Represents the bulk of the quantity for Mailers 5 and 6 which will be transmitted approximately 

August 20th in one (1) session. Contractor must process, print, and mail the entire quantity within the contract 

production schedule (see “SCHEDULE” for additional information). 

Mailer 7 (CMS Letter and Annual Minimum: 300,0000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM or Annual Maximum: 580,000 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP) Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

NOTE: Files for Mailer 7 will be transmitted no later than the Monday following Labor Day. Exact quantities 

will not be known until live files are produced. No estimated quantity will be provided each year prior to an 

actual, live run. 

Mailer 8 (SSA-1020-OCR-SM or Annual Minimum: 0 

 SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP CERTIFIED) Annual Maximum: 500 

 Printed Pages: 8 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

Mailer 9 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE or Annual Minimum: 0 

 SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP CERTIFIED) Annual Maximum: 50 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

Mailer 10 (SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE or Annual Minimum: 0 

 SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP CERTIFIED) Annual Maximum: 150 

 Printed Pages: 10 

 Folding: Bi-fold 

NUMBER OF PAGES: 

Notice/Scannable Forms: 8 to 10 pages per notice. 

Letter and Summary Sheet: 2 pages per notice where applicable 

BRM Return Envelopes: Face and back (after manufacturing). 

Mail-out Envelopes: Face and back (after manufacturing). 

TRIM SIZES:

Notice/Scannable Forms: 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” flat (folded to 8-3/8 x 10-3/4”). 

Letter and Summary Sheet: 8-1/2 x 11” flat (folded down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”). 

BRM Envelopes: 5-3/4 x 8-3/4” 

Mail-out Envelopes (Window): 6-1/8 x 9-1/4”, plus flap. 

Mail-out Envelopes (Non-Window): 6-1/8 x 9-1/4”, plus flap. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 34 of 57 

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PREPRODUCTION TESTS: Prior to receiving transmission of live production data files, the contractor will be 

required to perform a Transmission Test and a Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test. 

Failure of the contractor to perform the Transmission Test or Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test satisfactorily 

may be cause for default. The Government reserves the right to waive the requirements of any of these tests. The 

contractor will be notified at the post award conference if any test(s) is to be waived. 

Transmission Test: After the appropriate bandwidth data connection has been installed, the contractor will be 

required to receive within one (1) workday, data for 580,000 notices (multiple pages). The contractor will be 

required to perform a record count verification broken down by dataset name within one (1) workday after the 

complete transmission of the test files. NOTE: The transmission test will begin after the Government is notified 

of the availability of the system.

When the count verification has been successfully completed, the contractor will be required to provide SSA within 

five (5) workdays, 250 sample documents (25 notices from each of the 10 mailers (Mailers 1 through 10). The samples 

will be produced using the data from each of the files that were transmitted during the transmission test. 

Samples may be imaged on white paper and contain only variable information. Transmission test samples do not 

require envelopes. 

Submit test samples to: SSA, Printing Management, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test: The contractor will be required to demonstrate their ability to perform 

this contract by performing a 12-hour press and mail run test on their equipment and using their personnel. This test 

is to be completed after the contractor receives materials necessary to perform the tests (envelopes, 

notices/scannable forms, and Summary Notices). 

The Government will issue a print order to the contractor for the preproduction 12-hour press and mail run test. 

Upon successful completion of all test requirements, the contractor will be reimbursed for all applicable costs for 

a production run, in accordance with the applicable line items in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.” If the 

contractor fails to meet all test requirements, they will not be reimbursed for any associated costs. 

The contractor will be required to have all composition, proofing, envelopes, scanning equipment and reports for 

100% accountability of production and mailing, completed, available, and ready for production prior to the 

beginning of the test. 

The mailers must be produced in accordance with all contract specifications and USPS regulations. The 

Government will furnish electronic files for this test if an adequate data connection does not already exist between the 

contractor’s location and the nearest available SSA network interface. 

During the 12-hour period, the contractor will be required to print and prepare for mailing 15,580 notices as 

follows: 

Mailer 1 10,714 

Mailer 2 571 

Mailer 3 9 

Mailer 4 1 

Mailer 5 3,214 

Mailer 6 1,071 

Total 15,580 

The contractor must perform the preproduction press and mail run test on their equipment and using their personnel. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 35 of 57 

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The test run will incorporate all aspects of the program consisting of processing the electronically transmitted test 

files; the duplex/simplex imaging of notices/forms; personalized Summary Sheet matched with scannable form; 

gathering; folding; inserting; metering or manifesting; presorting; and, preparing finished notices for delivery to the 

USPS. To simulate actual production conditions, the product to be produced must be in accordance with all 

contract specifications and all USPS regulations. Mailers are to be completed in accordance with contract 

requirements, inserted into envelopes and prepared for mailing. 

Contractor is required to provide the necessary audit and summary reports for 100% accountability of production 

and mailing within one (1) hour after the test is completed. 

The contractor must produce a minimum of 15,580 notices/forms in a continuous 12-hour period that will prove to 

the Government representatives that the contractor can satisfactorily complete the requirements of this contract 

during live production. The 12-hour period for the printing process will begin when an “O.K. to Print” is given by the 

Government representative on site. The inserting and mail process will begin when the contractor has sufficient 

materials printed to begin the inserting process. 

All samples shall be manufactured at the facilities in which the contract production quantities are to be 

manufactured. 

Samples of the preproduction press and mail run test will be brought back to SSA for validation. 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the validation output within five (5) workdays 

of receipt thereof. 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 thereof. 

PRESS SAMPLES (WITH AND WITHOUT VARIABLE DATA): Prior to commencement of production of 

orders placed under this contract, the contractor shall produce press samples for each mailer 

COMPOSITION: Contractor will be required to set type for nine (9) mail-out envelopes and eight (8) BRM return 

envelopes. Helvetica or similar typeface will be utilized. 

PROOFS: Proofs will be required with the initial order and any time that a copy change is required during the 

term of the contract.

Envelopes – Six (6) sets of digital color content proofs for each of the mail-out envelopes and the BRM return 

envelopes. Direct to plate must be used to produce the final product with a minimum of 2400 x 2400 dpi. Proofs 

must be created using the same Raster Image Processor (RIP) that will be used to produce the product. Proofs 

shall be collated with all elements in proper position (not pasted up), imaged face and back, trimmed and folded to 

the finished size of the product. 

Proofs must show all margins and dimensions, indicate trim marks, show flap, and window size and placement (if 

applicable). 

Forms – Three (3) sets of digital color content proofs for each form. Direct to plate must be used to produce the 

final product with a minimum of 2400 x 2400 dpi. Proofs must be created using the same Raster Image Processor 

(RIP) that will be used to produce the product. Proofs shall be collated with all elements in proper position (not 

pasted up), imaged face and back, trimmed and folded to the finished size of the product

One (1) press quality Adobe Acrobat (most current version) PDF soft proof (for content only – showing all 

elements) using the same Raster Image Processor (RIP) that will be used to produce the final printed product. 

PDF proof will be evaluated for text flow, image position, and color breaks. Proof will not be used for color 

match. Proofs will be transferred to the agency via email. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 36 of 57 

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Three 3 set(s) of inkjet proofs that are G7 profiled and use pigment-based inks. A proofing RIP that provides an 

option for high quality color matching (such as Device Links Technology and/or ICC Profiles Technology), and 

meets or exceeds industry tolerance to ISO 12647-7 Standard for Graphic Technology (as of 3/19/09, and future 

amendments) must be utilized plus GRACoL 2006 Coated #1 specifications (CGATS TR006) must be achieved. 

Output must be a minimum of 720 x 720 dpi on a GRACoL or SWOP certified proofing media. Proofs must 

contain the following color control strip to be evaluated for accuracy: IDEAlliance ISO 12647-7 Control Strip 

2009 or 2013(i1). 

Proofs must contain color control bars (such as Brunner, GATF, GRETAG, or RIT) for each color of ink on the 

sheet. Control bars must be placed parallel to the press’s ink rollers and must show areas consisting of minimum 

1/8 x 1/8” solid color patches; tint patches of 25, 50 and 75%; dot gain scale; and gray balance patches for process 

color (if applicable). These areas must be repeated consecutively across the sheet. 

The make and model number of the proofing system utilized shall be furnished with the proofs. These proofs must 

contain all elements, be in press configuration, and indicate margins. Proofs will be used for color match on press. 

Direct to plate must be used to produce the final product with a minimum of 2400 x 2400 dpi. 

Pantone colors must be simulated on proofs and must be proofed separately on a digital color content, overlay, or 

inkjet proof. 

Contractor to submit ink drawdowns on actual production stock of Pantone color(s) used to produce the product. 

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. 

The contractor must not print prior to receipt of an “O.K. to Print.” 

CONSTRUCTION SAMPLES (No Printing): The sample requirement for this contract is not less than two (2) 

construction samples for each of the mail-out envelopes (with window and without window) and the BRM envelope. 

Each sample shall be constructed as specified and must be of the size, kind, and quality that the contractor will 

furnish. 

All samples shall be printed and constructed, as applicable for each envelope, as specified herein and must be of 

the size, kind, and quality that the contractor will furnish. Samples will be inspected and tested for conformance 

of materials and must comply with the specifications as to construction, kind, and quality of materials. All 

samples must be printed on the paper required for that envelope as specified under “STOCK/PAPER.” 

Send directly to SSA, Printing Management Team, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

PRESS SAMPLES: Press samples will be required with the initial order and any time that a copy change is 

required during the term of the contract.

Press Samples With and Without Variable Data: The sample requirement for this contract is printed samples (as 

indicated on Print Order.) After receipt of “O.K. to print” on proofs but prior to the commencement of production 

of the contract production quantity, the contractor shall submit 100 sets of press samples (English and Spanish) for 

each of Mailers 1 through 10 and Bulk Mailers BL1 and BL2. Mailer 7 and Bulk Mailers (BL1 and BL2) samples 

must include the static 2-D barcodes. Each sample must be printed and constructed as specified using the form, 

materials, equipment, and methods of production which will be used in producing the final product. All samples 

shall be manufactured at the facilities in which the contract production quantities are to be manufactured. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 37 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Samples will be inspected and tested and must comply with the specifications in all respects. If machine 

processing of the final product is indicated in the specification, the samples will be tested and must function 

satisfactorily on the equipment indicated. 

NOTE: No envelopes will be required. 

NOTE: The Government reserves the right to waive the Press Samples without Variable Data. The contractor will be 

notified if these samples are waived. 

New Workload: If new workloads are required, press samples with variable data (validation) will be required 

prior to the commencement of production. The contractor will be required to furnish 200 press samples (English and 

Spanish) for each new workload. 

PRIOR TO PRODUCTION SAMPLE (ENVELOPES ONLY): The sample requirement for this contract is 

printed samples (as indicated on Print Order.) After receipt of “O.K. to print” on proofs but Prior to the 

commencement of production of the contract production quantity, the contractor shall submit not less than two (2) 

samples of each envelope required on this contract. The contractor shall submit samples for the type of brochure 

or instruction card ordered. Each sample must be printed and constructed as specified using the form, materials, 

equipment, and methods of production which will be used in producing the final product. All samples shall be 

manufactured at the facilities in which the contract production quantities are to be manufactured. 

Samples will be inspected and tested and must comply with the specifications in all respects. If machine 

processing of the final product is indicated in the specification, the samples will be tested and must function 

satisfactorily on the equipment indicated. 

The container and accompanying documentation shall be marked “PREPRODUCTION SAMPLES” and shall 

include the GPO Purchase Order, Jacket, Program, and Print Order Numbers.

Contractor must submit samples to SSA, Printing Management, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex 

Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

Contractor must submit samples within five (5) workdays of receipt of “O.K. to Print” on proofs. 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the samples within two (2) workdays of the 

receipt thereof. 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. The Government will require the time specified above to inspect and test any additional 

samples required. 

In the event that the 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 article 12 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 38 of 57 

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“Notice of Compliance with Schedules” of contract clauses in 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. Samples 

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. 

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. 

Color of paper furnished shall be of a uniform shade and a close match by visual inspection of the JCP and/or 

attached color sample(s). The Contracting Officer reserves the right to reject shipments of any order printed on 

paper the color of which, in his opinion, materially differs from that of the color sample(s). 

All text paper used in each copy must be of a uniform shade. 

Notices/Scannable Forms and Insert/Summary Sheet: White Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Bond, basis 

weight: 20 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22”, equal to JCP Code O-25. Forms will include a static 2-D barcode that 

prints in black. 

CMS Letter: Uncoated Colored Text, 50# to match International Paper, Springhill, Opaque Offset Gray for color, 

basis weight: 50 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 38” equal to JCP code A63.

BRM Return Envelopes: White Writing Envelope, basis weight: 20 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22”, equal to JCP

Code V20.

Mailout Envelopes: White Kraft Envelopes, basis weight: 24 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22”, equal to JCP Code 

V15 or at contractor’s option, White Uncoated Text, basis weight: 50 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 38”, equal to JCP 

Code A60. 

 

PRINTING/IMAGING: The Government reserves the right to make changes to the envelopes or the 

format(s)/text of the notice/scannable form and/or Summary Sheet at any time during the term of the contract. 

Notification of a proposed change will be given with sufficient time for the contractor to allow for the change and 

submit proofs to the Government. Therefore, the contractor is not to preprint or maintain more than a 90-calendar 

day surplus/inventory of any of the components required on this contract. The Government shall not be required 

to purchase from the contractor the surplus/inventory of any of the mail-out envelopes remaining on hand in 

excess of what was authorized when an envelope change is implemented. 

Notices/Scannable Forms: Print face and back, head-to-head, in Pantone 289U (Blue), Flint Ink J-6983 (Red 

OCR drop-out ink) and Black. 

Letters: Print face and back in black ink. 

Summary Sheet: Print face and back, head-to-head, in Pantone 289U (Blue). 

Variable Imaging: Either laser or ion deposition printing, in black ink, with a minimum resolution of 300 x 300 

dpi, utilizing a 13-point Times New Roman or similar serif typeface on page 1 (face of notice) and a 12-point OCR-A 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 39 of 57 

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font on page 3 for imaging the application form and the contractor’s sequential number. A 2-D barcode will print 

on pages 3 through 8 of the constructed notice scannable form. All forms require variable imaging with the 

exception of the Bulk Mailers. 

NOTE: contractor is to produce a keyline that appears above the mailing address and shows through the OE 

window. The keyline must contain the following information, workload (1020 SM,1020 SM RRB,1020 SMSP,1020 Cert, 1026 SCE, 1026 SCE RRB, 1026 SCE-SP, 1026 SCE Cert,1026 REDE SM, 1026 REDE SM RRB, 

1026 REDE-SM-SP, 1026 REDE Cert), Mailer number, file date (mm/dd) i.e. 1020 SM M1 10-30. 

Mail-out and BRM Return Envelopes: Print face and back (after manufacturing) in black ink. Printing shall be in 

accordance with the requirements for the style of envelope ordered. All printing shall comply with all applicable 

U.S. Postal Service regulations. The envelope shall accept printing without feathering or penetrating to the reverse 

side. 

For the BRM return envelope, the contractor is responsible for the placement of the Facing Identification Mark 

(FIM) and the ZIP Code barcode using the camera ready positives provided (envelope) to comply with current USPS 

standards. 

An identifier will be printed on the mail-out and BRM return envelopes to identify the workload. 

All envelopes require a security tint (lining is acceptable) printed on the inside (back - before manufacture) in 

black ink. The contractor may use their own design but must guarantee that the product will ensure complete 

opacity and prevent show through of any material contained therein. NOTE: Inside of BRM return envelope must 

contain a clear area (no pantograph design), approximate size 3-1/2 x 5/8”, behind the barcode to ensure the 

readability of barcode by the U.S. Postal Service equipment. 

RECYCLED PAPER LOGO/LEGEND: 

The recycled paper logo/legend must be printed in Pantone 289U (Blue) on each notice/scannable form in the 

lower left-hand corner on the face of the notice/scannable form and insert. 

The recycled paper English logo/legend must print in black ink on envelopes (if recycled paper is used) in the lower 

left-hand corner on the seam side of the envelope. The Spanish logo/legend must print in the lower right-hand corner 

on the seam side of the envelope. 

PDF417 (PORTABLE DATA FILE) 2-D BARCODES: A 2-D barcode will be required on all scannable forms 

(pages 3 through 8 of the constructed notice/scannable form) located 1” from the left edge. At least 1/4” margins 

(quiet zone) is required top, bottom, left, and right of each 2-D barcode. Maximum resolution of 300 dpi, with 

4.41 code words per inch. Height is 1/2”, plus or minus 1/16”; length/width is 1-1/4”, plus or minus 1/16”. 

All data elements contained in the barcode must begin in the specified positions. Data elements can be filled with 

blanks if necessary to begin the next element in the proper position. 

Data columns are to be preceded and followed by the standard PDF417 stop/start patterns, left row indicator and 

right row indicator. 

The 2-D barcodes to be imaged on the SSA-1020-OCR-SM, SSA-1020-OCR-SM-SP, and Medicare CMS 

Mailer 7 personalized notices/scannable forms should contain the following data elements: 

Field Name Field Size 

Form Number 20 

Page Number 3 (contractor to insert) 

Vendor Name 4 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 40 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Applicant Last Name 20 

Applicant Suffix 4 

Applicant First Name 15 

Applicant Middle Initial 1 

Applicant SSN 9 

Spouse Last Name 20 

Spouse Suffix 4 

Spouse First Name 15 

Spouse Middle Initial 1 

Spouse SSN 9 

Address Street 1 22 

Address Street 2 22 

Address City 19 

Address State 2 

Address Zip 1 5 

Address Zip 2 4 

Address Zip Delivery Point Code 3 

Edition Date (Month) 2 

Edition Date (Year) 4 

Language Indicator 1 

File Creation Date 8 

Applicant Date of Birth 8 

Spouse Date of Birth 8 

Miscellaneous Data 18 

Record Length 250 

The 2-D barcodes to be imaged on the SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE, SSA-1026-OCR-SM-REDE-SP, SSA-1026-OCRSM-SCE, and SSA-1026-OCR-SM-SCE-SP personalized notices/scannable forms should contain the following data 

elements: 

Field Name Field Size 

Form Number 23 

Page Number 2 (contractor to insert) 

Vendor Name 4 

Applicant Last Name 20 

Applicant Suffix 4 

Applicant First Name 15 

Applicant Middle Initial 1 

Applicant Date of Birth 8 

Applicant Medicare Claim Number 12 

Applicant SSN 9 

Spouse Last Name 20 

Spouse Suffix 4 

Spouse First Name 15 

Spouse Middle Initial 1 

Applicant Date of Birth 8 

Applicant Medicare Claim Number 12 

Field Name Field Size 

Spouse SSN 9 

Address Street 1 22 

Address Street 2 22 

Address City 19 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 41 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Address State 2 

Address Zip 1 5 

Address Zip 2 4 

Address Zip Delivery Point Code 3 

Edition Date (Month) 2 

Edition Date (Year) 4 

Language Indicator 1 

File Creation Date 8 

Miscellaneous Data 16 

Record Length 275 

Final record and block lengths to be provided at the postaward conference. The PDF417 2-D barcodes must be in 

accordance with the requirements of ANSI MH 10.8.3M, unless otherwise specified. All data elements contained in 

the barcode must begin in the specified positions. Data elements can be filled with blanks if necessary to begin the 

next element in the proper position. 

Data for personalized forms to be included in the 2-D barcode will be contained on the SSA-furnished files via the 

network circuit. See the SSA furnished Vendor/Record Specifications for details. 

BULK SHIPMENT PRINTING: The non-personalized bulk shipment forms (Bulk Mailers 1BL through 4BL) 

also require 2-D barcodes on pages 3 through 8 of the constructed notice/scannable form. The contractor will be 

required to perform the necessary programming in order to print the 2-D barcodes on these forms. 

The 2-D barcodes to be printed on the bulk shipment notices/scannable forms should contain the following data 

elements: 

Field Name Field Size 

Form Number 20 

Page Number 2 

Language 1 

Edition Date (Month) 2 

Edition Date (Year) 4 

Vendor Name 4 

PRESS SHEET INSPECTION: Final makeready press sheets may be inspected and approved at the contractor’s 

plant for the purpose of establishing specified standards for use during the actual press run. Upon approval of the 

sheets, contractor is charged with maintaining those standards throughout the press run (within QATAP tolerances 

when applicable) and with discarding all makeready sheets that preceded approval. See GPO Publication 315.3 

(Guidelines for Contractors Holding Press Sheet Inspections) issued January 2015. NOTE: A press sheet 

inspection is for the purpose of setting specific standards that are to be maintained throughout the entire run. It 

does not constitute a prior approval of the entire run. 

Press sheets must contain control bars for each color of ink on the sheet. Control bars must be placed parallel to 

the press’s ink rollers. The control bars (such as BRUNNER, GATF, GRETAG, or RIT) must show areas 

consisting of 1/8 x 1/8” minimum solid color patches; tint patches of 25, 50, and 75%; dot gain scale; and gray 

balance patches for process color (if applicable). These areas must be repeated across the entire press sheet. 

Viewing Light: Press sheets will be viewed under controlled conditions with 5000 degrees Kelvin overhead 

luminaries. The viewing conditions must conform to ISO 3664-2009. A viewing booth under controlled 

conditions with 5000 degrees Kelvin overhead luminaries with neutral gray surroundings must be provided. 

MARGINS: Margins will be indicated on print order, furnished sample, or furnished copy/electronic file. Follow 

manuscript copy for envelopes, 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 42 of 57 

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BINDING: 

NOTE: Forms require precision trimming to guarantee proper processing.) 

Mailers 1, 2, and 8: 

Notices/Scannable Form: Trim each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet four sides. Fold each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet down to 

8-3/8 x 10-3/4” (the two 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheets are nested together to create an 8-page form). 

Mailers 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10: 

Summary Notice: Trim four sides. 

Scannable Form: Trim each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet four sides. Fold each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet down to 8-3/8 x 

10-3/4” (the two 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheets are nested together to create an 8-page form). 

Mailer 7: 

Letter: Trim four sides. 

Scannable Form: Trim each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet four sides. Fold each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet down to 8-3/8 x 

10-3/4” (the two 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheets are nested together to create an 8-page form). 

Bulk Mailers 1BL and 2BL: 

Notices/Scannable Form: Trim each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet four sides. Fold each 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheet down to 

8-3/8 x 10-3/4” (the two 16-3/4 x 10-3/4” sheets are nested together to create an 8-page form). 

CONSTRUCTION:

BRM Return Envelopes: Envelopes must be open side, with suitable seams, and an industry standard gummed 

fold-over flap for sealing. Flap must be coated with suitable remoistenable glue the entire length of flap that will 

securely seal the return envelope for mailing. Adhesive must not adhere to the contents of the envelope. 

Kraft Mail-out Envelopes (With Window) for Mailers 1 through 10: Envelopes must be open side, with suitable 

seams and an industry standard gummed flap. Flap must be coated with suitable remoistenable glue that will 

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

opening by the recipient. 

Face of envelope to contain one die-cut window (1-3/4 x 4-1/4” in size) with four rounded corners (the long 

dimension of the window is to be parallel to the long dimension of the envelope). Window is to be located 2” from 

bottom edge of the envelope and 3/4” from the left edge of the envelope. The contractor has the option to adjust 

the size of the window opening (subject to Government approval), providing the visibility of the computer generated 

mailing address and postnet barcode on the notice is not obscured, and other extraneous information is not visible 

when material is inserted into the envelope. 

Window is to be covered with a suitable transparent, low-gloss, poly-type, material that must be securely affixed 

to the inside of the envelope so as not to interfere with insertion of contents. Window material must meet the 

current U.S. Postal Service’s readability standard/requirements. Address image must meet USPS reflectance 

standards when viewed through the window material. 

Kraft Mail-out Envelopes (Non-Window) for Bulk Mailers 1BL and 2BL: Envelopes must be open side, with 

suitable seams and an industry standard gummed flap. Flap must be coated with suitable remoistenable glue that will 

securely seal the envelope without adhering to contents, not permit resealing of the envelope and permit easy opening 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 43 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

by the recipient. 

ASSEMBLY:

Mailers 1, 2, and 8: Fold the 8-page Notice/Scannable Form from 8-3/8 x 10-3/4” down to 8-3/8 x 5-3/8”. Insert 

the Notice/Scannable Form and a BRM return envelope into a mail-out envelope with the recipient’s name and 

address visible through the envelope window. Securely seal each mail-out envelope. 

Mailers 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10: 

Summary Notice: Fold from 8-1/2 x 11” down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”. 

Scannable Form: Fold the 8-page Scannable Form from 8-3/8 x 10-3/4” down to 8-3/8 x 5-3/8”. 

Insert the Summary Notice, followed by the Scannable Form and BRM return envelope, into a mail out envelope 

with the recipient’s name and address on the notice visible through the envelope window. Securely seal each mail-out 

envelope. 

Mailer 7: 

Letter: Fold from 8-1/2 x 11” down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”. 

Scannable Form: Fold the 8-page Scannable Form from 8-3/8 x 10-3/4” down to 8-3/8 x 5-3/8”. 

Insert the Letter, followed by the Scannable Form and BRM return envelope, into a mail out envelope with the 

recipient’s name and address on the letter visible through the envelope window. Securely seal each mail-out 

envelope. 

NOTE: Contractor must provide Mailer 7 samples (CMS Letter) on required paper, for Government approval. 

Bulk Mailers 1BL and 2B: Fold the 8-page Notice/Scannable Form from 8-3/8 x 10-3/4” down to 8-3/8 x 5-3/8”. 

Insert the Notice/Scannable Form and a BRM return envelope into a non-window mail-out envelope. Securely seal 

each mail-out envelope. 

It is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that only the computer-generated address and Intelligent Mail barcode 

(IMB) on the personalized mailers will be visible through the window in the mail-out envelope and that only copy of 

each required item (as applicable to each mailer) is inserted into the mail-out envelope. In addition, it is the 

contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the personalized Summary Sheet imaged with recipient’s name (and other 

personal information) will be matched with the scannable form (which contain 2-D barcodes with personalized 

data) for the same recipient and be inserted correctly into the envelope. 

NOTE - SSA-1026 Series Mailers: Contractor must ensure that personalized Summary Sheet imaged with 

recipients name (and other personal information) will be matched with the scannable form (containing 2-D 

barcodes with that recipients personalized data) for the same recipient and be inserted into the same envelope.

PACKING: 

Bulk Shipment Mailers (1BL and 2BL): Shrink-film wrap in units of 25 or 50 assembled bulk mailers. Packing 

must not cause bowing of products. 

Pack suitably in shipping containers. Not to exceed 45 pounds when fully packed 

All shipments which fill less than a shipping container must be packaged with materials of sufficient strength and 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 44 of 57 

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durability and in such a manner which will guarantee that the product will not be damaged and the package will 

not open nor split when processed through a small package carrier delivery system. 

Pallets are required. 

LABELING AND MARKING (Package and/or Container label): The following must be completed for all 

truck shipments: 

Contractor to download the “Labeling and Marking Specifications” form (GPO Form 905, R. 7-15) from gpo.gov, 

fill in appropriate blanks, and attach to shipping containers. 

Barcode Markings: Labels must be barcoded on shipping containers, using Uniform Symbology SpecificationsCode 39 (new standard) bar code system, for non-contact reading, in accordance with ANSI/AIM BCI-1995. The 

bar code must be positioned in accordance with Fed. Std. 123. 

Barcode: Appropriate information that will be barcoded is as follows: Inventory Control Number (ICN), National 

Stock Number (NSN), Quantity per Container, Unit of Issue, Form Revision Date, Department Requisition Number 

and GPO Jacket Number. The barcode must be a 3 of 9 barcode, with an x-dimension of 10 millimeters. The 

barcode must have a human-readable interpretation (HRI) printed above or below the 3 of 9 barcode. 

The destination address in the “TO” box does not have to be filled in on the individual shipping container labels when 

packed on pallets. In lieu thereof, complete filled in labels, including the destination address must be attached to all 

four sides of each pallet. In addition to regular markings, include the following: 

 Inventory Control Number (ICN) 

 National Stock Number 

 Quantity per Container 

 Unit of Issue 

 Revision Date 

 Department Requisition Number 

 Print Order Number (if applicable). 

PRODUCTION INSPECTION: Production inspection(s) may be required at the contractor’s/subcontractor’s plant 

for the purpose of establishing that the receipt of transmitted files, the printing of notices/forms and/or envelopes, 

the imaging, collating, folding, inserting and mailing is being accomplished in accordance with contract quality 

attributes and requirements. A production inspection is for the purpose of setting specific standards that are to be 

maintained throughout the entire run. It does not constitute a prior approval of the entire run. 

When a production inspection is required, the Government will notify the contractor. 

NOTE: A production inspection(s) may be required at the contractor’s/subcontractor’s plant before production 

begins on any new workloads. 

DISTRIBUTION: 

 Deliver f.o.b. destination (with the first order and whenever SSA makes a significant change to the 

language, format, or appearance of a notice) 10 complete sample copies of each type of notice, inserted 

into mail out envelopes but not sealed and whenever copy change is made to any envelope. Samples shall 

be printed and constructed in accordance with these specifications. Deliver to SSA, Printing Management 

Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. 

 Deliver f.o.b. destination (all Bulk Mailers 1BL and 2BL) per print order to SSA and specified addresses. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 45 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

 Mail balance of order f.o.b. contractor’s city. The contractor is responsible for all costs incurred in 

transporting this product to the U.S. Postal Service facility. 

Addresses and delivery instructions will be furnished with each print order. 

NOTE: All f.o.b. destination shipments/bulk mailers must ship as a full truckload/complete.

Reimbursable Freight: All shipments to one address weighing 500 pounds or more. The contractor will be 

responsible for the selection of carrier, and shall ship by the most reasonable method to ensure prompt delivery 

and safe arrival at all destinations for shipments requiring reimbursable freight. These freight costs will be made 

reimbursable. Contractor must submit freight receipts with their billing invoice. Shipments are to be delivered to the 

point of destination(s) stated on the print order. 

Domestic First-Class Letter-Size Mail: The contractor is required to prepare domestic First-Class letter-size mail 

and obtain the maximum postage discount allowed by USPS in accordance with appropriate USPS rules and 

regulations, including the USPS Domestic Mail Manual, and Postal Bulletins on Automation Compatible First 

Class Domestic Mail (automated and non-automated) discount structure in effect at the time of the mailing; a) 

Automation (5-digit); (b) Automation (3-digit); (c) Automation (AADC); (d) Automation (Mixed AADC); (e) 

Non-automation (Presorted); and (f) Non-automation (Single Piece). 

Contractor will be required to presort all mail in this contract and achieve USPS automated postal rates. To 

achieve the maximum automation compatible postal discount, the contractor is required to either presort the 

notices prior to printing or sort the mail after the notices are inserted. ALL PIECES WITHOUT BARCODES 

MUST BE SEPARATED and mailed as a non-automation rate single piece mailing. The contractor must disclose 

how they will achieve maximum postage discounts as required in the contract. 

National Change of Address (NCOA) and Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS): Addresses for the 

Medicare Notices will come from SSA’s MBR and RRB. SSA will provide a certificate indicating that, within the 

last 180 calendar days, the addresses have been matched against USPS certified Coding Accuracy Support System 

(CASS) certified ZIP Code software. New CASS certificates will be provided to the Contractor as required by the 

USPS Domestic Mail Manual. 

SSA will not supply a CASS or NCOA certificate for the RRB addresses contained in these mailers. The contractor 

will be required to run all RRB files through CASS and NCOA and provide certificates for the USPS. 

SSA will not supply a CASS certificate for the CMS addresses for Mailer 7. The contractor will be required to run all 

CMS files through CASS and provide certificates to USPS. 

The contractor cannot change the addresses, but if an address fails CASS or NCOA or requires a NCOA move 

update, the contractor shall sort those pieces into a separate file and mail at the non-automated presort rate or full 

postage rate as to avoid any USPS fines for failure to meet address accuracy rules imposed by USPS. If contractor 

fails to meet this requirement, the Government will not reimburse for any USPS imposed fines. 

Contractor must provide any documentation of the move update software process required by USPS. The 

contractor must ensure that no portion of the mailing envelope window protrudes into the barcode clear zone as 

specified in DMM 202.5.0 and the update software license agreement. 

The contractor is not to, at any time, change the addresses supplied by SSA. 

NOTE: The move update software version, which changes the addresses prior to printing, is not acceptable. 

Mailing Requirements for All Notices: All versions mailed will have the “Postage and Fees Paid” First-Class 

Mail permit imprint G-11 mailing indicia. Permit imprint may be printed directly on mail pieces. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 46 of 57 

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In order to avoid the use of postage meters, the contractor must participate in the USPS Minimum Volume 

Reduction Program (MVRP) to allow mailings under 200 pieces or less than 50 pounds to mail via permit imprint. 

Contractor will request participation in USPS’s Minimum Volume Reduction Program (MVRP). The contractor 

must submit a request to participate in writing to the USPS (see Exhibit L - MVRP Request Letter). The MVRP, 

reference Domestic Mail Manual, section 604.5.1.2, provision provides an exception for approved mailers to the 

“200 pieces or 50 pounds” rule for Permit Imprint mailings (including certified and foreign mail). Contractors 

must submit paperwork electronically, including piece level barcode information. Contractor will be required to 

contact USPS prior to any MVRP expiration date (if specified by USPS) for additional MVRP approval. 

Contractor will be required to notify SSA in a timely manner should they encounter any problems with additional 

USPS MVRP approvals. 

The MVRP (refer to Domestic Mail Manual, section 604.5.1.2, provision) provides an exception for approved 

mailers to the “200 pieces or 50 pounds” rule for Permit Imprint mailings (including certified and foreign mail).

The contractor is required to use manifest mail when postal regulations allow. The contractor must have a 

Manifest Mailing System (MMS) for First-Class Mail, which has been approved by USPS to document postage 

charges for this mailing. Requirements for MMS are contained in USPS Publication 401, Guide to the Manifest 

Mailing System. Each mail piece must be identified either with a unique identification number or with a keyline 

containing a unique identification number and rate information about the piece. The mail pieces being sent under 

Manifesting will have a printed “Postage and Fees Paid First-Class Mail” permit imprint mailing indicia. The 

Contractor is cautioned to use the permit imprint only for mailing material produced under this contract. NOTE: 

A copy of the USPS approval for the MMS must be presented at the postaward conference. 

Intelligent Mail barcoding (IMb), delivery address placement, and envelopes used for the mailing are among the 

items that must comply with USPS requirements for automation-compatible mail in effect at the time of the 

mailing. 

Each notice provided on this contract will transmit with an IMb coded for the full service option. The contractor 

will be required to use the provided USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb), meet the full service option, and 

achieve the maximum postage discounts available with this option. The contractor will be required to comply 

with USPS requirements and place the IMb on all notices/mail pieces of this workload. The contractor is required 

to be capable of achieving the postage discounts available with the Full-Service option of the IMb program. 

In addition, USPS uses a verification procedure called a “tap” test. This test is used to screen all mailings with 

barcoded inserts for proper barcode spacing within the envelope window. When the insert showing through the 

window is moved to any of its limits inside the envelope, the entire barcode must remain within the barcode clear 

zone. In addition, a clear space must be maintained that is at least 0.125” between the left and right edges of the 

window, and at least 0.028” clearance between the Intelligent Mail Barcode and the top and bottom edges of the 

window. 

All letters in a mailing must pass the “tap” test in order to obtain the maximum postal discounts for the ordering 

agency. The contractor will be responsible for payment of any additional postage resulting from a loss of postage 

discounts due to failure to pass the “tap” test because of inaccuracy or failure to conform to USPS specifications. 

Contractor should be aware that USPS uses the Mail Evaluation Readability Look-up Instrument (MERLIN) to 

evaluate barcodes. If MERLIN is in effect in the contractor’s geographic area, the contractor must ensure that all 

barcoded mail meets the new barcode standards. The contractor will be responsible for payment of any additional 

postage resulting from a loss of such discounts due to failure of the contractor-generated barcodes to pass the 

MERLIN test because of inaccuracy or failure to conform to USPS specifications. 

Certificate of Conformance: When using Permit Imprint Mail the contractor must complete GPO Form 712 - 

Certificate of Conformance (Rev. 10-15), and the appropriate mailing statement or statements supplied by USPS. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 47 of 57 

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A fillable GPO Form 712 Certificate of Conformance can be found at https://www.gpo.gov/howto-work-withus/vendors/forms-and-standards. 

USPS Certified Mail: The domestic mail pieces included in these mailings may be required to be mailed using 

USPS Certified Mail. The contractor will prepare these mail pieces according to USPS regulations contained in 

the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) under Section 503.3.0, Certified Mail. 

Notices associated with the certified mail file shall be inserted into envelopes and processed as certified mail. The 

contractor must place the current Postal Service Form 3800 (20-digit certified number and barcode) on the 

envelope. 

Mailing Documentation: The contractor shall provide SSA with complete copies of all documents used by USPS 

to verify and accept the mail (e.g., computer records of presort ZIP+4, barcode breakdown, press runs, etc.) 

including USPS 3607R and/or GPO’s Form 712 (Certificate of Conformance) and/or Certificate of Bulk mailing, 

etc. each noted with file date and mailer number. The contractor will use Federal Agency Cost Code 276-00070 on 

all mailing documents for Mailers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. The contractor will use Federal Agency Cost Code 271-

09800 on all mailing documents for Mailer 7.

Within 24 hours of completion of each print order, the contractor shall provide PDF copies of all mailing 

documentation and matching 100% Accountability Summary reports to Jamey.cunningham@ssa.gov. Copies 

must be legible and include required information to disseminate what the file date and mailer documentation is 

for. 

Upon completion of this contract, the contractor must return all government furnished materials to Social Security 

Administration, Printing Management. 

All expenses incidental to picking up and returning materials (as applicable), submitting proofs, press samples, 

and construction samples, and furnishing sample copies must be borne by the contractor. 

CONSTRUCTION/PRESS SAMPLES: 

Press Samples Without Variable Data:

 Submit 50 Press Samples without Variable Data, for Mailers 1 through 10 and 1BL through 4BL, directly 

to the Social Security Administration, Division of Printing Management Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-

A Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.). (NOTE: Bulk mailer (1BL 

& 2BL) samples must contain static 2-D barcodes.) 

 Submit 50 Press Samples without Variable Data, for Mailer 7, directly to the Social Security 

Administration, Division of Printing Management Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 

6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. (NOTE: Bulk mailer (SSA-1020B-OCR-SM) 

samples must contain static 2-D barcodes.) 

 Submit 50 Press Samples without Variable Data, for Mailers 1 through 10 and Bulk Mailers 1BL and 

2BL, directly to the SSA, Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center, Center for Program Support, Room 341, 

1150 E. Mountain Drive, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-7997. (NOTE: Bulk mailer (1BL and 2BL) samples 

must contain static 2-D barcodes.) 

 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 reasons thereof. 

 NOTE: The Government reserves the right to waive the Press Samples without Variable Data. The 

contractor will be notified if these samples are waived.
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 48 of 57 

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Press Samples With Variable Data: 

 Submit Press Samples with Variable Data Validation for Mailers 1 through 10 as follows: 

 Submit 50 Press Samples with Variable Data Validation directly to the SSA, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 

Division of Printing Management. 

 Submit duplicate 50 Press Samples with Variable Data Validation directly to the SSA, Wilkes-Barre Data 

Operations Center, Center for Program Support, Martin Room 341, 1150 E. Mountain Drive, WilkesBarre, PA 18702-7997. 

 Submit Validation Samples with Variable Data for Mailer 7 (CMS Letter only), as follows: 

 Submit 50 Press Samples with Variable Data Validation directly to the SSA, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-

B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401. (NOTE: Contractor must 

produce validation samples on paper required for production.) 

 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 reasons thereof. 

SCHEDULE: Adherence to this schedule must be maintained. Contractor must not start production of any job 

prior to receipt of the print order (GPO Form 2511), as applicable. NOTE: If contractor should not receive the 

electronic print order, they must notify SSA’s Printing Management Team immediately.

For each option year exercised, the amount of time in the schedule will remain the same. The contractor must not 

deviate from the specified mailing schedule or the quantity to be mailed. In the event that the contractor is to 

deviate from the specified mail-out date or the quantity to be mailed, the SSA’s Printing Management Team must 

be notified immediately. 

When required, the furnished material and hard copy proofs must be picked up from and delivered to: SSA, 

Printing Management, Attn: Jamey Cunningham, 3-B-9-A Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 

MD 21235-6401. Furnished manuscript and/or camera copy must be returned with proofs. 

When required, the contractor to email PDF soft proofs to email address specified on the print order. Contractor is 

required to follow up with a phone call to the requestor to confirm receipt. 

NOTE: Camera copy of CMS Letter will be available in July/August of each year. 

SCHEDULE FOR PROOFS AND CONSTRUCTION SAMPLES: The following schedule begins the day 

notification of availability of print order and furnished materials; the workday of notification will be the first 

workday of the schedule. 

 The contractor must submit all proofs and/or construction samples within seven (7) workdays after receipt of 

furnished materials. 

 Proofs will be withheld no more than five (5) workdays from receipt at the ordering agency until they are 

made available for pickup. (NOTE: The first workday after receipt of proofs at the ordering agency is day 

one (1) of the hold time.). 

 When required due to AA’s, contractor to submit revised proofs within five (5) workdays of receipt of the 

author’s alterations. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 49 of 57 

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 Revised proofs will be withheld no more than three (3) workdays from receipt at the ordering agency until 

they are made available for pickup. (NOTE: The first workday after receipt of proofs at the ordering 

agency is day one (1) of the hold time.) 

SCHEDULE FOR PRESS SAMPLES (WITHOUT AND WITH VARIABLE DATA): 

Schedule for Press Samples Without Variable Data:

 The contractor shall submit the press samples without variable data within seven (7) workdays after receipt of 

furnished materials. Submit the Press Samples without Variable Data as follows: 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the press samples without variable data 

within five (5) workdays of receipt thereof. 

 If required, the contractor must submit revised press samples without variable data within five (5) 

workdays of notification. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve or disapprove the revised press samples without 

variable data within three (3) workdays of receipt thereof. 

Press Samples With Variable Data:

 The contractor shall submit the samples with the variable data within five (5) workdays after Government 

approval of press samples without variable data. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the press samples with variable data 

validation output within five (5) workdays of receipt thereof. 

 If required, the contractor must submit revised press samples without variable data within five (5) 

workdays of notification. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve or disapprove the revised press samples without 

variable data within three (3) workdays of receipt thereof. 

SCHEDULE FOR PRODUCTION: 

NOTE: The first print order for actual production will be issued in June 2021. 

Workday - The term “workday” is defined as Monday through Friday* each week, exclusive of the days on 

which Federal Government holidays are observed. NOTE: The contractor is not to wait for print order to start 

their schedule. 

*The contractor’s FTMS software shall be operational for the receipt of data files 24 hours per day, seven (7) days 

per week, unless otherwise specified by the Government. (See “PREPRODUCTION TESTS, Transmission Test” 

for additional information.) 

Daily Medicare Notices (Mailers 1 through 10): Production files will be transmitted on a daily basis Monday 

through Saturday for Medicare Notices except for Federal holidays in which case the data will be transmitted on the 

next day (i.e., when a Federal holiday falls on a Friday, production files will be transmitted on Saturday). 

SPIKE Medicare Notices (Mailers 1 and 2): Production files for SPIKE runs will be transmitted approximately 

the 25th of each month throughout the term of the contract. (NOTE: Files could be transmitted as early as the 

22nd calendar day of each month or as late as the 27th calendar day of each month.) 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 50 of 57 

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REDE Medicare Notices (Mailers 5 and 6): August production files will be transmitted approximately the 20th

of August (in one session) throughout the term of the contract. They contain the majority of the annual quantity for 

these mailers. 

CMS Redeeming Letter (Mailer 7): Production files are transmitted electronically (one session) or made available 

for contractor pick-up no later than the Friday following Labor Day. 

Bulk Shipment: During the term of the contract, the Government will place an occasional order for bulk 

shipment mailers. 

REGULAR SCHEDULE:

Complete production and mailing of all Medicare Notices must adhere to the following schedule:

Mailers 1, 2 , and 8 : Complete production and mailing of these notices must be made within five (5) workdays after 

receipt of each complete transmission (e.g., transmissions received on Monday must be mailed by the close of 

business the following Monday; transmissions received on Saturday must be mailed by the close of business 

Friday). 

Mailers 1, 2, and 8 (SPIKE): Complete production and mailing of these notices must be made within seven (7) 

workdays after receipt of each complete transmission (e.g., transmissions received on Monday must be mailed by the 

close of business the following Wednesday; transmissions received on Saturday must be mailed by the close of 

business Tuesday). During any SPIKE run the contractor must provide daily production reports. 

Mailers 3, 4, 5 ,6, 9 and 10: Complete production and mailing of these notices must be made within seven (7) 

workdays after receipt of each complete transmission (e.g., transmissions received on Monday must be mailed by 

the close of business the following Wednesday; transmissions received on Saturday must be mailed by the close 

of business Tuesday). 

Mailers 5, 6 and 10 (SPIKE): Complete production and mailing of these notices must be made within seven (7) 

workdays after receipt of each complete transmission (e.g., transmissions received on Monday must be mailed by the 

close of business the following Wednesday; transmissions received on Saturday must be mailed by the close of 

business Tuesday). During any SPIKE run the contractor must provide daily production 

Mailers 7: Complete mailing of these notices must be made over a maximum of four (4) workdays starting the 

third Monday in September of each contract year. Contractor will be required to mail a minimum of 145,000 

notices per day until completed. For Mailer 7 the contractor must provide daily production reports. 

Bulk Shipments Mailers 1BL and 2BL: Complete production and mailing must be made within 10 workdays 

after notification of the availability of print order for orders up to and including 500,000 copies. Contractor will be 

allowed one additional workday for each additional 500,000 copies, or portion thereof. 

The contractor must notify the GPO of the date and time the press sheet and production inspection can be 

performed. In order for proper arrangements to be made, notification must be given at least 72 hours prior to the 

inspection. Notify the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Quality Control for Published Products, Washington, 

DC 20401, or telephone area code (202) 512-0542. Telephone calls will only be accepted between the hours of 

8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, prevailing Eastern Time. NOTE: See contract clauses, 

paragraph 14(e)(1), Inspections and Tests of GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2, effective December 1, 

1987 (Rev. 01-18)). When supplies are not ready at the time specified by the contractor for inspection, the 

Contracting Officer may charge to the contractor the additional cost of the inspection. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 51 of 57 

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The ship/deliver date indicated on the print order is the date products ordered for delivery f.o.b. destination must 

be delivered to the destination(s) specified, and products ordered for mailing f.o.b. contractor’s city must be delivered 

to the U.S. postal service. 

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 

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 is to notify the U.S. Government Publishing Office regarding 

each order with date of shipment or delivery, as applicable, in accordance with the contract requirements by 

contacting the Shared Support Services Compliance Section via email at compliance@gpo.gov, via telephone at 

(202) 512-0520, or via facsimile at (202) 512-1364. Personnel receiving the email, call, or facsimile will be 

unable to respond to questions of a technical nature or to transfer any inquiries. 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 52 of 57 

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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 the one (1) year’s 

production requirements 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 under this contract for a like period. 

The following item designations correspond to those listed in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.” 

I. 12 

II. 17 

III. 1 

 

IV. (a) 252 

 (b) 25,932 

 (c) 1,706 

 (d) 17,440 

 (e) 4,628 

 (f) 3,028 

 (g) 1,600 

V. (a) 25,853 

 (b) 580 

 (c) 4,628 

 (d) 3,028 

 (e) 1,600 

VI. 3,028 

VII. 1,600 

VIII. 6 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 53 of 57 

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SECTION 4. – SCHEDULE OF PRICES

Bids offered are f.o.b. destination to Baltimore, MD, and f.o.b. contractor’s city for all mailing. 

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 bids may be declared non-responsive. 

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

Government. 

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

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

production (whether or not such items are included in the DETERMINATION OF AWARD) that are inconsistent 

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

would be in the best interest of the Government. 

All 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. 

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

PRICES.” 

All costs associated with processing of supplied mailing lists to obtain the necessary certifications and mail 

discounts for USPS should be included in costs under Item VI., “INSERTING AND MAILING,” and Item VII., 

“INSERTING, PACKING, AND DISTRIBUTION.” 

Cost of all required paper must be charged under Item V. “PAPER.” 

I. PROCESSING/FORMATTING FILES: The contractor will be allowed only one (1) charge per mailer 

workload for the term of the contract to process and/or format the files supplied necessary to print and mail 

the notices each workload. 

 Processing/Formatting files .................................................................................. per mailer ...... $___________ 

II. COMPOSITION: Prices offered must include the cost of all materials and operations necessary in 

accordance with the terms of these specifications for each of the nine (9) mail-out envelopes and each of the 

eight (8) BRM return envelopes. 

 Envelopes .......................................................................................................... per envelope ...... $___________ 

 ______________ 

 (Initials) 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 54 of 57 

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III. TRANSMISSION TEST: Prices offered must include all costs incurred in performing the Transmission 

Test as stated in these specifications and any other operations necessary to produce the required quantities of 

the product in the time specified and in accordance with specifications 

 Transmission Test ..................................................................................................... per test ...... $___________ 

IV. PRINTING/IMAGING, BINDING, AND CONSTRUCTION: Prices offered must include the cost of all 

materials and operations (proofs and samples) necessary for the printing/imaging, binding, and construction 

of the products listed in accordance with these specifications. 

 (a) *Daily makeready/setup charge ............................................................................................ $___________ 

 *Contractor will be allowed only one (1) makeready/setup charge per workday. This combined charge shall 

include all materials and operations necessary to makeready and/or set up the contractor’s equipment. 

Invoices submitted with more than one makeready/setup charge per workday will be disallowed. 

 (b) Notices/Scannable Forms (Mailers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10): 

 Printing in two ink colors, imaging in black, 

 including binding ................................................................................... per 1,000 pages ...... $___________ 

(c) Personalized Summary Sheets and CMS Letter: Mailers 3-7,9, & 10 

 including printing and the imaging of personalized, 

 variable information.....................................................per 1,000 pages $___________

 (d) Notices/Scannable Forms (Bulk Mailers): 

 Printing in two ink colors, including static 2-D barcode in black, 

 and binding ............................................................................................ per 1,000 pages ...... $___________ 

 (e) BRM Return Envelopes: 

 Printing in black ink, including construction.................................. per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

 (f) Mail-out Envelopes (With Window): 

 Printing in black ink, including construction.................................. per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

 (g) Mail-out Envelopes (Non-Window): 

 Printing in black ink, including construction.................................. per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

V.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 product(s) 

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: 

Notices/Scannable Forms, Letters, and Inserts: A charge will be allowed for each page-size leaf. 

BRM Return Envelopes: One leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

Mail-out Envelopes: One leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

 ______________ 

 (Initials) 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 55 of 57 

212-S (12/21) 

Per 1,000 Leaves 

 (a) Notices/Scannable Forms and Inserts: White OCR Bond (20-lb.) ........................................ $___________ 

 (b) CMS Letters: International Paper, Springhill, Opaque Offset Gray (50-lb.) ........................ $___________ 

 (c) BRM Return Envelopes: White Writing (20-lb.) ................................................................. $___________ 

 (d) Mail-out Envelopes (With Window): White Kraft Envelope (24-lb.); or, 

 or, at contractor’s option, White Uncoated Text (50-lb.) ...................................................... $___________ 

 (e) Mail-out Envelopes (Non-Window): White Kraft Envelope (24-lb.); or, 

 or, at contractor’s option, White Uncoated Text (50-lb.) ...................................................... $___________ 

VI. INSERTING AND MAILING: Prices offered must include the cost of all required materials and operations 

necessary for the mailing of Mailers 1 through 10, including the cost of collating all required items (as 

specified) in proper sequence, insertion of all items into mail-out envelope, and delivery of the mailers to the 

post office in accordance with these specifications. 

 Inserting all required materials 

 into mail-out envelope with window (Mailers 1 through 10) ................... per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

VII. INSERTING, PACKING, AND DISTRIBUTION: Prices offered must include the cost of all required 

materials and operations necessary for the distribution of the Bulk Mailers 1BL through 2BL including cost 

of collating all required items (as specified) in proper sequence insertion of all items into mail-out envelope, 

shrink-film wrapping, shipping containers, pallets, all packing materials, and delivery of the bulk shipments 

in accordance with these specifications. 

 

 Inserting all required materials into mail-out envelopes, packing, and 

 sealing shipping containers (1BL through 2BL) ........................................ per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

 

 ______________ 

(Initials) 
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 56 of 57 

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VIII. CERTIFIED/REGISTERED MAIL: Prices offered must include the cost of any and all additional 

materials (i.e., paper, envelopes, printing, labels, etc.) and operations necessary to complete the 

Certified/Registered mail and provide to the USPS. This price is in addition to the SCHEDULE OF 

PRICING for Items I. through VI. listed above. 

 Certified/Registered mailing .................................................................. per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

LOCATION OF POST OFFICE: All mailing will be made from the __________________________________ 

Post Office located at Street Address _____________________________________________________________, 

City_____________________________, State___________________________, Zip Code __________________ 

 ______________ 

(Initials)
Medicare (Part D Subsidy) Notices Page 57 of 57 

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 SHIPMENTS: Shipments will be made from: City ________________________ State ____________________.

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

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

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

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

shipping costs incurred. 

DISCOUNTS: Discounts are offered for payment as follows: ___________ Percent ___________ Calendar 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bidder _____________________________________________________________________________________ 

 (Contractor’s Name) (GPO Contractor’s Code) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

(Street Address) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

(City – State – Zip Code) 

By _________________________________________________________________________________________ 

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

 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 (Printed Name) (Telephone Number) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 (Email) (Fax Number) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

THIS SECTION FOR GPO USE ONLY 

Certified by: __________ Date: __________ Contracting Officer: __________ Date: __________ 

 (Initials) (Initials) 

___________________________________________________________________________________________