Go Public

Leave your politics at the door. Whatever you might think of Congress’s productivity these days, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) might be the most demanding and productive client—and the most diverse communications company—in the country. Between government forms, bound reports and books, promotional collateral and printing services for the federal government’s three branches, the GPO produced 100,000 jobs in-house and contracted out another 98,000 jobs in 2007, according to GPO public printer Bob Tapella. The in-house number is overwhelming—but, of course, the jobs up for bid are the most significant. And, those numbers don’t reflect an anomaly brought on by campaign season: due to private funding for political campaigns, the GPO is not directly impacted by election season.

Initially joining the GPO as its deputy chief of staff in 2002—before being promoted to chief of staff in 2004—Tapella was nominated for the position of Public Printer by President Bush on May 24, 2007. He was confirmed by the Senate on Oct. 4, 2007. But, like the organization he runs, his career path consisted of a bevy of communications experience prior to his nomination.

Having worked as a designer, buyer, political consultant and as Clerk of the House, among other capacities, Tapella hasn’t only kept up with changes in the government he serves, he’s kept abreast of developing technology and the government’s changing needs well before his career at the GPO. Like many private-sector communications businesses, the GPO was financially impacted by the printing industry’s early millennial flux; it was “near bankruptcy” when the new team shook things up in 2002, Tapella said. “Now, we are a billion-dollar enterprise that includes perhaps the largest printing and digital communications factory in the world,” he asserted. “We also are perhaps the largest print buyer in America.”

But the turnaround wasn’t easy—it was a top-to-bottom job. “[F]irst of all, we got control of our expenses, our overhead, and the cost of doing business. .... And we reduced the overhead by about 20 percent, which then allowed us to hire people with skill sets necessary [for] going forward. A lot of those were managers [who] had come from other organizations, and [then] we really started pushing forward on a digital agenda.” He went on to explain how the addition of a proactive team to handle customer service, the expansion of creative services and the addition of a digital media group helped turn the firm around.

“[I]t wasn’t just cutting costs; we actually did something that I believe is absolutely critical for the transformation, and that is, we started investing back in the business. [We started] buying new technology, investing in our employees, and making certain that we were being smart about resources we had and how we were spending them and making certain they were all future-oriented,” he said.

Today, bids on GPO contracts are as diverse as the relatively new cache of services the GPO provides. William A. Gindlesperger, chairman and CEO, e-LYNXX Corporation, Chambersburg, Pa., has aided printers in wrangling government contracts since 1975. His client list includes four of the five top printers used by the GPO, he maintained. Gindlesperger was also “instrumental in the U.S. [GPO’s] creation of a bid solicitation service in 1982, which revolutionized the way federal printing jobs are procured by bringing full and open competition to all federal printing contracts,” he further explained. [Full disclosure: Print Professional is published by the same company that hires Gindlesperger to produce a monthly GPO winnings report.] e-LYNXX Corporation has two branches: consulting services for the print seller, called PrintGovernment, and representation for the print buyer, called AmericanPrintManagement.

Due to the five-year-old focus on the GPO restructuring Tapella was a part of, the GPO’s high-level staff changes—the elevation of Tapella to public printer, and Maria S. Lefevre to GPO Chief of Staff—has not affected its recent operations. Deputy Public Printer William Turri handles the day-to-day plant operations. Turri also served as acting Public Printer in 2007, until Tapella’s nomination was confirmed.

Since the GPO has become a relatively well-oiled machine, bidding and contracting hasn’t been affected by such management changes, either. “[W]e have something called Contractor Connect,” explained Tapella. “Any printing and communication firm out there can go to www.gpo.gov, and on that website, there’s a whole section for potential contractors. Contractors can register with us. ... I believe we have somewhere close to 10,000 firms registered ... so we try to make it as simple as possible. Obviously, we are bidding just a wide array of jobs on behalf of the federal government.”

Tapella and Gindlesperger both stressed that GPO jobs do not merely go to the lowest bidder. And both men repeated the mantra of the GPO’s assessment of printers for a given job: “[W]e generally give the bid to the most responsive, responsible bidder,” Tapella contended. He explained the GPO’s notion of responsiveness, which includes printers being mindful of the full scope of a job’s specs and the printer’s awareness of its own limitations and capabilities. Responsibility is measured by a company’s tangible track record, either with the GPO or with other businesses. “And then we look at the wherewithal,” he continued.

Tapella pointed to the 2010 census job, which was worth approximately $50 million. “A project of that size, if you’re looking at the responsible bidder, you’re probably not going to have Sir Speedy bidding on that, because it’s out of the scope of what they’re normally doing. ... When it comes to doing quick-and-dirty, black-and-white work, [there are] a lot of opportunities for printers out there,” he advised.

“Except for certain narrow categories of printing—such as the Congressional Record, Federal Register, and passports—there is no limit [to] the types of printing jobs that GPO awards to private contractors,” asserted Gindlesperger. Tapella and Gindlesperger both pointed to the 2,500 printing firms awarded GPO jobs in 2007. “These outsourced printing contracts consist of approximately 25,000 one-time jobs and another 81,000 print orders that are placed on 1,400 long-term multiple- and single-award contracts,” continued Gindlesperger.

But the GPO isn’t only churning out forms and booklets. Tapella mentioned the GPO’s production of coffee-table books, website hosting—including the U.S. Supreme Court website—and its animators in its employment ranks. “[GPO services run] the gamut,” said Tapella. “In fact, I was up in New York City in the month of December visiting with our office there, and I said, ‘So what’s the most interesting thing you bid out?’ They bid out Sumo wrestling suits that were imprinted. And they were for the Army National Guard to use in recruiting.”

So, the agency isn’t just for printing anymore. It’s an organization offering outreach and visibility. Not unlike political campaign consulting, the GPO pursues the most effective communications route for particular target audiences. “Part of our job is to help our agency customers understand who they need to communicate with, and then help them communicate it,” Tapella explained.

In short, the changing needs of the GPO’s customers mirror the diversity of private sector services. No time has been better for manufacturers to dive in and go public.

For more information on bidding on GPO jobs, visit www.gpo.gov/business/index.html.

For more information on e-LYNXX, go to www.e-lynxx.com.