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A B CD E F G H I J K L M

Program No 0278‐S Term DATE OF AWARD To 07/31/2017

TITLE: Title XVI Notices (Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Daily and COLA Notices‐ Part 1)

Basis of

Item No. Description AwardI. Composition:

Envelopes......................................................................................per envelope 4 $ 100.00 400.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 50.00 200.00 $ 150.00 600.00

II. PROOFS:(a) Envelopes:PDF Soft Proof..........................................................per envelope 4 $ 10.00 40.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 50.00 200.00 NC ‐

(b) Pamphlets: Digital One‐piece Composite Laminated halftone

Proof.............................................................................per trim/page‐size unit 300 $ 12.00 3,600.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 50.00 15,000.00 $ 5.00 1,500.00

© Pamphlets: Press Quality PDF Soft Proof..............per trim/page‐size unit 100 $ 10.00 1,000.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 50.00 5,000.00 $ 3.00 300.00

III. PREPRODUCTION TESTS:(a) Wire Transmission Test (Daily/COLA Notices)................................per test 1 $ 500.00 500.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 250.00 250.00 $ 350.00 350.00

(b) Payment Stub Validation Test (Daily Notice)..................................per test 1 $ 500.00 500.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 250.00 250.00 $ 1,500.00 1,500.00

© COLA Validation Test.............................................................................per test 1 $ 500.00 500.00 NC ‐ NC ‐ $ 250.00 250.00 $ 13,500.00 13,500.00

IV. PROCESSING/FORMATTING FILES:

Processing/Formatting Files...........................................................per mailer 17 $ 250.00 4,250.00 $ 250.00 4,250.00 NC ‐ $ 400.00 6,800.00 $ 175.00 2,975.00

V. PRINTING/IMAGING, BINDING, AND CONSTRUCTION:

1.00 Daily Notices ‐

(a) *Daily Makeready/Setup Charge....................................................................... 250 $ 200.00 50,000.00 $ 256.70 64,175.00 NC ‐ $ 450.00 112,500.00 $ 285.00 71,250.00

(b) Notices: Printing face and back in black ink only, including binding

..............................................................................................per 1000 envelopes 54,725 $ 30.00 1,641,750.00 $ 8.42 460,784.50 $ 14.00 766,150.00 $ 22.00 1,203,950.00 $ 12.75 697,743.75

(d) Mail‐out Envelope (6‐1/8 x 9‐1/2")(including COLA Mailer 3): Printing

in black ink, including contruction................................per 1000 envelopes 10,943 $ 90.00 984,870.00 $ 10.28 112,494.04 NC ‐ $ 10.13 110,852.59 $ 9.05 99,034.15

(d) Mail‐out Envelope (9 x 12"): Printing in black ink, including contruction

.............................................................................................per 1000 envelopes 560 $ 130.00 72,800.00 $ 24.90 13,944.00 NC ‐ $ 24.30 13,608.00 $ 22.46 12,577.60

€ Business Reply Envelope (3‐7/8 x 8‐7/8"): Printing in black ink,

including construction..................................................per 1000 envelopes 1,300 $ 60.00 78,000.00 $ 7.13 9,269.00 NC ‐ $ 5.94 7,722.00 $ 8.31 10,803.00

(f) Spraying/Imaging of SSA Field Office Addresses on Mail‐out Envelopes

(including COLA Mailer 3)..............................................per 1000 envelopes 11,503 $ 30.00 345,090.00 $ 0.81 9,317.43 $ 2.50 28,757.50 $ 10.00 115,030.00 $ 1.95 22,430.85

(g) Saddle‐stitched Pamplets: Printing in two ink colors, including binding

......................................................................................................per 1000 pages 38,520 $ 4.50 173,340.00 $ 1.88 72,417.60 $ 1.50 57,780.00 $ 2.73 105,159.60 $ 3.00 115,560.00

2.00 COLA Notices ‐ 

(a) *Daily Makeready/Setup Charge....................................................................... 16 $ 250.00 4,000.00 $ 291.50 4,664.00 NC ‐ $ 400.00 6,400.00 $ 285.00 4,560.00

(b) Notices: Printing face and back in black ink only, including binding

......................................................................................................per 1000 leaves 22,000 $ 30.00 660,000.00 $ 8.50 187,000.00 $ 14.00 308,000.00 $ 22.00 484,000.00 $ 12.75 280,500.00

© Mail‐out Envelope (Mailers 1,2,4 and 5) (6‐1/8 x 9‐1/2"):

Printing in black ink, including construction...............per 1000 envelopes 5,122 $ 90.00 460,980.00 $ 12.22 62,590.84 NC ‐ $ 25.33 129,740.26 $ 11.54 59,107.88

VI. PAPER:(a) Notices (8‐1/2 x 11"): White Offset Book (50‐lb.)...............per 1000 leaves 76,725 $ 5.50 421,987.50 $ 6.10 468,022.50 $ 6.00 460,350.00 $ 8.10 621,472.50 $ 6.89 528,635.25

(b) Pamphlets (5‐1/4 x 8") White Offset Book (60‐lb.)............per 1000 leaves 19,260 $ 3.00 57,780.00 $ 4.93 94,951.80 $ 4.00 77,040.00 $ 5.27 101,500.20 $ 5.80 111,708.00

© Mail‐out Envelopes (6‐1/8 x 9‐1/2"): White Wove (24‐lb.),

or at contractors option, White Offset (60‐lb.)..................per 1000 leaves 16,065 $ 2.00 32,130.00 $ 10.28 165,148.20 $ 23.00 369,495.00 $ 15.19 244,027.35 $ 11.86 190,530.90

(d) Mail‐out Envelopes (9 x 12"): White Wove (24‐lb.),

or at contractors option, White Offset (60‐lb.)..................per 1000 leaves 560 $ 3.25 1,820.00 $ 24.99 13,994.40 $ 55.00 30,800.00 $ 36.45 20,412.00 $ 34.27 19,191.20

€ Business Reply Envelope (3‐7/8 x 8‐7/8"): Golden Stock (20‐lb.)

......................................................................................................per 1000 leaves 1,300 $ 6.00 7,800.00 $ 7.13 9,269.00 $ 21.00 27,300.00 $ 8.91 11,583.00 $ 7.84 10,192.00

VII. INSERTING AND MAILING:

1.00 Daily Notices ‐

(a) Mailers 2 through 11:

Personalized notice, mail‐out envelope with variable return address

and any required inserts......................................................per 1000 mailers 11,493 $ 35.00 402,255.00 $ 35.26 405,243.18 $ 10.00 114,930.00 $ 54.90 630,965.70 $ 13.03 149,753.79

(b) Mailers 12 and 13:

Personalized Notice (Certified and Registered Mail file) mail‐out

envelope with variable return address and any required inserts

................................................................................................per 1000 mailers 7 $ 25.00 175.00 $ 800.00 5,600.00 $ 350.00 2,450.00 $ 702.90 4,920.30 $ 13.03 91.21

2.00 COLA Notices ‐ 

(a) Mailers 1 and 2:

Personalized Notice and double window mail‐out envelope

...............................................................................................per 1000 mailers 201 $ 25.00 5,025.00 $ 11.28 2,267.28 $ 10.00 2,010.00 $ 60.39 12,138.39 $ 11.84 2,379.84

(b) Mailer 3:

Personalized Notice (Certified and Registered Mail file) and mail‐out

envelope with variable return address........................per 1000 mailers 3 $ 20.00 60.00 $ 800.00 2,400.00 $ 350.00 1,050.00 $ 2,811.60 8,434.80 $ 13.03 39.09

© Mailers 4 and 5:

Personalized Notice and double window mail‐out envelope

..............................................................................................per 1000 mailers 4,921 $ 25.00 123,025.00 $ 11.28 55,508.88 $ 10.00 49,210.00 $ 60.39 297,179.19 $ 11.84 58,264.64

VIII. CERTIFIED/REGISTERED MAIL:

Certified/Registered mailing...........................per 1000 complete mailers 10 $ 100.00 1,000.00 $ 100.00 1,000.00 $ 1,000.00 10,000.00 $ 800.00 8,000.00 $ 5,868.00 58,680.00

CONTRACTOR TOTALS 5,534,677.50 2,224,311.65 2,305,322.50 4,277,545.88 2,523,758.15

DISCOUNT 2.00% 110,693.55 0.25% 5,560.78 1.00% 23,053.23 0.00% ‐ 1.00% 25,237.58

DISCOUNTED TOTALS 5,423,983.95 2,218,750.87 2,282,269.27 4,277,545.88 2,498,520.57

SUMMIT FM/DIRECT MAIL, INC

SUWANEE, GA MIAMISBURG, OH DALLAS, TX

Gray Graphics

Capitol Heights, MD

NPC

Claysburg, PA

PINNACLE DATA SYSTEMS, LLC. SOURCELINK OHIO, LLC
Page 1 of 2

January 6, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC 

www.gpo.gov 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 RE: PROGRAM 278-S SPECIFICATIONS AMENDED 

Bid opening date remains January 13, 2016.

Program 278-S is hereby amended to the extent that the schedule for the contractor submission and Government review of 

the System Security Plan and the Security Assessment Package is added as specified below. 

On pages 6 and 7, under “SSA EXTERNAL SERVICE PROVIDERS SECURITY REQUIREMENTS,” paragraph (e), add 

the following language: 

The prospective contractor is to furnish the System Security Plan within five (5) workdays of being notified to do so by 

the Contracting Officer or his/her representative. (NOTE: The System Security Plan is to be submitted in conjunction 

with the “PRODUCTION PLANS” as specified on page 10 of 61.) 

This plan is 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 this plan. If the Government requests additional 

information after review of the System Security Plan, the contractor must submit updated plans within two (2) workdays 

of request. 

Once the System Security Plan has been approved and contract award is made, the awarded contractor is to furnish the 

Security Assessment Package within 10 workdays of contract award. 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the Security Assessment Package within 10 

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 Security Assessment Package is disapproved by the Government, the Government, at its option, may require the 

contractor to submit an updated package for review, within five (5) workdays of notification to do so and under the 

terms and conditions specified in the notice of rejection. Such additional packages shall be furnished, and necessary 

changes made, at no additional cost to the Government. The Government will require the time specified above to review 

any updated packages. 

In the event that the updated package is 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. 

CO Initials
Page 2 of 2

AMENDMENT NO. 1 RE: PROGRAM 278-S SPECIFICATIONS AMENDED 

Balance of specifications remains the same. 

Acknowledge on bid or amend bid by letter to the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Bid Section, Room C-848, Stop: 

PPSGB, Washington, DC 20401, M/F: Program number, bid opening date and time. Facsimile amended bids/letters in 

response to this amendment are permitted. Facsimile bids/letters may be submitted directly to the GPO Bid Section, Fax 

No. (202) 512-1782. The program number and bid opening date and time must be specified with the amended 

bid/letter. Refer to Amendments to Solicitations in the Solicitation Provisions of GPO Contract Terms, GPO Publication 

310.2, as revised June 2001. Hand delivered amended bids/letters are to be taken to: GPO Bookstore, 710 North Capitol 

Street, NW, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing Washington, DC time, Monday 

through Friday. Follow the instructions in the Bid Submission/Opening area. If further instruction or assistance is required, 

call (202) 512-0526. 

Failure to acknowledge receipt of this amendment, by amendment number, prior to bid opening date and time, may be 

reason for bid being judged nonresponsive. 

Authorized by:

JAMES A. MCWILLIAMS 

Contracting Officer 

Agency Publishing Services, DC Team 1 

Written by: mrn 
 

Program 278-S Page 1 of 61 

Specifications by MRN 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

Washington, DC 

GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS 

For the Procurement of 

Title XVI Notices (Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Daily and COLA Notices- Part 1) 

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

Social Security Administration (SSA)

Single Award

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

July 31, 2017, plus up to four (4) optional 12-month extension period(s) 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 March 31, 2016 for transmission of test files; actual production begins August 

1, 2016. 

BID OPENING: Bids shall be publicly opened at 11:00 a.m., prevailing Washington, DC, time, on January 13, 

2016. 

BID SUBMISSION: Submit bid in pre-addressed envelope furnished with solicitation or send to: U.S. 

Government Publishing Office, Bid Section, Room C-848, Stop: PPSGB, 732 North Capitol Street, NW, 

Washington, DC 20401. Facsimile bids in response to this solicitation are permitted. Facsimile bids may be 

submitted directly to the GPO Bid Section, Fax No. (202) 512-1782. The program number and bid opening date 

must be specified with the bid. Refer to Facsimile Bids in Solicitation Provisions of GPO Contract Terms, GPO 

Publication 310.2, as revised June 2001. Hand delivered bids are to be taken to: GPO Bookstore, 710 North 

Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing Washington, DC, 

time, Monday through Friday. The contractor is to follow the instructions in the Bid Submission/Opening area. If 

further instruction or assistance is required, call (202) 512-0526. 

BIDDERS, PLEASE NOTE: The products produced in this contract were formerly procured under 

Program 733-S. The specifications have been extensively revised; therefore, all bidders are cautioned to 

familiarize themselves with all provisions of these specifications before bidding. In addition, special 

attention is directed to the “Public Trust Security” and “100% Accountability of Production and Mailing” 

requirements. 

Abstracts of contract prices are available at http://www.gpo.gov/gpo/abstracts/abstract.action?region=DC. 

For information of a technical nature, call Linda Paddy at (202) 512-0310; or email lpaddy@gpo.gov. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 2 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

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. 6-01)) and GPO Contract Terms, Quality Assurance through Attributes 

Program for Printing and Binding (GPO Publication 310.1, effective May 1979 (Rev. August 2002)). 

GPO Contract Terms (GPO Publication 310.2) – http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/vendors/sfas/terms.pdf. 

GPO QATAP (GPO Publication 310.1) – http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/vendors/sfas/qatap.pdf. 

DISPUTES: GPO Publication 310.2, GPO Contract Terms, Contract Clause 5. Disputes, is hereby replaced with 

the June 2008 clause found at www.gpo.gov/pdfs/vendors/contractdisputes.pdf. This June 2008 clause also 

cancels and supersedes any other disputes language currently included in existing contractual actions. 

SUBCONTRACTING: The predominant production functions are the laser/ion deposition of data at a minimum 

of 600x600dpi for notices, the printing/imaging of notices, and the inserting of items into mail-out envelopes.

Any bidder who cannot perform the predominant production functions will be declared non-responsible. 

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

NOTE: If the presorting and mailing is subcontracted, the subcontractor must have the same security clearance as 

the prime contractor. 

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, all parties 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 (page related) Attributes -- Level III. 

(b) Finishing (item related) Attributes -- Level III. 

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

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

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

(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 of 1% when run through a USPS OCR Scanner. 

(d) Exception: ANSI X3.17 “Character Set for Optical Character Recognition (OCR A)” shall apply to these 

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

which shall apply. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 3 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

(e) Exception: The payment portion below the micro-perforation on the “payment stub” (Daily notice Mailers 

4. 5, 12, and 13), once detached, will be scanned and must function properly when processed through the 

current high speed scanning equipment at SSA. A form is a reject and will be considered a major defect 

when its OCR print cannot be correctly deciphered on the first pass through the scanning equipment (See 

“PRINTING/IMAGING, “PAYMENT STUB NOTICES” and “NOTE” paragraphs specified herein for 

additional information regarding perforated payment stub.) 

NOTE: Use of equipment or ink which in any way adversely affects the scannability of the payment stub will not 

be allowed. 

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

New York, NY 10036. 

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-8. 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: 

P-7. O.K. proofs, Average type dimension, electronic media, camera copy, manuscript copy. 

P-8. Pantone Matching System. 

OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT: The Government has the option to extend the 

term of this contract for a period of 12 months by written notice to the contractor not later than 30 days before the 

contract expires. If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this 

clause, except, the total duration of actual production 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. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 4 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

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 July 31, 2017, and the second and any succeeding period(s) will extend 

for 12 months from the end of the last preceding period, except that the length of the final period may vary. The 

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

for that period. 

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

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

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

NOTE: The term of the first contract year (base year) is expected to be approximately 18 months; however, the 

Economic Price Adjustment will be based on the date of actual production. Actual production begins August 

1, 2016. 

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 

April 30, 2016, 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 6 - 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 August 1, 2016. 

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 July 2016 will establish the base index. 

3. There shall be no price adjustment for the first three 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. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 5 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

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 VI. “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. 

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 shall 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 shall 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 shall 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 shall assure 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: 

SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (see Exhibit K). 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 6 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

(f) All confidential information obtained from SSA for use in the performance of this contract shall, 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 shall 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 right to conduct on-site visits to review the contractor’s documentation and inhouse procedures for protection of confidential information. 

(i) If a subcontractor is used for the sorting and/or mailing of the notices of this contract, the subcontractor must 

conform to all security requirements of the contract. 

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. 

See EXHIBIT J for References for External Service Providers (ESP). 

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. 

NOTE: “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 Printing Management Branch (Exhibit K), the contractor 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) Solutions classified as Cloud Service Providers (CSP) must adhere to additional FedRAMP security control 

requirements. 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. 

NOTE: A Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) is an organization that has been certified to help 

cloud service providers and Government agencies meet FedRAMP compliance regulations. Accredited 

3PAOs can be found at https://www.fedramp.gov/marketplace/accredited-3paos/. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 7 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

(e) Before SSA provides data to the contractor, the contractor shall submit a System Security Plan (SSP) which 

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 which requires the use of NIST SP 800-53, or the contractor shall provide a Security Assessment 

Package (SAP) completed by either an independent assessor or another Federal agency. 

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

security controls employed within or inherited by an information system. 

(f) SSA will consider a self-assessment of security controls for solutions that do not involve sensitive 

information or PII. 

NOTE: 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. 

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

Daily and COLA mailers. 

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. Personally identifiable information is “any information which can be 

used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, social security number, biometric 

records, etc., alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is linked or linkable 

to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc.” 

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

Daily and COLA mailers. 

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 log off 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. 

 Prohibited from having any mobile devices or cameras in sensitive areas that contain any confidential 

materials, including areas where shredding and waste management occurs. 
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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 security officer within 24 hours whenever a systems security violation is 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. The contractor 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: 

 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, 

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

This list does not encompass all failures to safeguard PII 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 Contracting Officer or the contract 

administrator. 

PUBLIC TRUST SECURITY REQUIREMENTS: This contract has been designated Public Trust Position 

Level 5C. Due to the sensitive nature of the information contained in the products produced under this contract, 

contractor employees performing under this contract will be subject to a thorough civil and criminal background 

check as detailed in Exhibit B, “Security and Suitability Requirements.” 

NOTE: “Performing under this contract” is defined as working on site at either an SSA facility (including 

visiting the SSA site for any reason) or having access to Government programmatic or sensitive information. 
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Upon award, the contractor must provide to SSA an applicant listing of all individuals for whom the contractor is 

requesting a suitability determination (i.e., background investigation). 

This listing should include the following: 

 the contractor’s name 

 the contract number 

 the contractor’s point of contact (CPOC) name 

 the CPOC’s contact information including email address 

 each applicant’s full name 

 each applicant’s Social Security Number (SSN) 

 each applicant’s date of birth 

 each applicant’s place of birth (must show city and state if born in the United States OR city and country if 

born outside of the U.S.) 

The contractor should submit the applicant listing upon contract award. The background investigation process 

will not start until the applicant listing is submitted. 

Contractor to submit the applicant listing via fax to CPSPM Suitability Team at (410) 966-0640, or via U.S. Mail 

to: SSA, CPSPM Suitability Team, 2601 Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235. 

Once SSA receives and reviews the applicant listing, SSA will initiate the Electronic Questionnaire for 

Investigations Process (eQIP). SSA will email notification to the CPOC that each applicant has been invited into 

the eQIP website to electronically complete their background investigation form. The CPOC will provide the 

website to the applicants to complete their eQIP form. The applicant will have up to 14 calendar days to 

complete the eQIP form. The 14-day timeframe begins once SSA notifies the CPOC of the eQIP invitation(s). 

The applicant must print the signature pages of the form (pages 7 through 9 of SF 85P, Questionnaire for Public 

Trust Positions), (Sample Form SF85P, Exhibit C), sign the signature pages, and then provide the signed 

originals to the CPOC. 

The following is a list of forms each contractor employee is responsible for completing: 

 Original signed and dated eQIP signature pages (pages 7 through 9 of SF 85P) as specified in the 

above paragraph. 

 Two (2) “Fingerprint Cards” (FD-258, Exhibit D) (NOTE: The contractor will absorb the costs for 

obtaining fingerprints). 

 One (1) “Declaration for Federal Employment” (Optional Form 306, Exhibit E). 

 One (1) “Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form (FCRA)” (Exhibit F). 

 For a non-U.S. citizen, one (1) legible photocopy of the work authorization permit and social security card. 

The CPOC must ensure all paper forms are fully completed and signed prior to submission to SSA. For new 

contract employees hired during the contract term, forms must be submitted at least 15 workdays prior to 

working under the contract. The fingerprint cards and all paper forms must be legible or typed in black ink and 

all signatures must be in black ink. There must be no “breaks” in residences or employment. SSA requires 

complete addresses, including zip codes and phone numbers. It is the responsibility of the contractor to ensure 

fingerprint cards are processed through their local police departments or other authorized finger printers. SSA 

must receive forms within 30 calendar days of signature and date. SSA will return forms not fully completed 

back to the contractor. Forms may be obtained by calling SSA Personnel Security Suitability Program Officer 

(SPO) Leslie Herman at (410) 965-4426. 
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The CPOC shall submit one cover sheet to SSA containing the names of all of the individuals for whom the 

contractor is submitting completed paperwork. This cover sheet should include the contract number, each 

applicant’s full name, each applicant’s SSN, each applicant’s date of birth, and each applicant’s place of birth. 

Contractor to submit this cover sheet, along with the completed paper forms and two FD-258 fingerprint charts 

for each applicant to: SSA, CPSPM Suitability Team, 2601 Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, MD 21235. 

SUITABILITY DETERMINATION: A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint check will be used 

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 contractor personnel unsuitable to continue performing under this 

contract. CPSPM will notify the CPOC and SSA’s Printing Management Branch (Exhibit K), of the results of 

these determinations. 

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 preaward survey of all of the contractor’s computer, 

printing, and mailing equipment which will be used on this contract or to require other evidence of technical, 

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

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 and 

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 fully functional at least 45 calendar 

days prior to the start of live production. 

PRODUCTION PLANS: 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.

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, 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. 

Backup Facility – The failure to deliver the products required under this specification 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, 

etc.) the contractor is unable to perform at said locations for a period longer than five (5) workdays, contractor 

must have a backup facility with the capability of producing the products required under this specification.

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

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

facility, and a timetable for the start of production at that facility. 
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Part of the plan must also include the transportation of Government materials from one facility to another. SSA 

has the option to install a data connection into the contractor’s backup facility. 

NOTE: All terms and conditions of this contract will 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, cover the security over the postage 

meters, and the security of 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 back-up 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 (minimum pull- first from each file and then one every 4,000 

notices) the contractor intends to utilize. The contractor will perform programming to create two (2) duplicate 

notices (Q.C. Documents) at set intervals throughout production and diverted samples at the insertion stage and 

complete the following: 

 One (1) sample will be inspected and tested by both the press crew and an independent Quality Assurance 

Technician who will evaluate compliance of diverted product to contract specifications for the duration of 

the job. 

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

pieces from each print order and shipped weekly, within three (3) workdays of completion of each print 

order, to the SSA (address to be supplied at the postaward meeting). 

The plan shall detail the actions to be taken by the contractor when either defects or missing/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. 6-01)). 

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 

120 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. 
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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 Title XVI Notices (Daily and COLA) 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 “WIRE TRANSMISSION” for additional information). The 

contractor must complete a System Plan (see Exhibit G). 

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(s) plans to use a 

consultant for either task, a resume must still be included. This plan must show that the programmer(s) is skilled 

in the handling and programming of Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) resources and files. 

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 automated 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 pick-up/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. 

NOTE: The last leaf of most notices in the Daily Mailer 4 (F4SSIEN.AON) and Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON) and 

some notices in the Mailer 12 (CERT ENG) and Mailer 13 (CERT SP/ENG) files contain a micro-perforated 

payment stub. (For bilingual Spanish/English notices, the payment stub will be on the last leaf of both the 

Spanish and the English notices. However, the payment stub/micro-perforation will not be on the same page for 

every notice because these notices have variable page counts.) The contractor will be required to identify the 

payment stub page(s) (English or Spanish/English) requiring perforation. Regarding the “select-a-perf” 

requirement, the contractor’s production plan shall explain how they will handle imaging and collating the 

required micro-perforated sheet into the proper sequence of leaves. The plan shall also detail how the 

contractor intends to meet the critical margins associated with the scanline. (See “PAYMENT STUB 

NOTICES” in SECTION 2.) 

The contractor must disclose in their production plan their intentions for the use of any subcontractors. If a 

subcontractor will be handling SSA notices, the plan must include the same information required from the 

contractor for all items contained under the “SECURITY REQUIREMENTS and “PREAWARD SURVEY.” If a 

subcontractor for any operation is added at any time after award, the contractor must submit the subcontractor’s 

proposed plans which are subject to review and approval by the Government. 
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NOTE: 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 has 15 calendar days prior to 

production to submit to the Government the new subcontractor’s information. 

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) (see Exhibit M), additional information.is also available at 

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

(5) The contractor shall submit a System Security Plan which 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 which requires the use of NIST 

SP 800-53 or the contractor shall provide a Security Assessment Package (SAP) completed by either an 

independent assessor or another Federal agency (see Exhibit J.) 

Materials: How all accountable materials will be handled throughout all phases of production. 

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

data for notices, either a separate facility dedicated to this product, or a walled-in limited access area within the 

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

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

production of sensitive SSA records will be definitively destroyed (ex., burning, pulping, shredding, macerating, 

or other suitable similar means). Electronic Records must be definitively destroyed in a manner that prevents 

reconstruction. Definitively destroying the records means the material cannot be reassembled and used in an 

inappropriate manner in violation of law and regulations. Sensitive records are records that are national security 

classified or exempted from disclosure by statue, including the Privacy Act or regulation.

The contractor, at a minimum, must crosscut shred all documents into squares not to exceed one-quarter 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. 

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. 

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 and inserts. 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. 

Any necessary equipment must arrive at least 90 calendar days prior to the start of live production, on August 1, 

2016.Contractor must submit a sample of their proposed Audit and Summary reports with the required Pre-Award 

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. 
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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 U.S.

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, and that all pages for 

each notice with the correct inserts 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 

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 piece that is 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. Exception: Due to inserting equipment limitations, the 

contractor can divert and insert by hand notices over 50 leaves. These notices, to ensure notice integrity, 

are to be scanned and collated by an automated process prior to manual handling for inserting. The 

completed mail package must then be processed through exit scanning. The event log report must show 

these as “50+ Manual.” 

(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 ensures that no missing mail pieces have been inadvertently inserted 

into another mail piece. The equipment must check the mail pieces, after insertion and verification 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 issing 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. 
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(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 file). 

(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 a 6-month period 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 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 (i.e., inserted, diverted, and reason 

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

inspection, etc.). 

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. 

(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: 

1. Job information: Job name, file date, Mailer #, 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. Volume of sequence numbers associated with an individual file by mailer number and file date that 

were inserted and date completed. 

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

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

A PDF copy of the summary report(s) and matching USPS 3607R and/or GPO 712 form(s) must be submitted to 

SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K), for each file date within two (2) workdays of 

mailing. 

NOTE: Contractor must submit a sample of their Audit and Summary Reports (see Exhibit H) with the required 

preaward production plans for approval. 
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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 an hour of 

a request via email in MS word, MS Excel, or PDF. 

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. 

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

180 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. 

Note: The Government will not, as a routine matter, 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 NOTICE PULLS FROM PRODUCTION: Due to the sensitivity of notices in this contract, 

the Government may request that the contractor remove individual notices from the production stream. When this 

occurs, the Government will supply the contractor with a list of notices to be pulled. The list will contain the 

name and address that appears in the Mail Run Data (MRD) file to identify the notices. The contractor must be 

able to run a sort to find and eliminate the notice from the production run. If the list is provided after the notice 

has been produced, the contractor must be capable of identifying the notice and pulling it from the production 

floor. 

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 wire 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 the 

Daily and COLA mailers. 

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. 

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

in attendance. 
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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 will 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. 

NOTE: 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 daily electronic “Task Order” for each job placed with the contractor. A print 

order will be issued weekly and will indicate the total number of task orders placed and 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 task orders. Orders may be issued under the contract from Date of Award 

through July 31, 2017, plus for such additional period(s) as the contract is extended. All print orders and task 

orders issued hereunder are subject to the terms and conditions of the contract. The contract shall control in the 

event of conflict with any print order or task order. Task orders 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. 

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. 
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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. 

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 

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. 
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(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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

misdemeanor and fined not more than $10,000.00. 

PAYMENTS ON PURCHASE ORDER: For processing vouchers for payment, contractor to fax the completed 

invoice to GPO by utilizing the GPO barcode coversheet program application which can be accessed at the 

following hyperlink below (contractor to follow the instructions as indicated): 

http://winapps.access.gpo.gov/fms/vouchers/barcode/instructions.html

Facsimile transmission should only be used when no samples are required with the contractor’s invoice, otherwise 

payment will be held up while the invoice is returned to the contractor for the required sample(s). 

ALL voucher packages and envelopes MUST be mailed to: U.S. Government Publishing Office, ComptrollerFMCE, Office of Financial Management, Washington, DC 20401. 

NOTE: Do not mail invoice to any other GPO Procurement Office as this will delay payment. 

Contractor must provide PDF copies of the billing payment voucher form 1034 showing amount of billing invoice 

to SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). 
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SECTION 2. - SPECIFICATIONS

SCOPE: These specifications cover the production of mailers consisting of personalized English and bilingual 

Spanish/English personalized notices, English and Spanish pamphlet inserts, Business Reply envelopes (BRE), and 

mail-out envelopes requiring such operations as: receipt and processing of wire transmitted data; redevelopment of 

Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) resources; composition; laser/ion deposition printing/imaging of notices; 

printing of pamphlets and envelopes; binding; construction; packaging; and, distribution. 

TITLE: Title XVI Notices (Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Daily and COLA Notices- Part 1). 

GOVERNMENT TO FURNISH: 

Manuscript copy for four (4) envelopes (three (3) mail-out envelopes, and one (1) Business Reply envelope. 

Camera copy for (1) Business Reply envelope with Facing Identification Mark (FIM) and IMb Code. 

Electronic file (see “ELECTRONIC FILE”) and Samples for publications. 

“Postage and Fees Paid” mailing indicia. 

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

PS Form 3615, Mailing Permit Application and Customer Profile. 

Official Government Postage Meters. 

CASS Certification Certificate. 

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. 

Exhibit A: Form SSA-301, Contractor Personnel Security Certification. 

Exhibit B: Security and Suitability Requirements. 

Exhibit C: Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P). 

Exhibit D: Fingerprint Card. 

Exhibit E: Declaration of Federal Employment (Optional Form 306). 

Exhibit F: Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form. 

Exhibit G: System Plan. 

Exhibit H: Audit and Summary Reports 

Exhibit I: MRD File Specifications 

Exhibit J: References for External Service Providers (ESP). 

Exhibit K: Key SSA and GPO Personnel Contact Information 

Exhibit L: COLA Production spreadsheet 

Exhibit M: Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 

ELECTRONIC FILES: 

All files will be electronically transmitted to the contractor and contain a complete record for each notice. Any 

programming or other format changes necessitated due to the contractor’s method of production will be the full 

responsibility of the contractor and must be completed prior to SSA’s validation. All files transmitted by SSA 

will be physical sequential Advanced Function Presentation mixed mode. Any alteration of the notice content in 

the file is not permitted. The contractor must not merge file dates and mailers (if applicable) during processing, 

printing/imaging, and mailing. 
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The Government will furnish test files for performing the preproduction press and mail run test. 

NOTE: The contractor must not compress files in processing data for this contract. 

The contractor will receive three (3) files for each print file: the Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) file, the 

Mail Run Data (MRD) file and the Banner (BNR) file. Similar to the following: 

AFP file = vendor***.SSIAFP.M01xaaaaa.Ryymmdd 

MRD file = vendor***.SSIMRD.M01xaaaaa.Ryymmdd 

BNR file = vendor***.SSIBNR.M01xaaaaa.Ryymmdd

The notice files for printing are formatted for the AFP printing platform in duplex printing (face and back). For 

proper processing of AFP, SSA supplies resources used for printing notices in AFP format. The contractor must 

have software or an operating system which is 100% compliant with the most recent release of the IBM MVS 

z/OS operating system accompanied by the most recent release of IBM Print Services Facility (PSF). These 

compliances relate solely to interpreting and printing files to be provided to the contractor by SSA to ensure that 

the contractor is able to print the files as provided without alteration of any kind on the part of SSA. 

It is solely the contractor’s responsibility to redevelop/reprogram the AFP resources and MRD File to 

ensure proper printing and inserting in their environment. 

NOTE: SSA prints 2UP DUPLEX ROLL IN TO ROLL OUT with the file order reversed for insertion. The 

predominant data file format is AFP Mixed Mode; however, any valid AFP format is possible and must be 

printable at the contractor’s location. Each piece of mail will be assigned a unique alpha/numeric identifier for 

tracking, insertion, location, and recovery processes. 

The MRD File will contain all information relevant to each mail piece. This would include, for each mail piece, 

the unique alpha/numeric identifier (the sequential number of the document), the number of sheets of paper, 

required inserts and insertion bin selection, recipient’s address, return address to be sprayed/imaged on the mail 

piece’s mail-out envelope for the Daily notices, USPS IMb, the appropriate signature, and any required inserts. 

(NOTE: Notices contain either the Commissioner of Social Security signature or a fixed “Social Security 

Administrations” in lieu of a signature, etc. (See Exhibit I for MRD File record layout.) 

The BNR file contains information for setting up the intelligent inserters such as file totals, number of mail 

packets, and bin set up for those items being included in the mail packets, and the total required in each bin. 

The contractor will receive an electronic daily task order each morning after transmission with the volumes for 

notices, leaves, pages, and any inserts required. 

NOTE: Whenever the contractor makes a change in the programming, the contractor will be required to 

execute a self-certification statement specifying the date of the last programming change. Prior notification of 

a programming change is required in addition to the self-certification statement for the contractor to schedule 

a validation test with SSA. 

Prior to the commencement of production of orders placed under this contract, the Government will furnish 

preproduction electronic test files shortly after the postaward conference that are to be used in performing the 

various preproduction validation tests and the Daily Notices and COLA/Daily Notices Preproduction Press and 

Mail Run Tests. 

Files will be in print image format and in ZIP Code sequence. Contractor will be required to sort files as necessary 

to obtain maximum USPS Postal discounts (i.e., leaf counts or mail weight). 
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PRINTER RESOURCES: AFP 

SSA will provide the AFP resources for each notice workload. These resources will be provided via e-mail shortly 

after the postaward conference. (The test files are to be used in the various preproduction validation tests and the 

preproduction print/mail run tests. See the following: “PAYMENT STUB VALIDATION TEST”; “WIRE 

TRANSMISSION TEST – Daily/COLA NOTICES”; “PREPRODUCTION PRESS AND MAIL RUN TEST – 

Daily Notices”; and, “PREPRODUCTION PRESS AND MAIL RUN TEST – COLA/Daily Notices.”) 

 

For proper processing of AFP resources supplied to the contractor by SSA (used for printing notices in AFP 

format), the contractor must have software or an operating system which is 100% compliant with the most recent 

release of the IBM MVS z/OS operating system accompanied by the most recent release of IBM Print Services 

Facility (PSF). These compliances relate solely to interpreting and printing files to be provided to the contractor 

by SSA to ensure that the contractor is able to print the files as provided without alteration of any kind on the part 

of SSA. It is solely the contractor’s responsibility to redevelop/reprogram the AFP resources to ensure the proper 

printing in their environment. 

NOTE: SSA prints 2UP DUPLEX, ROLL IN TO ROLL OUT with file order reversed for insertion. The 

predominant data file format is AFP Mixed Mode. However, any valid AFP format is possible and must be 

printable at the contractor’s location. 

The contractor will be responsible for maintaining the AFP resources on each system that processes SSA’s 

notices. SSA will provide updated resources electronically, as necessary. When the contractor receives an update 

to the printer resources, the contractor shall install them immediately and provide SSA with 100 sample 

documents representative of the workload involved, from the test file, within one (1) workday of receipt thereof. 

Contractor is to continue using existing resources while the samples are reviewed. Once the samples are approved, 

the contractor will be told when to start using the new resources. Whenever testing is required, the contractor will 

be responsible for performing the test on each printer that processes SSA’s notices. Submit these samples to SSA, 

Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). 

The contractor is cautioned that there may be a signature change(s) during the term of this contract. If this occurs, 

SSA will provide the contractor with a new AFP resource file. (See “SYSTEMS CHANGE/SIGNATURE 

CHANGE/2% COLA TEST FILE/NEW AND EXISTING NOTICE FILES VALIDATION TEST”.) 

SSA’s Printing Management Branch will notify the contractor of these changes as soon as possible. Upon 

successful testing of the changes, SSA shall transmit the new print resources (if necessary) and resume 

transmission of the notice file(s). 

Government to provide the following at the Postaward Conference, or shortly thereafter: 

Print Resource Library (AFP) via Email: Advanced Function Presentation resources including page and form 

definitions, fonts, page segments and overlays (if applicable) for page formatting. 

NOTE: The resource file will contain all fonts except licensed fonts, required to print this file. SSA will supply 

any customized fonts. It is the contractor’s responsibility to provide all licensed fonts necessary for printing. 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test Files for Wire Transmission: An AFP formatted print file with the 

corresponding Mail Run Data File and Banner file will be supplied for workload in the quantities required. 

Revised Resource Library (AFP) via Email (when applicable): AFP print resources, overlays, page segments, 

and non-standard fonts provided shortly after the postaward conference may change during the term of the 

contract, in which case SSA will provide revised AFP resource file(s) via email to the contractor as a 

replacement(s). 
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The contractor is cautioned that there may be a signature change(s) during the term of this contract. If this occurs, 

SSA will provide the contractor with a new AFP resource file. 

Dataset (SSI File Transfer) names for the following items are: Daily Notices for Wire Transmission and COLA 

Notices for Wire Transmission. 

Daily Files:

 Mailer (File Name) Dataset (SSA File Transfer) Name 

Mailer 1 (Reserved): 

Mailer 2 (F6SSIEN.OTH): SSIAFP.M02aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 3 (F6SSISP.OTH): SSIAFP.M03aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 4 (F4SSIEN.AON): SSIAFP.M04aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON): SSIAFP.M05aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 6 (F2SSIEN.AWD): SSIAFP.M06aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 7 (F2SSISP.AWD): SSIAFP.M07aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 8 (F3SSIEN.DEN): SSIAFP.M08aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 9 (F3SSISP.DEN): SSIAFP.M09aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 10 (F1SSIEN.NPA): SSIAFP.M10aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 11(F1SSISP.NPA): SSIAFP.M11aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 12 (F7SSIEN.CRT): SSIAFP.M12aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

Mailer 13 (F7SSISP.CRT): SSIAFP.M13aaaaa.Ryymmdd 

(Throughout the remainder of these specifications, Mailer 12 will be referred to as “CERT ENG” and Mailer 13 

will be referred to as “CERT SP/ENG.”)

NOTE: The file names/dataset names for each new notice workload (Mailer 14) will be supplied to the contractor 

as they are developed. 

COLA Files: 

 Mailer (File Name) Dataset (SSA File Transfer) Name

Mailer 1 (F1SSIEN.NPA): COLAFP.M1saaaaa.Ryymmdd (50 Files) 

Mailer 2 (F1SSISP.NPA): COLAFP.M2saaaaa.Ryymmdd (50 Files) 

Mailer 3 (CERTIFIED/REGISTERED): COLAFP.M3saaaaa.Ryymmdd (3 Files) 

Mailer 4 (F6SSIEN.OTH): COLAFP.M4saaaaa.Ryymmdd (50 Files) 

Mailer 5 (F6SSISP.OTH): COLAFP.M5saaaaa.Ryymmdd (50 Files 

Vendor = is the vendor identifier. This is assigned when the transmission connectivity is installed. 

aaaaa = is the order ID assigned by Control-M at run time. This is used to build the unique identifier for the file. 

yymmdd = is the year, month, and day of the file being transmitted. This is also referred to as the run date. 

M = is the mailer identifier. (Mailer # is the two digits that follow the M, except for COLA notices where it is only 

the next digit. 

NOTE: For COLA notices, s = segment number. There are five (5) files for Mailers 1, 2, 4, and 5 consisting of 10 

segments in each file. The segments are coded as A through J for a total of 50 files per mailer. Mailer 3 will consist 

of three (3) files. 
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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. 

Contractor must have programmer(s) capable of handling AFP resources. 

WIRE 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 dial-up 

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. 

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 wire 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. 

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. 
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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. 

NOTE: 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, 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. 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. 

The contractor will be required to provide server(s) to ensure the successful and uninterrupted simultaneous 

transmission of both the COLA and Daily files. This server(s) must be of a size large enough to handle each 

workload. 

The following are the average size for each complete transmission: 

 Daily files – 2 to 3 Gigabytes 

 COLA files – 175 Gigabytes. 

Prior to award, the contractor must demonstrate their ability to handle these workloads without interruption. After 

award and prior to live production, the contractor will be required to receive simultaneous transmissions of COLA 

and Daily files. If during this demonstration, the contractor is unable to successfully receive simultaneous and 

uninterrupted transmissions of the COLA and Daily files, the Government may terminate for default the contract 

immediately. If the contractor is awarded multiple SSA notice workloads, there must be sufficient capacity at the 

contractor’s production facility to accept transmission of all files according to their schedules. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 27 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

It is the contractor’s responsibility to notify SSA in the event that any transmission cannot be processed due to 

media problems, link problems or data transmission circuit/connection outages, the contractor shall immediately 

notify SSA’s HELP DESK operations (available 24/7) at (877) 697-4889 and report required observations and 

findings. 

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. 

SECURE FILE TRANSER PROTOCOLS (SFTP) SITE: Contractor is required to set up, establish, and 

maintain an SFTP site that multiple users at SSA can access for passing PDF notice validation samples containing 

PII to SSA and back. Contractor cannot send PDF notices with PII via email. 

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. Unique alpha/numeric identifiers will be part of the 

record to ensure accuracy in the insertion process. All files transmitted by SSA will be physical sequential 

Advanced Function Presentation mixed mode. Any alteration of the notice content in the file is not permitted. 

FOR QUALITY CONTROL AND AUDITING PURPOSES: For quality control and auditing purposes, the 

contractor must not merge different file dates or Mailers with different mailing schedules during processing, 

printing, and mailing. 

MAKE-UP OF DAILY NOTICE MAILERS: 

Mailer 1 (RESERVED) 

Mailer 2 (F6SSIEN.OTH) Personalized English Forms SSA-L8100/L8151/L8165/L8166/L8199 

 English pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10076) (as required) 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 3 (F6SSISP.OTH) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Forms 

 SSA 8100/L8151/L8165/L8166/L8199 

English pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10076) (as required) 

Spanish pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10976) (as required) 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 4 (F4SSIEN.AON) Personalized English Forms SSA-L8170/L8171/L8172 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

 Perf page (as required) 

Business Reply envelope (as required) 

Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Forms SSA-L8170/L8171/L8172 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

 Perf pages (as required) 

Business Reply envelope (as required) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 28 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 6 (F2SSIEN.AWD) Personalized English Form SSA-L8025 

 English pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-11011 and No. 05-10076) (as required) 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 7 (F2SSISP.AWD) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8025 

 English pamphlets (SSA Publication No. 05-11011 and No. 05-10076) (as required) 

 Spanish pamphlets (SSA Publication No. 05-11024 and No. 05-10976) (as 

required) 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 8 (F3SSIEN.DEN) Personalized English Form SSA-L8030 

 Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 9 (F3SSISP.DEN) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8030 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 10 (F1SSIEN.NPA) Personalized English Form SSA-L8155 

English pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10076) (as required) 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 11 (F1SSISP.NPA) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8155 

English pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10076) (as required) 

Spanish pamphlet (SSA Publication No. 05-10976) (as required) 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address 

Mailer 12 (CERT ENG) Personalized English Notices 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address and any combination of inserts 

Business Reply envelope (as required) 

Perf pages (as required) 

English pamphlets SSA Publication No. 05-11011 and No. 05-10076) (as required) 

Mailer 13 (CERT SP/ENG) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Notices 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address and any combination of inserts 

Business Reply envelope (as required) 

Perf pages (as required) 

English pamphlets (SSA Publication No. 05-11011 and No. 05-10076) (as required) 

Spanish pamphlets (SSA Publication No. 05-11024 and No. 05-10976) (as 

required) 

Mailer 14 (New Notice) Personalized English only or Bilingual Spanish/English Notices (File Names(s) 

Mail-out envelope with variable return address (to be determined) 

When required, any of the following: English-only pamphlet, Spanish and English 

pamphlets, and/or Business Reply envelope. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 29 of 61 

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TRIM SIZES OF DAILY NOTICES: 

Notices: 8-1/2 x 11” flat size (folding down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”). 

Mail-out Envelopes: 6-1/8 x 9-1/2”, plus flap; 9 x 12”, plus flap (single window). 

Business Reply Envelopes: 3-7/8 x 8-7/8”, plus flap. 

Pamphlets: 5-1/4 x 8”. (Pamphlets consist of SSA Publications 05-11011, 05-10076, 05-11024 and 05-10976.) 

NUMBER OF LEAVES OF DAILY NOTICES AND INSERTS: 

Notices: Approximately 1 to 75 leaves per notice. 

Pamphlets: 

SSA Publication 05-11011: Approximately 28 pages. 

SSA Publication 05-11024: Approximately 32 pages. 

SSA Publication 05-10076: Approximately 20 pages. 

SSA Publication 05-10976: Approximately 20 pages. 

FREQUENCY OF ORDERS AND QUANTITY FOR THE DAILY NOTICES: 

The Government will issue a print order weekly and will indicate the total number of task orders placed and total 

number of copies produced that week. The print order will also indicate any other information pertinent to the 

particular task orders. 

Combined Total for Daily Notices (Mailers 2 through 13): Approximately 11,500,000 notices per year. 

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

requirements as the mailing packages described by these specifications. All terms and conditions in these 

specifications will apply to any future notice workloads. The Government may add one (1) to three (3) new notice 

workloads during the term of this contract. 

The Government reserves the right to increase or decrease the quantity by up to 20% of the total notices ordered 

annually. This 20% includes the additional notices occasioned by the one (1) to three (3) new notice workloads 

developed during the term of this contract. 

Exact quantities will not be known until each run (Title XVI Daily) is electronically transmitted to the contractor. 

NO SHORTAGES WILL BE ALLOWED. 

The figures indicated below are estimates based on historical data of past production runs. The figures show: 

minimum and maximum quantities, and of those the minimum and maximum quantities over 10 leaves for each run 

required DAILY, if applicable. 

Transmission schedule for DAILY Runs is each morning, Tuesday through Saturday. NOTE: This is the 

anticipated schedule; delays and changes to schedule may occur. Contractor must be prepared to receive files 

24/7/365. 

NOTE: Notices that range from 1 to 10 leaves are to be placed in a 6-1/8 x 9-1/2” envelope. Notices that exceed 10 

leaves are to be placed in a 9 x 12” envelope. Mailers 2 through 13 all use a single window envelope with 

sprayed/imaged return address. All pamphlet inserts are variable and described above. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 30 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 2 (F6SSIEN.OTH) Daily Minimum 3,250 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 62,000 

 Daily over 10 leaves 75 to 550 

 Printed Pages 2 to 100 

 Leaves 1 to 50 

 Insert (variable) English Pamphlet (05-10076) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 3 (F6SSISP.OTH) Daily Minimum 165 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 9,500 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 10 to 350 

 Printed Pages 4 to 130 

 Leaves 2 to 65 

 Insert (variable) Spanish and English Pamphlet 

 (05-10076 and 05-10976) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 4 (F4SSIEN.AON) Daily Minimum 1,100 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 13,500 

 Printed Pages 8 to 20 

 Leaves 4 to 10 

 Insert (variable) Business Reply Envelope 

 Folding Bifold 

Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON) Daily Minimum 80 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 1,000 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 45 

 Printed Pages 18 to 40 

 Leaves 9 to 20 

 Insert (variable) Business Reply Envelope 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 6 (F2SSIEN.AWD) Daily Minimum 450 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 5,000 

 Daily over 10 leaves 60 to 1,300 

 Printed Pages 6 to 92 

 Leaves 3 to 46 

 Insert (variable) English Pamphlets 

 (05-11011 and 05-10076) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 7 (F2SSISP.AWD) Daily Minimum 50 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 410 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 50 to 410 

 Printed Pages 12 to 140 

 Leaves 6 to 70 

 Insert (variable) Spanish and English Pamphlets 

 (05-11011, 05-10076, 05-11024, and 05-10976) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 31 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 8 (F3SSIEN.DEN) Daily Minimum 450 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 2,600 

 Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 20 

 Printed Pages 4 to 70 

 Leaves 2 to 35 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 9 (F3SSISP.DEN) Daily Minimum 30 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 350 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 5 to 410 

 Printed Pages 8 to 100 

 Leaves 4 to 50 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 10 (F1SSIEN.NPA) Daily Minimum 2,100 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 58,000 

 Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 720 

 Printed Pages 4 to 100 

 Leaves 2 to 50 

 Insert (variable) English Pamphlets (05-10076) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 11 (F1SSISP.NPA) Daily Minimum 120 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 7,400 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 340 

 Printed Pages 8 to 130 

 Leaves 4 to 65 

 Insert (variable) Spanish and English Pamphlets 

 (05-10076 and 05-10976) 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 12 (CERT ENG) Daily Minimum 5 

 (English Notices) Daily Maximum 70 

 Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 5 

 Printed Pages 2 to 70 

 Leaves 1 to 35 

 Insert (variable) English Pamphlets 

 (05-10076 and 05-11011) 

 Business Reply Envelope 

 Folding Bifold or flat 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 32 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 13 (CERT SP/ENG) Daily Minimum 0 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Daily Maximum 10 

 English Notices) Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 5 

 Printed Pages 4 to 90 

 Leaves 2 o 45 

 Insert (variable) Spanish and English Pamphlets 

 (05-11011, 05-10076, 05-11024, and 05-10976) 

 Business Reply Envelope 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

Mailer 14 (New Notice Daily Minimum 50 

 Workloads) Daily Maximum 30,000 

 (File name(s) TBD Daily over 10 leaves 1 to 100 

 English Notices or Printed Pages 1 to 60 

 Bilingual Leaves 1 to 30 

 Spanish/English Insert (variable) When required: 

 Notices) English Only Pamphlets 

 Spanish and English Pamphlets 

 Business Reply Envelope 

 Folding Bifold or flat 

NOTE: See “BINDING: Daily Notices” for folding instructions. 

DAILY RUN VOLUMES: Based on historical data, the Title XVI Notices total Daily volume (Mailers 2 through 

13 combined) per day is as follows: 

 Minimum 50,000 and maximum 175,000 notices 

 Leave count minimum 180,000 and maximum 700,000 

 Total number of notices over 10 leaves per day: minimum 1,100 and maximum 3,700 notices 

 

PREMIUM PAYMENT FOR DAILY NOTICES: When the volume of a daily run exceeds the maximum 

volume of 175,000 notices and/or 700,000 leaves, the contractor will receive a “Premium Payment.” 

Contractor will receive a premium payment of 20% for those notices and/or leaves over the maximum volume (as 

described above under “DAILY RUN VOLUMES”), on the bid prices offered as specified in the “SCHEDULE 

OF PRICES.” The premium payment of 20% will apply to line items V.1.(b) and (f) for printing and to line items 

VII.1.(a) and (b) for inserting. No additional time will be allowed for the mailing of those extra notices. All 

premium payments are forfeited if the contractor fails to meet the schedule as specified in this contract, as 

applicable. 

MAKE-UP OF TITLE XVI COLA NOTICE MAILERS*: 

Mailer 1 (F1SSIEN.NPA) Personalized English Form SSA-L8155 

 Mail-out envelope (double window) 

Mailer 2 (F1SSISP.NPA) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8155 

 Mail-out envelope (double window) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 33 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 3 (CERTIFIED/ Personalized English only or Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8155 

 REGISTERED): Mail-out envelope (single window, same as the daily Mailers 2 through 13, with 

 sprayed/imaged return address) 

Mailer 4 (F6SSIEN.OTH) Personalized English Form SSA-L8100/L8151/L8166 (as required) 

 Mail-out envelope (double window) 

Mailer 5 (F6SSISP.OTH) Personalized Bilingual Spanish/English Form SSA-L8100/L8151/L8166 (as 

required) 

 Mail-out envelope (double window) 

*NOTE: Due to future uncertain economic conditions, some years may result in no COLA. When this occurs, SSA 

will send out a 1- to 4-leaf static UNCOLA notice (up to four (4) different versions). SSA will provide the name 

and addresses as a record layout. The contractor must be able to program and set up the notices for this situation. 

Estimated total notice volumes will remain relatively unchanged. 

TRIM SIZES OF TITLE XVI COLA NOTICES:

Notices: 8-1/2 x 11” flat size (folding down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”). 

Mail-out Envelopes (Mailers 1, 2, 4, and 5): 6-1/8 x 9-1/2”, plus flap (double window). 

Mail-out Envelope (Mailer 3): 6-1/8 x 9-1/2”, plus flap (single window). 

NUMBER OF LEAVES OF TITLE XVI COLA NOTICES: Approximately 2 to 10 leaves per notice. 

FREQUENCY OF ORDERS AND QUANTITY FOR THE TITLE XVI COLA NOTICES: 

The quantities listed below are estimates only and the Government reserves the right to increase or decrease the 

quantity stated by up to 20% of the total notices. 

The Government will transmit a 2% COLA test file each year, no later than the first week of November. The 

contractor will need to breakdown the notice volumes, page, and leave counts from each of these files to estimate 

each year’s run. Exact quantities will not be known until each run is electronically transmitted to the contractor. 

NO SHORTAGES WILL BE ALLOWED. 

Combined Total for Title XVI COLA Mailers 1 through 5 for the first year run: Based on historical data, the 

Government anticipates a volume of 5,125,000 notices consisting of approximately 22,000,000 leaves and 

44,000,000 pages. 

NOTE: The Government anticipates the COLA volume will increase by up to 5% year to year. Contractor must 

be able to meet these increases within the contracted schedule. 

Mailer 1 (F1SSIEN.NPA) Minimum 150,000 

 (English Notices) Maximum 256,500 

 Printed Pages 4 to 10 

 Leaves 2 to 5 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 34 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Mailer 2 (F1SSISP.NPA) Minimum 15,000 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Maximum 40,000 

 English Notices) Printed Pages 8 to 20 

 Leaves 4 to 10 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold 

Mailer 3 (CERTIFIED/) Minimum 2,500 

 REGISTERED) Maximum 3,500 

 (English Only or Printed Pages 4 to 18 

 Bilingual Spanish/ Leaves 2 to 9 

 English Notices) Insert None 

 Folding Bifold 

Mailer 4 (F6SSIEN.OTH) Minimum 4,250,000 

 (English Notices) Maximum 4,750,000 

 Printed Pages 4 to 12 

 Leaves 2 to 6 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold 

Mailer 5 (F6SSISP.OTH) Minimum 325,000 

 (Bilingual Spanish/ Maximum 450,000 

 English Notices) Printed Pages 8 to 20 

 Leaves 4 to 10 

 Insert None 

 Folding Bifold 

COLA VOLUMES: Based on historical data, the Title XVI COLA total volumes for each year for the following 

three sets are as follows: 

 

Mailers 1 and 2: Notices minimum 165,000, maximum 296,500 notices; leaves minimum 750,000 and maximum 

1,250,000. 

Mailer 3: Notices minimum 2,500, maximum 3,500; leaves minimum 10,000, maximum 16,250. 

Mailers 4 and 5: Notices minimum 4,575,000 and maximum 5,200,000 notices; leaves minimum 16,900,000 and 

maximum 21,000,000. 

NOTE: Due to uncertain economic conditions, some years may result in no COLA. When this happens, SSA will 

send out a 1- to 3-leaf static UNCOLA notice (up to four (4) different versions). Total COLA volumes will remain 

unchanged but total leave count will fall to a maximum of 10,400,000. 

PREMIUM PAYMENTS FOR COLA NOTICES: Contractor will receive a premium payment of 20% on the 

bid prices offered as specified in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES”, for only those notices and/or leaves over the 

maximum volumes for that set(s) as described above under “COLA VOLUMES.” The Premium payment of 20% 

will apply to line item V.2.(b) and (c) for printing and to line items VII.2.(a), (b), and (c) for inserting. No 

additional time will be allowed for the mailing of those extra notices except as outlined in the schedule (see “Title 

XVI COLA Schedule: Mailers 4 and 5”). Premium payment(s) are forfeited if the contractor fails to meet the 

schedule specified in this contract, as applicable. For an UNCOLA run, premium payments will occur after 

volumes reach 5,500,000 notices and 11,000,000 leaves 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 35 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

PREPRODUCTION TESTS: Prior to the commencement of production of orders placed under this contract, the 

contractor will be required to demonstrate their ability to perform to the contract requirements by performing the 

following tests: 

Wire Transmission Test (Daily/COLA Notices) 

Payment Stub Validation Test (Daily Notices) 

COLA Validation Test 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test 

System Change/Signature Change/New and Existing Notice Files Validation Test 

The Government will furnish electronic test files at the postaward conference, or shortly thereafter, to be used in 

performing a Preproduction Validation Tests and Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test. 

NOTE: Failure of the contractor to perform any of the tests listed above satisfactorily is grounds for immediate 

default. 

The Government reserves the right to waive the requirements of any of these tests. Contractor will be notified at 

the postaward conference if any test(s) is to be waived. 

Wire Transmission Test (Daily/COLA Notices): After the appropriate bandwidth connection has been installed, 

and prior to receiving wire transmission of live production data files, the contractor will be required to perform a 

wire transmission test. SSA will conduct this test on a date and time at SSA’s choosing due to other schedules. It is 

anticipated that this test will occur on a weekend and start during the night. 

The contractor will be required to receive within one (1) workday up to 158,100 Daily notices and up to 5,500,000 

COLA notices. These two workloads will be sent concurrently and the contractor will need to demonstrate their 

ability to receive them simultaneously. 

The contractor will be required to perform a record count verification within one (1) workday after the complete 

transmission of all notice test files. 

The contractor will be required to copy the files to their own system and provide SSA, Printing Management 

Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K) with the exact counts received (broken down by dataset name) before 

proceeding with any other processing. 

The SSA will respond immediately for verification. 

When the record count verification have been successfully completed, the contractor will be required to process the 

test files and provide SSA within 10 workdays, 20 sample documents from the wire transmission test for each of 

the Daily mailers (Mailer 2 through Mailer 13) and from each of the COLA mailers (Mailer 1 through Mailer 5). 

Wire transmission test notices (Daily/COLA Notices) do not require inserts and envelopes. (See 

“PREPRODUCTION TEST SCHEDULE, Daily/COLA Notice Wire Transmission Test.”) 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the samples from the Daily/COLA Notice 

Wire Transmission Test within two (2) 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. 

NOTE: If errors are found, 20 additional samples of each Daily notice (Mailer 2 through Mailer 13) and each 

COLA notice (Mailer 1 through Mailer 5) will be required until such time as the validation produces no errors. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 36 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Payment Stub Validation Test (Daily Notices): Prior to beginning the Daily Notice Preproduction Press and Mail 

Run Test, the contractor shall furnish SSA 40 printed notice samples (no inserts and envelopes) of Mailer 4 

(F4SSIEN.AON) and Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON) containing a payment stub for validation of the scanline. 

The micro-perforation on the payment stub page must be properly located and the payment stub must function 

properly when processed through the current high speed scanning equipment owned by SSA. A form is a reject 

when its OCR print cannot be correctly deciphered on the first pass through the specified reading equipment. 

Contractor to submit 40 samples as follows: 

20 samples to SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K) 

20 samples to an address to be determined later. 

(See “PREPRODUCTION TEST SCHEDULES, Payment Stub Validation Test.”. 

COLA Validation: Within four (4) hours of receipt of the first live COLA files, the contract will provide 40 PDF 

and 10 printed and inserted validation samples for each mailer. If the contractor is printing and inserting at more 

than one approved location, the contractor must provide samples from each site. 

NOTE: All PDFs must be sent via SFTP. 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove, the samples within five (5) workdays of 

receipt. 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. 

NOTE: If errors are found, 100 additional samples of each Mailer will be required until such time as the validation 

produces no errors. 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Tests (12- and 24-Hour Tests): 

The contractor will be required to run two separate Preproduction and Mail Run tests. The first will test the 

contractor’s ability to handle the Daily runs; the second will test the contractor’s ability to handle the COLA and 

the Daily runs concurrently. 

The Government will issue a print order to the contractor for the each Preproduction 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 “SECTION 4. - SCHEDULE OF PRICES.” If the contractor fails to meet all 

test requirements, they will not be reimbursed for any associated costs. 

Contractor must perform each of the preproduction press and mail run tests in a continuous 12- or 24-hour period 

as required to prove to the Government representatives that the contractor can satisfactorily complete the 

requirements of this contract during live production. 

NOTE: The contractor will be required to have all composition, proofing, envelopes, pamphlets, scanning 

equipment, and reports for 100% accountability of production and mailing, completed, available, and ready for 

production prior to beginning the test. 

For each test run, the contractor is to produce all notices in accordance with contract requirements consisting of the 

processing of the electronically transmitted test files; the duplex printing and imaging of notices; gathering; 

folding; inserting of notices and any required inserts; manifesting; presorting; and, preparing finished notices for 

delivery to the USPS. To simulate actual production conditions, the notices must be produced in accordance with 

all contract specifications and all USPS regulations. 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 37 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Contractor is required to provide the necessary audit and summary reports for 100% accountability of production 

and mailing within one (1) hour after the each test is completed. 

The 12- or 24-hour period for the printing process will begin when an “O.K. to Print” is given by the Government 

representative on site. The 12- or 24-hour period for the inserting and mailing process will begin within two 

(2) hours after the start of the printing to allow the contractor to print sufficient materials to begin the inserting 

process. See “SCHEDULE” for the Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test. (See “PREPRODUCTION TEST 

SCHEDULE, Daily Notice 12-Hour Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test and COLA/Daily Notice 24-hour 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test.”) 

Samples of each 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 seven (7) 

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. 

Failure to meet the requirements of either Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test (12- or 24-hour test) 

is grounds for immediate termination of the contract for default.

The contractor must perform the preproduction press and mail run tests on their equipment and using their 

personnel. The tests must be performed on the printing equipment, inserting machines with required scanning 

equipment that will be used in live production. All samples shall be manufactured at the facilities in which the 

contract production quantities are to be manufactured. 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test (Daily Notices): The contractor will be required to perform a 12-hour 

preproduction press and mail run test. The Daily files transmitted during the Daily/COLA Wire Transmission Test 

will be utilized for this 12-hour preproduction press and mail run test. The contractor will be required to print and 

prepare for mailing the Daily notices as follows: 

 

Mailer 2 31,000 

Mailer 3 4,750 

Mailer 4 7,000 

Mailer 5 500 

Mailer 6 3,000 

Mailer 7 206 

Mailer 8 2,000 

Mailer 9 200 

Mailer 10 27,000 

Mailer 11 3,350 

Mailer 12 40 

Mailer 13 4 

Total 79,050 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 38 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test (COLA/Daily Notices): The contractor will be required to perform a 24-

hour preproduction press and mail run test. The COLA/Daily files transmitted during the Daily/COLA Wire 

Transmission Test will be utilized for this 24-hour preproduction press and mail run test. 

The contractor will be required to print and prepare for the COLA notices and the Daily notices as follows: 

 COLA Notices Daily Notices 

Mailer 1 35,183 Mailer 2 31,000 

Mailer 2 7,072 Mailer 3 4,750 

Mailer 3 642 Mailer 4 7,000 

Mailer 4 282,943 Mailer 5 500 

Mailer 5 24,621 Mailer 6 3,000 

 Mailer 7 206 

Total 350,461 Mailer 8 2,000 

 Mailer 9 200 

 Mailer 10 27,000 

 Mailer 11 3,350 

 Mailer 12 40 

 Mailer 13 4 

 Total 79,050 

NOTE: The volumes (as specified above) for the Daily and COLA Notices are the anticipated quantities for each 

mailer. The quantity for any of the mailers may change, however, the overall total volumes will remain the same. 

Systems Change/Signature Change/2% COLA Test File/New and Existing Notice Files Validation Test: 

When required, the Government will furnish test files for wire transmission that are to be used in performing a 

Systems Change/Signature Change/2% COLA test file/New and Existing Notice Files Validation Test. This test is 

required whenever SSA initiates a systems/programming change, when 2% COLA test files or a new notice 

workload is developed or existing notice workload is changed. 

The contractor shall furnish 100 PDF samples. NOTE: All PDFs must be sent via SFTP. 

Once approved, the contractor will provide the same PDF samples printed and inserted in envelopes with all 

required inserts for each Mailer. 

Contractor to submit these samples to SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). 

The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove the samples within three (3) workdays of 

receipt thereof. 

The Systems Change/Signature Change/2% COLA test file/New and Existing Notice Files Validation Test shall 

occur without a break in production of other SSA notices being produced by the contractor. The Government will 

inform the contractor in advance when the regular daily wire transmissions will contain the systems changes. 

COMPOSITION: Contractor will be required to set type for four (4) envelopes. Helvetica or similar typeface will 

be utilized. 

AFP Century Schoolbook, Sonoran Serif, or equivalent fonts are to be used for producing the notices. Contractor 

must provide the font for USPS IMb bar code. 
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Social Security Administration will provide the required font numbers. The contractor will be required to validate 

that they have the proper licenses for each. SSA cannot provided licensed fonts to the contractor; contractor will be 

required to provide. 

The contractor must use an OCR-A font to print the numeric scan line on the payment stub that appears in Mailer 4 

(F4SSIEN.AON), Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON), Mailer 12 (Certified/Registered English notices) and Mailer 13 

(Certified/Registered Spanish/English notices).) 

PROOFS: Proofs will be required with the initial order and any time that a copy change is required during the term 

of the contract. SSA uses many of the same booklets, leaflets, fact sheets, and forms in several of its print 

contracts. To reduce the proofing requirements for any revisions, if it is determined that after award you are 

responsible for the production of any other SSA workloads containing the same publications and/or forms required 

for this program, then the revisions may be proofed under one of these other programs. 

Envelopes – 

One (1) Adobe Acrobat (most current version) PDF soft proof showing all elements. Proofs will be transferred to 

the agency via email. The PDF proof will be evaluated for text flow, image position and color breaks. Proofs will 

not be used for color match. Proofs must show all margins and dimensions, indicate trim marks, show flap, and 

window size and placement. 

 Pamphlets – 

Three (3) sets of digital one-piece composite laminated halftone proofs on the actual production stock (Kodak 

Approval, Polaroid PolaProof, CreoSpectrum, or Fuji Final Proof) with a minimum resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi. 

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. Proofs must show dot structure. 

In lieu of digital one-piece laminated proofs, at contractor’s option, three (3) sets of inkjet proofs that are G7 

profiled and use pigment-based inks may be furnished. 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. 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 2009. 

 

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 may be substituted with a similar color. (This requirement does not apply to inkjet proofs.)

If there is a change to the text of the Pamphlets – 

One (1) Adobe Acrobat (most current version) Press Quality PDF soft proof showing all elements. Proofs will be 

transferred to the agency via email. The PDF proof will be evaluated for text flow, image position and color breaks. 

Proofs will not be used for color match. Proofs must show all margins and dimensions and indicate trim marks. 

SSA reserves the right to make changes to all proofs. The Government may require one (1) or more sets of 

revised proofs before rendering an “O.K. to Print.” Author’s Alterations (AA’s) may be required. 
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If any contractor’s errors are serious enough in the opinion of GPO to require revised proofs, the revised proofs are 

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

operation; 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.” 

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. 12” dated 

March 2011. 

Government Paper Specification Standards No. 12 – http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/customers/sfas/vol12/vol_12.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). 

Daily Notices – 

Personalized Notices: White Offset Book, basis weight: 50 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 38”, equal to JCP Code A60; 

or White Writing, basis weight: 20 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17x 22”, equal to JCP Code D10. 

Pamphlets: White Offset Book, basis weight: 60 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 38”, equal to JCP Code A60. 

Mail-out Envelopes (6-1/8 x 9-1/2” and 9 x 12”): White Writing (or Wove), basis weight: 24 lbs. per 500 sheets, 

17 x 22”, equal to JCP Code V20, or at contractor’s option, White Offset Book, basis weight: 60 lbs. per 500 

sheets, 25 x 38”, equal to JCP Code A60. 

Business Reply Envelopes: Goldenrod Writing, basis weight: 20 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22”, equal to JCP Code 

D10. EXCEPTION: Paper must contain a minimum of 50 percent postconsumer fiber. 

Envelope color must meet USPS print reflectance difference requirements. NOTE: At contractor’s option, the 

Business Reply envelope may be surface tinted. Surface tinting must cover all exposed surfaces (front and back) of 

the envelope when sealed. 

COLA Notices – 

Personalized Notices: White Offset Book, basis weight: 50 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 38”, equal to JCP Code A60. 

Mail-out Envelope (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”): White Writing (or Wove), basis weight: 24 lbs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22”, 

equal to JCP Code V20, or at contractor’s option, White Offset Book, basis weight: 60 lbs. per 500 sheets, 25 x 

38”, equal to JCP Code A60. 

PRINTING/IMAGING: 

NOTE: The Government reserves the right to make changes to the envelopes or the format(s)/text of the pamphlets 

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 should not 

preprint or maintain more than a *90-day surplus/inventory of any of the components required for the Daily runs 

on this contract. The Government shall not be required to purchase from the contractor the surplus/inventory of 

any component remaining on hand in excess of what was authorized when an envelope or format/text change is 

implemented. 
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*Based on historical data, the anticipated yearly Daily Notice volumes are as follows: 

 6-1/8 x 9-1/2 Single Window envelope – 10,940,000 

 9 x 12” Single Window envelope – 560,000 

 Business Reply envelope – 1,300,000 

 Pamphlet 05-11011 – 900,000 

 Pamphlet 05-10076 – 550,000 

 Pamphlet 05-11024 – 60,000 

 Pamphlet 05-10976 – 20,000 

Quality Control: The contractor must maintain a thorough quality assurance program to guarantee that digital 

imaging is securely fused to the paper; is clear and legible; and, that a copy of the finished product is mailed to all 

addresses contained on furnished files. 

Notices: Contractor will be required to convert furnished data from electronic transmission for either laser or ion 

deposition imaging. All imaging/printing of notices shall have a minimum resolution of 600 x 600 dpi. 

All notices are duplex printed (face and back, head to head) and one-side only (when an odd page is required) in black 

ink only. 

Address Keyline: Contractor is to produce a keyline that appears above the mailing address and shows through the 

mail-out envelope window. The keyline must contain the following information: workload (SSI or COLA 

depending on run), Mailer number, file date (mm/dd) and 3-digit office code, (for example, SSI M4 03/26 A26). 

Notices must appear exactly as approved during validation. Absolutely no deviation will be accepted.

NOTE: Spanish notices consist of two (2) parts: The first part is the Spanish notice; the second part is the same 

notice in English. 

Payment Stub Notices: Daily Mailer 4 (F4SSIEN.AON), Mailer 5 (F4SSISP.AON), Mailer 12 (CERT ENG) and 

Mailer 13 (CERT SP/ENG) files will contain notices requiring a micro-perforated payment stub page with an 

alpha-numeric scanline. The micro-perforation on the payment stub page shall be located 3-1/2” (plus or minus 

1/16”) up from the bottom of the page and run along the entire 8-1/2” dimension. The alpha-numeric scanline shall 

be printed using the OCR-A font. The payment stub page (full 8-1/2 x 11” leaf) is part of the notice itself and will 

be electronically transmitted. 

NOTE: The payment stub portion (i.e., the portion below the micro-perforation), once detached, will be scanned. It is 

critical that the bottom of the OCR-A scanline be 1/2” from the bottom of the payment stub page and that, when 

reading from the right, the first encodable character is encountered at least 1/4” but no more than 5/16” (plus or 

minus 1/16”) from the right leading edge of the payment stub. The payment stub produced requires precision spacing, 

printing, and trimming and must be guaranteed to function properly when processed through the current High 

Speed scanning equipment owned by SSA. A form is a reject when its OCR print cannot be correctly deciphered on 

the first pass through the specified reading equipment. 

Pamphlets: Print head-to-head in two ink colors. Printing consists of text and line matter and screens. Match 

Pantone number as indicated on furnished copy. Self-covers contains bleeds on one side. 

Mail-out Envelopes (6-1/8 x 9-1/2” and 9 x 12”): Contractor will be required to convert furnished data from 

electronic transmission (i.e., from the MRD File) for printing/imaging the return address on the mail-out envelopes. 

Envelopes print face and back (after manufacture) in black ink. Follow copy presented at the postaward 

conference. Printing consists of text and line matter (including Government furnished indicia) on the face of 

envelope (after manufacture) and text matter on envelope flap. 
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Printing shall be in accordance with the requirements for the style 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. 

Single window mail-out envelopes require spraying/imaging in black ink on face of envelope (after manufacture) 

using only one return address. All spraying/imaging of return addresses shall have a minimum resolution of 300 x 

300 dpi. 

Each Daily Mailer and COLA Mailer 3 mail-out envelope will be variable sprayed/imaged with one of 

approximately 1,300+ different SSA field office return addresses, using the MRD File. Contractor is to add the 3-

digit office code to the right of the return address field for a visual match against the office code contained in the 

keyline that shows through the mail-out envelope window. 

 Mail-out envelopes require a security tint (lining is acceptable) printed on the inside (back – before manufacture) 

in black ink. Contractor may use his own design but must guarantee that the product will ensure complete opacity 

and prevent show through of any material contained therein. 

Business Reply Envelope (3-7/8 x 8-7/8”): Envelopes print face and back (after manufacture) in black ink. Follow 

copy presented at the postaward conference. Printing shall be in accordance with the requirements for the style 

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. 

Printing consists of text and line matter (including FIM and barcode) on the face of envelope (after manufacture) in 

Business Reply Format. 

The FIM and Barcode should be placed on the mailing piece according to the current U.S. Postal Service’s 

Domestic Mail Manual, “Barcoded Mailpieces.” 

The envelope will require a security tint (lining is acceptable) printed on the inside (back - before manufacture) in 

black ink. Contractor may use his own design but must guarantee that the product will ensure complete opacity and 

prevent show through of any material contained therein. Inside of the 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: 

If recycled paper is used, the recycled paper logo and legend must be printed in black ink on the notices and 

envelopes. If the pamphlets are printed on recycled paper, the recycled paper logo and legend must print in the 

same Pantone ink color as the text. 

Notices: The recycled paper logo/legend must be digitized by the contractor and imaged in the bottom right corner 

aligned with the contractor’s control number on the first page of each notice. For bilingual Spanish/English notices, 

the logo will appear on the Spanish copy only. 

Pamphlets: The SSA furnished camera copy/electronic file(s) will already contain the recycled paper logo/legend 

in either English or Spanish (as appropriate). 

Envelopes: The logo/legend must be printed on the back of all envelopes in the bottom left hand corner. 
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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. When a press sheet inspection 

is required, it will be specified on the individual print order. See GPO Publication 315.3 (Guidelines for 

Contractors Holding Press Sheet Inspections) issued June 2003. 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 ANSI PH2.30-1989; a viewing booth under controlled 

conditions with 5000 degrees Kelvin overhead luminaries with neutral gray surroundings must be provided. 

When a press sheet inspection is required, the Government will notify the contractor. 

NOTE: A press sheet inspection may be required at the contractor’s facility before production begins on any new 

workload. 

BINDING: 

Daily Notices: Gather all pages of a notice in numerical sequence. Notices are to be nested together with all faces 

forwarded. Address on first page of notice must be visible through window of mail-out envelope. Fold notices 

according to the following measurements: 

 For notices that are from 1 to 10 leaves, the contractor shall fold from a flat size of 8-1/2 x 11” down to 8-

1/2 x 5-1/2”, title out, and insert into a 6-1/8 x 9-1/2” mail-out envelope. 

 For notices that exceed 10 leaves, the contractor shall insert the 8-1/2 x 11” notices flat into a 9 x 12” 

mail-out envelope. 

NOTE: Bilingual Spanish/English notices consist of two parts. The first part is a Spanish notice; the second part is 

the same notice in English. 

Pamphlets: Saddle-wire stitch in two places and trim three sides. Each product must contain complete 4-page 

signatures after trimming. Single leaves connected with a lip (i.e., binding stub) to left or right side of stitches will not 

be allowed. 

COLA Notices: Gather all pages of a notice in numerical sequence. Notices are to be nested together with all faces 

forward. Fold from a flat size of 8-1/2 x 11” down to 8-1/2 x 5-1/2”, with address and return address on first page 

facing out for visibility through their respective window on the mail-out envelope. 

NOTE: Bilingual Spanish/English notices consist of two parts. The first part is a Spanish notice; the second part is the 

same notice in English. 
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CONSTRUCTION: 

NOTE: The Government reserves the right to make changes to the size and position of the Daily and COLA mailout envelope window openings during the term of the contract to comply with the USPS new Intelligent Mail 

Barcode (IMb). 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 should not preprint or maintain more 

than a 90-day surplus/inventory of any of the Daily mail-out envelopes required on this contract. Contractor should 

order COLA envelopes each year, prior to the run. 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. 

Daily and COLA Mailer 3 Mail-out Envelopes:

6-1/8 x 9-1/2” – Envelope must be open side, with gummed fold-over flap for sealing with high-cut side or 

diagonal seams, at contractor’s option. Flap depth is at the contractor’s option but must meet all USPS 

requirements and must be coated with a suitable 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 a one (1) die-cut window (1-1/2 x 4-1/4” in size) with rounded corners. Die-cut 

window is to be located 1-3/4” from the bottom edge of the envelope and 3/4” from the left edge of the envelope. 

(The long dimension of the window is to be parallel to the long dimension of the envelope.) Contractor has the 

option to adjust the size and position of the window opening (subject to Government approval), providing the 

visibility of the computer-generated mailing address and IMb barcode on the form 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 poly-type transparent, low-gloss material that must be clear of smudges, 

lines, and distortions. Poly-type material 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 (USPS) readability 

standard/requirements. 

9 x 12” – Envelope must be open side, with gummed fold-over flap for sealing with high-cut side or diagonal 

seams, at contractor’s option. Flap depth is at the contractor’s option but must meet all USPS requirements and 

must be coated with suitable 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 a one (1) die-cut window (1-1/2 x 5” in size) with rounded corners. Die-cut window is 

to be located 3” from top edge of envelope and 7/8” from left edge of the envelope (vertical placement - the long 

dimension of the window is to be parallel to the short dimension of the envelope). Contractor has the option to 

adjust the size and position of the window opening (subject to Government approval), providing the visibility of 

the computer-generated mailing address and IMb barcode on the form 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 poly-type transparent, low- gloss material that must be clear of smudges, 

lines, and distortions. Poly-type material 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 (USPS) 

readability standard/requirements. 

Business Reply Envelope (3-7/8 x 8-7/8”) – Envelope must be open side, with gummed fold-over flap for sealing 

and contain high-cut diagonal seams. Flap depth is at the contractor’s option, but must meet all USPS requirements 

and must be coated with a suitable remoistenable glue that will securely seal the Business Reply envelope for 

mailing. (Adhesive must not adhere to the contents of the envelope.) 
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COLA Mail-out Envelope (Mailers 1, 2, 4, and 5) (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”) – Envelope must be open side, with gummed 

fold-over flap for sealing and contain high-cut side or diagonal seams, at contractor’s option. Flap depth is at the 

contractor’s option, but must meet all USPS requirements and must be coated with a suitable 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 two (2) die-cut address windows, as follows: 

 SSA field office return address window – One die-cut window (1-1/4 x 3-1/4” in size) with rounded 

corners. Die-cut window is to be located 4-3/8” from the bottom edge of the envelope and 3/4” from the 

left edge of the envelope. 

 Recipient’s mailing address window – One-die cut window (1-5/8 x 4-1/4” in size) with rounded corners. 

Die-cut window is to be located 1-3/8” from the bottom edge of the envelope and 3/4” from the left edge of 

the envelope. 

The long dimension of each window is to be parallel to the long dimension of the envelope. Contractor has the 

option to adjust the size and position of the return address window opening (subject to Government approval), 

providing the visibility of the computer-generated SSA field office return address on the form is not obscured, and 

other extraneous information is not visible when material is inserted into the envelope. Contractor has the option to 

adjust the size and position of the mailing address window opening (subject to Government approval), providing 

the visibility of the computer-generated mailing address, field office code, keyline above address field and IMb 

barcode on the form is not obscured, and other extraneous information is not visible when material is inserted into 

the envelope. 

Windows are to be covered with a suitable poly-type transparent, low-gloss material that must be clear of smudges, 

lines, and distortions. Poly-type material 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 (USPS) 

readability standard/requirements. 

INSERTING: Gather and insert the notices and appropriates insert(s) (as specified below) into the appropriate 

mail-out envelope. Seal all mail-out envelopes. 

Daily and COLA Mailer 3 Notices: Gather the appropriate number of leaves per notice, fold (if necessary), and 

insert into correct mail-out envelope (with variable return address) with recipient’s name and address on first page 

facing out for visibility through window envelope. 

It is the contractor’s responsibility to assure that only the computer-generated address and IMb barcode on the 

notice will be visible through the window in the envelope and that only one notice is inserted into each envelope. 

When required, pamphlet(s) and/or Business Reply envelope should be inserted behind the notice (when viewed 

from the window side of the envelope). In the case of bilingual Spanish/English notices, the recipient’s name and 

address on the Spanish notice should be visible through the window envelope. The English notice should be 

inserted behind the Spanish notice (when viewed from the window side of the envelope). 

COLA Notices (Mailers 1, 2, 4, and 5): Gather the appropriate number of leaves per notice, fold, and insert into 

mail-out envelope with recipient’s name and address on first page facing out for visibility through bottom window 

of the envelope. 

It is the contractor’s responsibility to assure that only the computer-generated address, field office code, and IMB 

barcode on the notice will be visible through the bottom window in the mail-out envelope and that only one notice 

is inserted into each envelope. 
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It is also the contractor’s responsibility to assure that only the SSA field office return address on the notice will be 

visible through the top window of the mail-out envelope. 

In the case of bilingual Spanish/English notices, the recipient’s name and address on the Spanish notice should be 

visible through the bottom window of the mail-out envelope. (The Spanish notice will be in front with the English 

notice inserted behind the Spanish notice (when viewed from the window side of the envelope).) 

PRODUCTION INSPECTION: Production inspection(s) may be required at the contractor’s/subcontractor’s 

plant for the purpose of ensuring that the receipt of transmitted files, printing of pamphlets and/or envelopes, 

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. 

DISTRIBUTION: Mail f.o.b. contractor’s city each individual mailer to both domestic and foreign addresses. 

Domestic mailing is nationwide, including the American Territories/Possessions. Contractor is responsible for all 

costs associated with transporting notice packages to the USPS. 

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) Nonautomation (Presorted); and (f) Non-automation (Single Piece). 

National Change of Address (NCOA) and Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS): 

Addresses for the contract will come from SSA’s Supplemental Security Record. 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. 

Contractor must use mailing envelopes with the “ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED” endorsement in 

accordance with USPS for National Change of Address (NCOA) in a location approved by USPS. 

NOTE: Contractor cannot at any time change the SSA supplied address prior to receipt by the USPS. 

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 the mailpieces. Permit imprint 

mailings must contain at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds. 

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. 

A fillable GPO Form 712 Certificate of Conformance can be found at http://www.gpo.gov/vendors/sfas.htm. 

Manifest Mailing: The contractor is strongly encouraged to use manifest mail when postal regulations allow (for 

Daily/COLA notices) for this contract. The contractor must have a Manifest Mailing System (MMS) for First-Class 

Mail, which has been approved by the U.S. Postal Service to document postage charges for this mailing. A copy of 

the USPS approval for the MMS must be presented at the post-award conference. 
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Requirements for MMS are contained in USPS Publication 401, “Guide to the Manifest Mailing System.” Each 

mailpiece 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 mailpieces being sent under manifest mail will 

have a printed “Postage and Fees Paid First-Class Mail” permit imprint mailing indicia. 

The contractor is cautioned that the “Postage and Fees Paid” indicia may be used only for the purpose of mailing 

material produced under this contract. 

NOTE: Permit imprint may not be used if the mailing is less than 200 pieces. Instead, the mail must be metered 

and any permit imprint must be covered/concealed by a meter strip. All meter supplies must be borne by the 

contractor. 

If postage meters are used, the contractor must use mail-metering equipment that supports meters issued by the 

Government. The contractor must load $5.00 on the first of each month for each meter; this allows the Government 

to obtain the monthly usage report for each meter. 

NOTE: Mail addressed to United States territories and possessions (e.g., American Samoa, Federated States of 

Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, 

and Military Overseas Addresses (APO/FPO mail) is Domestic Mail, not International Mail. 

All mail (Daily notices and COLA notices) for this contract is Domestic Mail ONLY Except Daily Mailers 12 

and 13, and COLA Mailer 3 which may contain International Mail. 

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 USPS Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) and coded for the 

full service option. The contractor will be required to use the provided 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/mailpieces 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. 

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. The contractor may use a Presort 

subcontractor for the mailing portion of the contract. SSA has the right to inspect the subcontractor for the security 

of the mailing operation and compliance with the contract. 

In addition, USPS has instituted 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. 
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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. 

USPS Certified Mail: The domestic mailpieces 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. 

Permit imprint may not be used if the mailing is less than 200 pieces. Instead, the mail must be metered. 

USPS International Registered Mail: The mailpieces included in these mailings may be required to be mailed 

using USPS International Registered Mail. The contractor will prepare these mail pieces according to USPS 

regulations contained in the International Mail Manual (IMM) under Section 330, Registered Mail. 

Notices associated with the registered mail file shall be inserted into envelopes and processed as international 

registered mail. The contractor must place the current Postal Service Form 3806 (Receipt for Registered Mail) and 

PS Label 200 (13 digit registered number and barcode) on the envelope. 

NOTE: For Certified/Registered Mail, the contractor may add printing to the envelope, with Government approval, 

to meet USPS and production requirements but must not remove/change the Government printing required. 

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 Code 276-00023 on all 

mailing documents. 

Within 48 hours of mailing, the contractor shall provide PDF copies of all mailing documentation and matching 

100% Accountability Summary reports to: SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). All 

copies must be legible and include required information to disseminate the file date and Mailer documentation is 

for. 

Upon completion of each mailing, contractor must furnish copies of all postal documentation via overnight 

delivery. At contractor’s option, the postal documentation may be furnished as PDF copies via email. 

Upon termination of this contract, the contractor must destroy all furnished camera copy/electronic file(s). 

All expenses incidental to picking up and returning materials (as applicable), submitting proofs, and furnishing 

sample copies must be borne by the contractor. 

SCHEDULE: Adherence to this schedule must be maintained. Contractor must not start production of any job 

prior to receipt and verification of the accuracy of counts and files from the daily electronic task order. If 

contractor should not receive the electronic task 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 PMT must be notified 

immediately. 
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Furnished material (as applicable) and hard copy proofs must be picked up from and delivered to: SSA, Printing 

Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). 

Manuscript and/or camera copy must be returned with hard copy proofs. 

The first task order for actual production will transmit on the morning of August 2, 2016. 

PROOF SCHEDULE: 

The following schedule begins the workday after notification of availability of print order and furnished materials; 

the workday after notification will be the first workday of the schedule. 

 Contractor to submit all required proofs for envelopes and pamphlets within seven (7) workdays of receipt 

of furnished materials. 

 The Government will hold proofs 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.) (For PDF soft proofs of envelopes, the ordering agency will 

furnish changes/corrections/“O.K. to print” via email.) 

 When required due to AA’s, contractor to submit revised proofs within five (5) workdays of receipt of the 

author’s alterations. 

 The Government will hold revised proofs 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.) (For revised PDF soft proofs of envelopes, the ordering 

agency will furnish changes/corrections/“O.K. to print” via email.) 

PREPRODUCTION TEST SCHEDULES: 

Prior to receiving wire transmission of live production data files, the contractor will be required to perform the 

following tests: (Contractor will be issued a print order for each of these tests.) 

Daily/COLA Notice Wire Transmission Test: This test is to be performed within one (1) week after installation of 

the appropriate bandwidth connection, the contractor will be required to perform the Daily/COLA Notice Wire 

Transmission Test. 

 The contractor will be required to receive up to approximately 158,100 Daily notices and up to 

approximately 5,500,000 COLA notices within one (1) workday. (NOTE: These two workloads will be 

sent concurrently.) 

 The contractor will be required to perform a Record Count Verification within one (1) workday of receipt 

of complete transmission of all notice test files and furnish the Government with the exact counts. 

 The Government will provide verification within one (1) workday of receipt thereof. 

 The contractor will be required to furnish 20 sample notices for Daily Mailers 2 through 10 and from each 

of the five (5) COLA Mailers within 10 workdays of receipt of Government verification of record counts. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within two (2) workdays of receipt 

thereof. 
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Payment Stub Validation Test: This test is to be performed within 10 workdays of receipt of test files and prior to 

the Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test. 

 The contractor to submit the required samples within 10 workdays of receipt of test files. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within 10 workdays of receipt thereof. 

COLA Validation Test: 

 Contractor to submit 40 PDF and 10 printed/inserted validation samples for each mailer within four (4) 

hours of receipt of the first live files. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within five (5) workdays of receipt 

thereof. 

Daily Notice Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test (12-Hour Test): 

 The Daily Notice 12-Hour Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test is to be performed within seven (7) 

workdays after the Wire Transmission Test has been successfully completed and the Wire Transmission 

Test samples have been approved by SSA. 

 The contractor must produce a total of 79,050 notices in continuous 12-hour period. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within seven (7) workdays of receipt 

thereof. 

NOTE: Contractor must notify the GPO of the date and time the preproduction press and mail run tests will be 

performed. In order for proper arrangements to be made, notification must be given at least 72 hours prior to the 

tests. 

COLA/Daily Notice Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test (24-Hour Test): 

 The COLA/Daily Notice 24-Hour Preproduction Press and Mail Run Test is to be performed within seven 

(7) workdays after the Wire Transmission Test has been successfully completed and the Wire 

Transmission Test samples have been approved by SSA. 

 The contractor must produce a total of 350,461 COLA notices and 79,050 Daily notices in continuous 24-

hour period. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within seven (7) workdays of receipt 

thereof. 

NOTE: Contractor must notify the GPO of the date and time the preproduction press and mail run tests will be 

performed. In order for proper arrangements to be made, notification must be given at least five (5) workdays prior 

to the tests. 

Systems Change/Signature Change/2% COLA Test File/New and Existing Notice Files Validation Test – 

 When required, contractor must submit required notice samples within three (3) workdays of receipt of 

test files. 

 The Government will approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove within two (2) workdays of receipt 

thereof. 
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PRODUCTION SCHEDULE: 

Workday – The term “workday” is defined as Monday through Friday* each week, exclusive of the days on which 

Federal Government holidays are observed. 

Federal Government Holidays are as follows: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, President’s Day, 

Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas 

Day. 

*NOTE: The contractor’s FTMS software shall be operational for the receipt of data files 24 hours a day, seven 

(7) days a week, unless otherwise specified by the Government. (See “FILE TRANSFER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 

(FTMS) REQUIREMENTS” for additional information). 

Live production files will be transmitted on a daily basis Tuesday through Saturday for the Daily 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). 

Anticipated Transmission Schedule: 

 

Daily files and electronic task orders transmit each morning Tuesday through Saturday. 

COLA files and electronic task orders transmit each morning Tuesday through Sunday. 

The schedule below is the anticipated schedule; delays and changes to schedule may occur. Contractor must be 

prepared to receive files 24/7/365. 

NOTE: Contractor must not proceed with processing a transmission until counts are verified against the task 

order. If a discrepancy is found, the contractor must call SSA’s Scheduling Helpline immediately at (877) 697-

4889 and the SSA, Printing Management Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K). 

PRODUCTION SCHEDULES FOR DAILY NOTICES:

Mailers 2 through 9 (Daily Runs) – Contractor must complete production and mailing within five (5) workdays of 

receipt of each transmitted file. (For example, transmissions received on Tuesday must be mailed by the close of 

business the following Tuesday; transmissions received on Friday or Saturday must be mailed by the close of 

business Friday.) 

Mailers 10 through 13 (Daily Runs) – Contractor must complete production and mailing within three (3) 

workdays of receipt of each transmitted file. 

NOTE: Transmission delays of 24 hours or more will not constitute a backlog. Premium Payments for Daily 

volume may be used if the next day’s transmission exceeds total daily maximums. 

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE FOR COLA NOTICES: 

Contractor is to provide SSA and GPO with a production schedule by November 1st of each year, outlining 

their anticipated schedule for each day for printing, inserting and mailing. The report must show how they 

will meet the required schedule. Contractor must provide updates to the schedule, within 12 hours of 

Government request, as necessary throughout the run. 
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After the contractor receives COLA files, the contractor will be required to provide a daily update of work 

completed for printing, inserting, and mailing of each Mailer for the prior day using a supplied SSA COLA 

Production excel spreadsheet (Exhibit L). The contractor must email the report to SSA, Printing Management 

Branch, Baltimore, MD (Exhibit K), by 10:00 a.m. each calendar day (including weekends and holidays). 

Transmission of COLA Files: Live production files are scheduled to start transmitting the Saturday prior to 

Thanksgiving but no later than the Monday prior to Thanksgiving of each year and will continue on a flow basis 

with final files to complete transmitting within four (4) calendar days after start. It is SSA’s intent to begin 

transmission of COLA Mailers 1 through 3 on Saturday and completed within the first 48 hours of start of 

transmission, with Mailers 4 and 5 transmissions beginning no later than Monday morning. The contractor is 

advised not to wait for all files to transmit but be prepared to start processing and producing notices as each 

complete file is received. 

Title XVI COLA Schedule: The schedule for ALL COLA notices begins the day after Thanksgiving each year. 

Contractor does not need to wait for all files to transmit prior to start of production; production can start upon receipt 

of the first full-verified file. 

Mailers 1 through 5 are to be produced and mailed on a flow basis with priority to Mailers 1 through 3. 

Mailers 1 through 3 – Contractor must complete mailing within five (5) workdays (with a minimum of 25% of the 

notices to mail each day beginning with the second workday (25% per day completed for workdays 2 through 5)).

Mailers 4 and 5 – Contractor must complete mailing within 16 workdays (with a minimum of 10% of this total to 

mail each day beginning with the 7th workday (10% per day completed for workdays 7 through 16). If the total 

number of notices for Mailers 4 and 5 surpasses 5,500,000 million notices, the contractor will be granted one (1) 

additional workday to complete the mailing.

Contractor is encouraged to start mailing as soon as they are ready, which counts towards the delivery schedule as 

outlined above. 

NOTE: If an UNCOLA should occur, the contractor will follow the schedule for Mailers 3 through 5. 

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. 

9-88)). 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. 

The ship/deliver date indicated on the print order is the date 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. 
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For compliance reporting purposes, contractors are to report information regarding each order with date of 

shipment or delivery, as applicable, in accordance with the contract requirements by contacting the Publishing 

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. 
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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 of time. 

PREMIUM PAYMENTS FOR DAILY NOTICES: Orders that exceed the Daily total maximum for that day 

will receive a “Premium Payment” for those notices over the maximum as specified in SECTION 2. Failure of the 

contractor to deliver work at the time specified will result in disallowance of all premium payments that were 

anticipated for that file date and the contractor will not list such items on his billing invoice. 

 

PREMIUM PAYMENTS FOR COLA NOTICES: Orders that exceed the COLA volume for the following 

combinations: Mailers 1 and 2, Mailer 3, or, Mailers 4 and 5, will receive a “Premium Payment” for those notices 

over the maximum for the combinations as specified in SECTION 2. Failure of the contractor to deliver work at 

the time specified will result in disallowance of all premium payments that were anticipated for that file date and 

the contractor will not list such items on his billing invoice. 

UNCOLA NOTICES: If an UNCOLA notice run occurs, the contractor shall follow the “SCHEDULE OF 

PRICES” for COLA Mailers 3 through 5. 

The following item designations correspond to those listed in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES.” 

I. 4 

II. (a) 4 

 (b) 300 

 (c) 100 

III. (a) 1 

 (b) 1 

 (c) 1 

IV. 17 

V. 1. (a) 250 

 (b) 54,725 

 (c) 10,943 

 (d) 560 

 (e) 1,300 

 (f) 11,503 

 (g) 38,520 

 2. (a) 16 

 (b) 22,000 

 (c) 5,122 
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VI. (a) 76,725 

 (b) 19,260 

 (c) 16,065 

 (d) 560 

 (e) 1,300 

VII. 1. (a) 11,493 

 (b) 7 

 2. (a) 201 

 (b) 3 

 (c) 4,921 

VIII. 10 
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THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK.
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SECTION 4. – SCHEDULE OF PRICES

Bids offered are f.o.b. contractor’s city. 

Prices must include the cost of all required materials and operations for each item listed in accordance with these 

specifications. 

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

alteration of the order and manner of submitting 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) or blank spaces for an item may be declared non-responsive. 

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.” 

Saddle-stitched pamphlets: A charge will be allowed for each page whether printed or blank. Unless otherwise 

specified, no more than three blank pages shall be permitted at the end of the text. 

Cost of all required paper must be charged under Item VI. “PAPER”. 

I. COMPOSITION: Prices offered must be all-inclusive and must include the cost of all materials and 

operations necessary for the composition in accordance with these specifications. 

 Envelopes .......................................................................................................... per envelope ...... $___________ 

II. PROOFS:

(a) Envelopes: PDF Soft Proof ........................................................................ per envelope ...... $___________ 

(b) Pamphlets: Digital One-piece Composite Laminated 

 Halftone Proof ............................................................................ per trim/page-size unit ...... $___________ 

(c) Pamphlets: Press Quality PDF Soft Proof .................................. per trim/page-size unit ...... $___________ 

_______________ 

(Initials) 
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III. PREPRODUCTION TESTS: Price offered must include all costs incurred in performing the Wire 

Transmission Test (Daily/COLA Notices), Payment Stub Validation Test (Daily Notice), and COLA 

Validation Test as specified in these specifications. These costs shall cover but are not limited to: machine 

time, personnel, all required materials, wire transmissions, films, plates, paper, printing, imaging, collating, 

inserting, mail preparation, and any other operations necessary to produce the required quantities of the 

product in the time specified and in accordance with specifications. 

(a) Wire Transmission Test (Daily/COLA Notices) ................................................ per test ...... $___________ 

(b) Payment Stub Validation Test (Daily Notice) .................................................... per test ...... $___________ 

(c) COLA Validation Test ....................................................................................... per test ...... $___________ 

IV. PROCESSING/FORMATTING FILES: The contractor will be allowed only one (1) charge per mailer for 

the term of the contract to process and/or format the Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) files, AFP 

resources, and the Mail Run Data Files supplied necessary to print and mail the package. 

 Processing/Formatting Files .................................................................................. per mailer ...... $___________ 

V. PRINTING/IMAGING, BINDING, AND CONSTRUCTION: Prices offered must be all inclusive and 

include the cost of materials and operations necessary for the printing/imaging, binding, and construction 

listed in accordance with these specifications. 

1. Daily Notices –

 (a) *Daily Makeready/Setup Charge .................................................................................... $___________ 

*Contractor will be allowed only one (1) makeready/setup charge per workday (maximum 5 per print 

order). This combined charge shall include all materials and operations necessary to makeready and/or 

setup the contractor’s equipment for all mailers run each day. Invoices submitted with more than one 

makeready/setup charge per workday will be disallowed. 

 (b) Notices: Printing face and back in black ink only, 

 including binding ........................................................................... per 1,000 leaves ...... $___________ 

(d) Mail-out Envelope (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”) 

 (including COLA Mailer 3): Printing in black ink, 

 including construction .............................................................. per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

(d) Mail-out Envelope (9 x 12”): Printing in black ink, 

 including construction .............................................................. per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

(e) Business Reply Envelope (3-7/8 x 8-7/8”): 

 Printing in black ink, including construction ........................... per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

_______________ 

(Initials) 
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(f) Spraying/Imaging of SSA Field Office Addresses 

on Mail-out Envelopes (including COLA Mailer 3) ................ per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

(g) Saddle-stitched Pamphlets: Printing in two ink colors, 

including binding ............................................................................ per 1,000 pages ...... $___________ 

2. COLA Notices –

(a) *Daily Makeready/Setup Charge .................................................................................... $___________

*Contractor will be allowed only one (1) makeready/setup charge per workday (total of 16) for the duration 

of the COLA schedule, as outlined in the contract. This combined charge shall include all materials and 

operations necessary to makeready and/or setup the contractor’s equipment for the five (5) mailers run each 

day. Invoices submitted with more than one makeready/setup charge per workday will be disallowed. 

(b) Notices: Printing face and back in black ink only, 

including binding ........................................................................... per 1,000 leaves ...... $___________ 

(c) Mail-out Envelope (Mailers 1, 2, 4, and 5) (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”): 

Printing in black ink, including construction ........................... per 1,000 envelopes ...... $___________ 

VI. PAPER: Payment for all paper supplied by the contractor under the terms of these specifications, as ordered on 

the individual task 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 (8-1/2 x 11”): A charge will be allowed for each page-size leaf. 

Pamphlets (5-1/4 x 8”): A charge will be allowed for each page-size leaf. 

Mail- out Envelope (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”): One leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

Mail-out Envelope (9 x 12”): One leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

Business Reply Envelope (3-7/8 x 8-7/8”): One leaf will be allowed for each envelope. 

Per 1,000 Leaves 

(a) Notices (8-1/2 x 11”): White Offset Book (50-lb.) ............................................................... $___________ 

(b) Pamphlets (5-1/4 x 8”) White Offset Book (60-lb.) .............................................................. $___________ 

(c) Mail-out Envelopes (6-1/8 x 9-1/2”): White Wove (24-lb.), 

 or at contractor’s option, White Offset (60-lb.) ..................................................................... $___________ 

(d) Mail-out Envelopes (9 x 12”): White Wove (24-lb.), 

or at contractor’s option, White Offset (60-lb.) ..................................................................... $___________ 

(e) Business Reply Envelopes (3-7/8 x 8-7/8”): Goldenrod Stock (20-lb.) ................................ $___________ 

_______________ 

(Initials) 
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VII. INSERTING AND MAILING: Prices offered must include the cost of all required materials and operations 

necessary for the mailing of the notices including cost of collating notices (single or multiple leaves) in proper 

sequence, folding (if applicable) to required size in accordance with these specifications, insertion of notice(s), 

and appropriate inserts as required (i.e., pamphlets and/or Business Reply envelope) into mail-out envelope, 

and mailing in accordance with these specifications. 

1. Daily Notices – 

(a) Mailers 2 through 11: 

Personalized notice, mail-out envelope 

with variable return address and any required inserts .................. per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

(b) Mailers 12 and 13: 

Personalized Notice (Certified and Registered Mail file) 

 mail-out envelope with variable return address and 

 any required inserts ...................................................................... per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

2. COLA Notices –

(a) Mailers 1 and 2: 

Personalized Notice and double window mail-out envelope ....... per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

(b) Mailer 3: 

Personalized Notice (Certified and Registered Mail file) 

 and mail-out envelope with variable return address .................... per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

(c) Mailers 4 and 5: 

Personalized Notice and double window mail-out envelope ....... per 1,000 mailers ...... $___________ 

VIII. CERITIFIED/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. This price is in addition to the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES,” Items I. through VII. 

 Certified/Registered mailing ................................................... per 1,000 complete mailers ...... $___________ 

_______________ 

(Initials) 
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR BID SUBMISSION: Fill out “SECTION 4. - SCHEDULE OF PRICES,” initialing or 

signing each page in the space(s) provided. Submit two copies (original and one exact duplicate) of the 

“SCHEDULE OF PRICES” with two copies of the GPO Form 910 “BID” form. Do not enter bid prices on GPO 

Form 910; prices entered in the “SCHEDULE OF PRICES” will prevail. 

Bidder _____________________________________________________________________________________ 

 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

(City - State) 

By ________________________________________________________________________________________ 

(Signature and title of person authorized to sign this bid) 

 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

 (Person to be contacted) (Telephone Number) 
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Exhibit A Page 1 of 3 

Form SSA-301, Contractor Personnel Security Certification 
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Exhibit A Page 2 of 3 

Form SSA-301, Contractor Personnel Security Certification 
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Exhibit A Page 3 of 3 

Form SSA-301, Contractor Personnel Security Certification 
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Exhibit B Page 1 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 2 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 3 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 4 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 5 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 6 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
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Exhibit B Page 7 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 72 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit B Page 8 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 73 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit B Page 9 of 9 

Security and Suitability Requirements 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 74 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 1 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 75 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 2 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 76 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 3 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 77 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 4 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 78 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 5 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 79 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 6 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 80 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 7 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 81 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 8 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 82 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 9 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 83 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 10 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 84 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit C Page 11 of 11 

Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (Standard Form 85P) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 85 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit D Page 1 of 1 

Sample Fingerprint Card 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 86 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit E Page 1 of 3 

Declaration of Federal Employment 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 87 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit E Page 2 of 3 

Declaration of Federal Employment 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 88 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit E Page 3 of 3 

Declaration of Federal Employment 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 89 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 Exhibit F Page 1 of 4 

Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 90 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit F Page 2 of 4 

Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 91 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 Exhibit F Page 3 of 4 

Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 92 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit F Page 4 of 4 

Fair Credit Reporting Act Authorization Form 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 93 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit G Page 1 of 1 

System Plan 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 94 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit H Page 1 of 2 

Audit and Summary Report 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 95 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit H Page 2 of 2 

Audit and Summary Report 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 96 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit I Page 1 of 

MRD File Specifications 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 97 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit J Page 1 of 1 

References for External Service Providers (ESP) 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 98 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit K Page 1 of 1 

Key SSA and GPO Personnel Contact Information 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 99 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit L Page 1 of 1 

COLA Production Spreadsheet 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 100 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 1 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 101 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 2 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 102 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 3 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 103 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 4 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 104 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 Exhibit M Page 5 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 105 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 6 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents 
SSI Daily and COLA Mailers – Part 1 Page 106 of 61 

278-S (07/17) 

 

Exhibit M Page 7 of 7 

Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Documents