ACQ-26-0204 Exhibit 02 - PPAM Questions and Answers.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 22 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Patent Printing, Assembly, and Mailing (PPAM)
- Solicitation number
- ACQ-26-0204
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) file for the Patent Printing, Assembly, and Mailing (PPAM) Sources Sought Notice from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Q&A reveals critical details about a federal contract opportunity for printing patent documents, with significant recent changes in volume and specifications. Key insights include a reduced weekly patent volume from approximately 7,026 to 1,750 patents per week, with specific cover printing quantities for utility (324,112), design (46,952), re-issue (484), and plant (803) patents.
The contract specifications outline precise printing requirements, including patent page characteristics (average 19 printed pages, front and back), binding methods (perfect bound), and special handling for large patents (over 600 pages will be provided on CD). The USPTO will use an Alternative Competition Method for solicitation, with the Sources Sought Notice submission deadline extended to October 6, 2025. Pricing will be firm-fixed-price, with reprints included at the same unit price, and the contractor will have discretion in tracking delivery and handling director name imprinting on covers. The contract does not require an Authority to Operate (ATO) and will be managed through the Department of Commerce US Patent and Trademark Office.
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| ACQ-26-0204 - Patent Printing, Assembly, and Mailing (PPAM) Sources Sought Notice, Exhibit 02, Question and Answers (Q&A) | |||
| Question # | Subject | Question | USPTO Response |
| 1 | Attachment 1-SOW | In Attachment 1- “SOW Attachment 01-Weekly Issue Print File (Example).pdf”, it shows a number of pages for each file. Are these physical sheets of paper? | Yes. They represent anticipated number of pages to be printed by the contractor. |
| 2 | Attachment 1-SOW | In Attachment 1-Weekly Issue Print File" shows a single week's volume. What was the average volume in 2024 by week? What was the maximum week's volume? | The average volume in 2024 was 7,026 patents per week; the maximum week's volume was 8,400. Please note, the requirement is now estimated to be at 75% less than the total number of weekly patents. Therefore, the USPTO estimates approximately 1,750 per week. |
| 3 | Covers | In what quantities are the 4 covers typically preprinted? Presumably, covers are not foil stamped on demand. Please provide context on the production of the 4 lots of covers. | In 2024, the four covers have been printed per the following quantities: 324,112 utility covers, 46,952 design covers, 484 re-issue covers, and 803 plant covers; however, current need is now estimated to be at 75% less for each, based on an anticipated reduction of demand. |
| 4 | Covers | Are covers paid for in advance? | No, the cost of the covers are to be included in the anticipated FFP price of the end item/ceremonial copy |
| 5 | Covers | Are covers imprinted with director name on demand (i.e. with each order) or preprinted when the covers are preprinted? | This is at the discretion of the contractor. The USPTO will strive to provide as much advance notice as possible when a change in USPTO Directors is anticipated. |
| 6 | Covers | What information drives the determination of which cover to choose (Attachment 2 does not indicate cover option) | The Weekly Issue Print File will havve patents identified by type |
| 7 | Page Counts | The ~7K books per week aligns with the average books per year of 362K, but the page counts don’t make sense for perfect binding. Even at the high end, ~868K pages is less than 3 average pages per book. The range of spine sizes suggests there are much larger books printed. Please clarify. | The draft SOW has been updated. Per section 3.1.2, patents average 19 printed pages, front and back. The Weekly Patent Issue Print File section has been removed from the draft SOW. |
| 8 | Page Counts | Are the pages sides of a sheet or pieces of paper front and back? Please clarify. | Pages are pieces of paper front and back |
| 9 | Reprints and Defect Handling | Do packages need to be tracked to delivery? There is reference to a delivery report. | It is at the discretion of the Contractor how to validate receipt information |
| 10 | Reprints and Defect Handling | What defines a missing patent copy? If we have proof of mail or USPS tracking results, are we still liable to reprint missing books? | If tracking/shipment confirmation cannot be confirmed by the Government nor the Contractor, the Contractor shall print the missing ceremonial copy. The draft SOW has been updated accordingly (see section 3.1.2). If the Contractor otherwise has proof of mailing/tracking, but delivery cannot be confirmed, this would be on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the COR and CO. Generally, the contractor would still be required to reprint missing patents. |
| 11 | Page Printing | There is reference to the front page being B&W or Color. Is color an option? What drives color or monochrome printing for front page? Do all books have a Patent Front Page? | Patents may be color or black and white; the distinction for what is required will be as depicted in the Weekly Patent Issue files to be received. All patents have a front page. |
| 12 | Page Printing | Do all books have a Patent Drawing page? Does it always follow the Font Page | Yes and yes. |
| 13 | Page Printing | Are fees for reprint requests for unavailable patents separately priced to cover the costs for file searches? How frequent are file searches required? | Re-prints are not separately priced and would be billed at the same FFP unit price for ceremonial copies. At this time, the historical data on reprints is not available. However, the USPTO anticipates providing this data in a solicitation. |
| 14 | Page Printing | There is reference to patents prior to the 10 millionth require printing on 44lb ledger paper. Please clarify 44lb ledger paper requirements. How will we know which was the 10 millionth patent (i.e. are they numbered sequentially)? | The 44lb ledger paper requirements has been removed in the updated draft SOW. |
| 15 | Binding | Specifications indicate books are perfect bound, but there is also reference to stitching and Attachment 2 shows what appears to be stitch positions. | References to stitching were removed from the updated SOW. Ceremonial copies are perfect bound. |
| 16 | Binding | There is reference to maximum page counts of 1,500 pages which would be far greater than 2”. What happens when a patent has over ~600-800 pages? | Patents over 600 pages are not printed. For patents over 600 pages, a Compact Disc (CD) is generated and mailed accordingly. For the purposes of this contract, this is also considered a ceremonial copy and the FFP unit price will be the same. The USPTO anticipates providing data on the estimated frequency of this occurrence with the solicitation. |
| 17 | Attachment 1-SOW | Is there an Authority to Operate (ATO) requirement with this work? | An ATO is not anticipated for this work. |
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