Publication Media (FSS-76)

The General Services Administration (GSA) awarded the Publication Media Master GSA Schedule on October 15, 1995, but ordering closed on December 15, 2023, making this vehicle no longer available for new orders.

The schedule contracted books, pamphlets, periodicals, subscription services, editorial and publishing support, online bookselling, lending library services, and entertainment and news media across six subcategories. Task-order activity peaked in 2019 with 494 orders but dropped sharply afterward—only 1 order placed in 2023 and 1 in 2024—signaling the vehicle's effective closure well before the formal ordering deadline. The portfolio captured $1.4 billion in combined potential value across 10,000 task orders, of which $701.1 million (50 percent) has been obligated.

Relx Inc. and John Wiley & Sons Inc. dominate by potential value, holding $496.9 million and $510.6 million respectively, together accounting for substantial share of the $1.1 billion captured by the top five primes. By order count, Complete Book & Media Supply LLC, Advanced Educational Products Inc., and Relx Inc. lead with 1,906, 1,872, and 1,572 orders respectively. The top five primes by order count cover 78 percent of all task orders; the top five by potential value cover 84 percent, indicating concentration among large publishers and subscription aggregators.

Across 646 customer agencies, ordering concentrated in Justice Department offices (470 orders), the Navy Education and Training Command (444 orders), and Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (271 orders). The Defense and veteran communities placed the plurality of orders, though federal agencies across civilian and defense portfolios used the schedule.

Nearly all task orders carried no set-aside designation (10,552 of 10,000 recorded orders); small business captures only about 5 percent of activity, with 8(a), HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business categories each representing a fraction of 1 percent.

Task orders ranged widely in value—from under $100 for individual books to $19.2 million for an IHS subscription renewal—with typical delivery orders in the $20,000 to $100,000 range. Subscription renewals and legal research database access (LexisNexis, Westlaw, Accurint) formed the bulk of high-value orders. Given the schedule's closure to new orders for nearly three years, pursuit is not viable.

Books/Pamphlets