| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC October 10, 2006 Worldwide Cross Media Services Competition – Results AnnouncedThe Department of State awarded a 10-year contract worth $164 million to its revamped in-house printing and publishing organization, Global Publishing Solutions (GPS). The award decision culminated an 18-month public-private competition, comparing the government’s ability to provide a commercial service with the private sector bidders’ ability to accomplish the same service. Competitive Sourcing is one of the five Government-wide initiatives of the President’s Management Agenda, which is the Administration’s strategy for improving the management and performance of the Federal government. The competition encompassed 199 positions, including Foreign Service, Civil Service, Foreign Service Nationals, and contractors. The Department expects to save approximately $80 million dollars over the life of the contract as a result of this competition, with improved quality and increased capability to reach overseas audiences with America’s message. Under Competitive Sourcing, both the government and interested private sector companies submitted technical and cost proposals to illustrate how they would satisfy the global printing and publishing needs of the Department of State, including graphic design and creation, copier management, and implementation of a standardized worldwide publishing workflow. The GPS framework for conducting Department of State publishing and distribution will have long-term ramifications in setting new standards for global graphic communications and publishing. The GPS proposal was submitted by Lee R. Lohman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Sharing Services, on behalf of the government employees. The new GPS organization is refining its existing fee-for-services internal billing structure, where several costs were considerably subsidized, to a market-based pricing arrangement. This was critical, as GPS is not the sole or mandated source for Department printing and publishing needs. Although the government operation has always been customer-focused, the incorporation of international quality standards, coupled with the shift towards market-based pricing, will further enhance service delivery. 2006/903 |
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