NRS Publication Production Services 2005-2010

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service awarded this Master IDIQ for publication production services including editing, proofreading, design and layout, and related quality-control consultation on June 20, 2005, with ordering authority expiring July 24, 2010. The vehicle is now closed; the most recent task order was placed in April 2011, roughly 15 years ago. A successor vehicle, NRS Publication Production Services 2010-2016, was established in August 2010 and should be evaluated for current work.

During its active period, the Northern Research Station issued 67 task orders totaling $542 thousand in combined potential value, of which $535 thousand (99 percent) has been obligated. Ordering peaked during 2007–2010, averaging roughly 12 orders annually; only one order was placed after the vehicle's cutoff date. The work consisted almost entirely of design, layout, technical editing, and proofreading for NRS scientific publications, including state-level forest resource assessments, symposium proceedings, and regional guides.

Competition was highly concentrated: Eaton & Associates Design Company captured 39 orders worth $378 thousand (70 percent of potential value), while Harding, Wendy W held 20 orders worth $92 thousand (17 percent). H R Communications LTD and WPI accounted for the remaining orders. The customer base was similarly narrow—the portfolio notes that only 21 percent of orders (14 of 67) are attributed by name to the Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station, suggesting the remaining orders funded subsidiary or related NRS programs or were internally recorded.

Approximately two-thirds of orders (44 of 67) carried no set-aside; the remaining one-third split between small-business total set-aside (22 orders) and small-business reserve (1 order). Task orders ranged from approximately $300 to $25,000, with most clustering in the $3,000–$17,000 range. All orders were firm-fixed-price and typically completed within 6–12 months of award.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA Forest Service), Northern Research Station (NRS) Office of Communications and Science Delivery, Production Services group requires publication production services, including editing, proofreading and other quality control, consultation with the author to revise a manuscript, consultation with the editorial staff on style issues, preparing files for layout, and other related assignments.