Patent Printing Contract 8-31-11.pdf

U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

Request for Proposal Printing, Imaging, Binding, and Distribution of United

States Patents Solicitation No. DOC52PAPT1100031

DOC52PAPT1100031

SECTION A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Printing, Binding, and Distribution of US Patents Solicitation

SECTION DESCRIPTION

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE OFFERORS

SECTION A:

Solicitation for Commercial Items Cover Sheet A Table of Contents

SECTION B: SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES

B SECTION B CLIN List and Pricing Terms

SECTION C: STATEMENT OF WORK

C Terms, Conditions, and special requirements

SECTION D: STATEMENT OF WORK AND REFERENCED ATTACHMENTS

D Statement of Work (SOW)

E SECTION E: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

F SECTION F: DELIVERIES OF PERFORMANCE

G SECTION G: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

H SECTION H : SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

I SECTION I: CONTRACT CLAUSES

J SECTION J: LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A Glossary of Terms

Attachment B Distribution List of United States Patents

Attachment C Packing Order of Patent Issue Sets

Attachment D Indicator Form

Attachment E Corrected Copies Form

Attachment F Contents List

Attachment G Invoice Support Listing

Attachment H Page Image Overlay

Attachment I Ledger

Attachment J Classification Label File

Attachment K Government Printing Office Attributes Program

Attachment L Past Performance Form

K SECTION K: REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER

STATEMENTS TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

L SECTION L: INSTRUCTIONS, EVALUATION, REPRESENTATIONS AND

CERTIFICATIONS

M SECTION M: EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

B.1 CLIN LIST AND PRICING TERMS

The following items are required to support the Government operations of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The quantities shown under the column entitled “Estimated Quantity” on the schedule below are estimates of the quantities which may be ordered by the Government, however, the Government reserves the right to redistribute quantities within the prescribed Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs). No guarantee is made that any of the quantities will be ordered as a result of this contract.

The estimated quantities stated in Section B of this RFP are based on current historical data, projections, and trends, and are not to be construed as a guarantee of the volume of work, which may be ordered during the term of this contract. Contract requirements have been known to fluctuate greatly over short periods of time. No guarantee is made that any of the quantities will be ordered as a result of this contract.

Due to rapidly changing technology, it is probable that quantities will be reduced or may be completely eliminated during the period of performance of this contract.

Patents are issued each week for which multiple sets are requested as outlined in Section C. Typically, there are 52 issues per year. There will be approximately 5,400 patents per issue and each patent contains an average of 19 pages.

There are approximately 15 plant patents per weekly issue.

Subscriptions and Advanced Orders average approximately 1.6 copies per patent. Each Subscription and Advanced Order usually requires approximately 1 – 6 copies per order. However, it is possible that some may require as many as 30 copies. There are approximately 25 Subscription Orders each week and approximately 1,000 Advance Orders each week. The Contractor may at times be required to work on multiple issues during the same week.

B.2 BASE PERIOD (January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012)

CLIN DESCRIPTION

NUMBER

OF SETS

ESTIMATED

ANNUAL

QUANTITY

(Per Set)

UNIT

UNIT

PRICE

ESTIMATED

TOTAL AMT.

0001a

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 262,000 Patent Set

0001b

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 262,000 Patent Set

0001c

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 262,000 Patent Set

0001d

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 262,000 Patent Set

0001e

One Ledger Set (Reexaminations)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850 Reexamination Certificate Set

0001f

One Ledger Set (Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

0001g

(Reexaminations) (with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

0001h

(Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

Two Ledger Sets

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

2 780 Plant Patent Set

0003a One White Offset Set

1 262,000 Patent Set

0003b

One White Offset Set (with Color Cover Page)

1 262,000 Patent Set

One White Offset Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

1 500 Certificate Set

One White Offset Set of Reexaminations Only

1 850

0006a Multiple White Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

100 780 Plant Patent

0006b

Multiple White Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

100 780

0007a Remaining White Offset Plant Patent Sets

20 780

0007b

Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

20 780

Set of Advance Orders*

1,000 52,000 Copy

One White Offset Set of Subscriptions*

25 1,300 Copy

Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

1 280,800 Sheets

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

1 400 Sheets

Digital Images (provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the weekly issue

1 52 Order

B.2.1 OPTION PERIOD 1 (January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013)

OF SETS

ESTIMATED

ANNUAL

QUANTITY

(Per Set)

UNIT

UNIT

PRICE

ESTIMATED

TOTAL AMT.

0001a

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001b

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001c

(UPRDS)

(with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001d

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001e

One Ledger Set (Reexaminations)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

2 780

0003a

Set

1 285,000 Patent Set

0003b

One White Offset Set (with Color Cover Page)

1 285,000 Patent Set

One White Offset Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

1 500 Certificate Set

One White Offset Set of Reexaminations Only

1 850

Multiple White Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

100 780

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

100 780

Offset Plant Patent Sets

20 780

Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

20 1,500

Set of Advance Orders*

1,000 52,000 Copy

One White Offset Set of Subscriptions*

25 1,300 Copy

Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

1 280,800 Sheets

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

1 400 Sheets

Digital Images (provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the

B.2.2 OPTION PERIOD 2 (January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014)

OF SETS

ESTIMATED

ANNUAL

QUANTITY

(Per Set)

UNIT

UNIT

PRICE

ESTIMATED

TOTAL AMT.

0001a

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 291,000 Patent Set

0001b

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 291,000 Patent Set

0001c

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 291,000 Patent Set

0001d

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 291,000 Patent Set

0001e

One Ledger Set (Reexaminations)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexaminations) (with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

2 780

Set

1 291,000 Patent Set

0003b

One White Offset Set (with Color Cover Page)

1 291,000 Patent Set

One White Offset Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

1 500 Certificate Set

One White Offset Set of Reexaminations Only

1 850

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

100 780

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

100 780

Offset Plant Patent Sets

20 780

Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

20 780

Set of Advance Orders*

1,000 52,000 Copy

One White Offset Set of Subscriptions*

25 1,300 Copy

Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

1 280,800 Sheets

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

1 400 Sheets

Digital Images (provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the

B.2.3 OPTION PERIOD 3 (January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015)

OF SETS

ESTIMATED

ANNUAL

QUANTITY

(Per Set)

UNIT

UNIT

PRICE

ESTIMATED

TOTAL AMT.

0001a

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 289,000 Patent Set

0001b

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 289,000 Patent Set

0001c

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Patent Color Drawings)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 289,000 Patent Set

0001d

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 289,000 Patent Set

0001e

One Ledger Set (Reexamination s)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Patent Color Drawings)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Color Cover Page and Patent Color

1 850

Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

Two Ledger Sets

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

2 780

One White Offset Set

1 289,000 Patent Set

0003b

One White Offset Set (with Color Cover Page)

1 289,000 Patent Set

One White Offset Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

1 500 Certificate Set

One White Offset Set of Reexaminations Only

1 850

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

100 780

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

100 780

Remaining White Offset Plant Patent Sets

20 780

White Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

20 780

Offset Set of Advance Orders*

1,000 52,000 Copy

One White Offset Set of Subscriptions*

25 1,300 Copy

Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

1 280,800 Sheets

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

1 400 Sheets

Digital Images (provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the

B.2.4 OPTION PERIOD 4 (January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016)

OF SETS

ESTIMATED

ANNUAL

QUANTITY

(Per Set)

UNIT

UNIT

PRICE

ESTIMATED

TOTAL AMT.

0001a

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001b

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001c

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Patent Color Drawings)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001d

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

(with Color Cover Page and Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

1 285,000 Patent Set

0001e

One Ledger Set (Reexamination s)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Color Cover Page)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Patent Color Drawings)

- Grant Inventor Copy

1 850

(Reexamination s) (with Color Cover Page and

1 850

Patent Color Drawings) - Grant Inventor Copy

Two Ledger Sets

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

2 780

Offset Set

1 285,000 Patent Set

0003b

One White Offset Set (with Color Cover Page)

1 285,000 Patent Set

One White Offset Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

1 500 Certificate Set

One White Offset Set of Reexaminations Only

1 850

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

100 780

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

100 780

White Offset Plant Patent Sets

20 780

White Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

20 780

Offset Set of Advance Orders*

1,000 52,000 Copy

One White Offset Set of Subscriptions*

25 1,300 Copy

Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

1 280,800 Sheets

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

1 400 Sheets

Digital Images (provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 OBJECTIVE

The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services and facilities (except as otherwise specified), to perform the following Statement of Work for the printing, imaging, binding, color reproduction, and distribution of United States Patents.

C.2 BACKGROUND

(a)The USPTO is one of 14 bureaus in the Department of Commerce (DOC). For over 200 years, the USPTO’s mission has been: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries (Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans.

(b)Under the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act of 1999, the USPTO is authorized to exercise independent control of its administrative and procurement functions. This includes the authority to directly procure printing services.

(c)The Program Office is located in Arlington, VA. The Code of Federal Regulations, 37 CFR 1.314 authorizes this Office to produce and disseminate patents worldwide. Currently, the Program Office publishes approximately 5,400 patents per week or a total of 262,000 patents annually. The Program Office is responsible for the management and processing of allowed patent applications for the creation of a full text patent database and the composition, printing and distribution of weekly patent issues.

C.3 SCOPE OF WORK

(a)The purpose of this contract is to fulfill the USPTO’s requirements for printing, binding, color reproductions, and distribution of United States Patents as described in this scope of work, requiring such operations as printing/imaging, gathering, binding, packaging, mailing and distribution. This contract also fulfills all USPTO requirements for digital images, photoprints and additional photoprints of plant patent drawings issuing each week. Photoprints comprise color/part-color, black and white halftones, and hand-colored drawing sheets. A hand colored drawing sheet means a plant patent drawing that has been artistically and competently hand colored (i.e. with colored pencils or the like).

(b)Faithful reproductions of the patents are critical to this contract and require strict adherence to the standards specified in Section C and Section E.2 titled Inspection and Acceptance. The production of high quality, accurate sets of each issue of patents, and the proper mailing and timely distribution thereof, must be clearly recognized as a vital and necessary requirement for the USPTO.

(c)It is anticipated that specific requirements will change over the life of this contract. This will result in the USPTO modifying this contract to incorporate in-scope changes. Further, given the pace of change in information technology, it is impossible to anticipate how individual USPTO requirements will evolve over the life of the contract. Throughout the life of this agreement, the contractor is encouraged to continuously seek ways to incorporate innovative and emerging technologies, that in the most economic and efficient manner, improves mission performance.

C.3.1 PRINTING SERVICES

(a)The entire patent weekly issue shall be printed in the following manner and in the quantities as indicated in the table below:

1. Ledger Set is defined as 44 lbs. and formatted as such:

Patent Front Page – print face only in black or color ink* Patent Drawing Page – print face only in black or color ink* Patent Text Page – print front and back in black ink

*See C.4.1

2. White Offset Set is defined as 20 lbs. White Offset or Xerographic paper and formatted as such:

Patent Front Page, Drawing Page, and Text Page – print front and back in black ink Reexaminations, Subscriptions, Advance Orders, Plants – print front and back in black ink

3. White Offset Set is defined as 20 lbs. White Offset or Xerographic paper and formatted as such:

Certificates of Correction Page – print face only in black ink Miscellaneous Certificates Page – print face only in black ink

C.3.2 PLANT PATENTS PHOTO REPRODUCTION

(a)This contract is to fulfill all USPTO requirements for digital images, photoprints and additional photoprints of plant patent drawings issuing each week. Photoprints comprise color/part-color, black and white halftones, and hand-colored drawing sheets.

(b)Pantone Color Standard: Faithful reproduction of the plant color is critical to this contract. Accordingly, the contractor shall provide all deliverables in accordance with the Pantone Color Standards. For each weekly issue of the Plant Patent photoprints, the contractor shall provide two “to be approved” photo prints (CLIN 0010) for inspection and acceptance by the USPTO prior to completion of the entire weekly issue as stated in paragraph E.4(b).

(c)Photoprints: The Contractor shall provide and use "double weight" color photoprint paper, semi-matte finish. Dimensions shall be 8 ½" by 11" +/- 1/16 and a margin minimum top of 1" above typeset heading.

The center image shall be side to side with ¾" minimum margin on each side. The bottom margin shall be ¾" minimum. The reproduction shall be at 79% plus or minus 5% smaller than the examiner approved color drawing.

(d)Digital images on media: The contractor shall provide digital images in the specified TIFF format using the specified file naming conventions as illustrated in the technical references. This shall be provided on one DVD per weekly issue to the designated COTR. The contractor shall also retain digital images of the photoprints in order to fulfill future requests of reprints during the life of this contract.

(e)Examiner approved plant drawings are the source documents for digital images on media, photoprints and additional photoprints of plant patent drawings issuing each week. Photoprints comprise color/part-color, black and white halftones, and hand-colored drawing sheets.

(f)The examiner approved plant drawings and original photoprints shall have a header containing the issue date, plant patent number and the drawing sheet number as illustrated in the Technical References.

(g)Upon receipt, the Contractor shall inspect the examiner approved plant drawings and original photoprints and immediately notify the Government of any deficiencies such as torn or missing sheets or any other obvious errors.

C.3.2.1 PLANT PATENT QUANTITY

(a)There are approximately 15 plant patents per weekly issue. It is estimated that a plant patent may contain an average of 3 original examiner approved plant drawings and a weekly issue may contain a total average of 45 original examiner approved plant drawings. The contractor is required to produce two photoprints of each original examiner approved plant drawing for approval by the COTR. Once approved, the contractor shall produce 120 copies of each original examiner approved plant drawings per weekly issue as noted in Section B.

(b)Reorders shall be made from the examiner approved plant drawing sheets of previously issued plant patents, or new examiner approved plant drawings created under CLIN 0010a.

(c)Based on historical data, there are approximately two (2) examiner approved plant drawings per year that may be hand colored in form, meaning a plant patent drawing that has been artistically and competently hand colored (i.e. with colored pencils or the like).

C.3.3 DELIVERABLE TABLE

Each patent issue is currently built three weeks in advance of the issue date (Tuesday). A production schedule is based on PWD (Prior Work Days). The issue date Tuesday is considered PWD 1.

The contractor must deliver patents on the days listed in this Deliverable Table:

CLIN Deliverable Binding When Delivered

Where Delivered

Packaging

(a – d)

One Ledger Set

(UPRDS)

- Grant Inventor Copy

No By Noon

PWD 7,

Monday

PTO Patent Data Capture Contractor

Kraft wrap in approximate 4” packages.

- Cartons

(e – h)

One Ledger Set (Reexamination)

- Grant Inventor Copy

No By Noon

PWD 2,

Monday

PTO Patent Data Capture Contractor

Kraft wrap in approximate 4” packages.

- Cartons

0002 One Ledger Set

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

Yes

- Stapled on bottom

- Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) facing out following the last page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Public Search Facility

Cartons

0002 One Ledger Set

- Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels

Yes

- Stapled on bottom

- Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) facing out following the last page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

Data Control Division

0003a One White Offset

No By 12 Noon

Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Public

0003b One White Offset

(with Color Cover Page)

No By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Public

0004 One White Offset

Set of Miscellaneous Certificates

No By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Certificates of Correction Branch

0005 One White Offset

Reexaminations Only

No By 12 Noon

PWD 4,

Thursday

PTO Office of Reexamination

According to Need

0006a Multiple White

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets*

Yes

- Foreign Addresses are Stapled on Side and Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) placed before the text pages facing the first page of text

- Domestic Addresses are Unstapled and Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) placed before the text pages facing the first page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

To Be Delivered to the USPTO Mail Center

0006b Multiple White

Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets* (with Color Cover Page)

Yes

- Foreign Addresses are Stapled on Side and Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) placed before the text pages facing the first page of text

- Domestic Addresses are Unstapled and Assembled with drawing sheet(s) placed before text pages facing the first page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

To Be Delivered to the USPTO Mail Center

0007a Remaining White

Offset Plant Patent Sets

Yes

- Stapled on Side

- Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) placed before the text pages facing the first page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Office of Public Records

0007b Remaining White

Offset Plant Patent Sets (with Color Cover Page)

Yes

- Stapled on Side

- Assembled with the drawing sheet(s) placed before the text pages facing the first page of text

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

PTO Office of Public Records

0008 One White Offset

Set of Advance Orders*

Yes

- Stapled on Side

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

To Be Delivered to the USPTO Mail Center

0009 One White Offset

Subscriptions*

Yes

- Stapled on Side

By 12 Noon Issue Day, Tuesday

To Be Delivered to the USPTO Mail Center

0010 Photoprints of original plant patent color drawings

Per the noted sets above Prior Workday 9, Thursday

To Be Completed for assembly in noted sets above

0010a Reorders of photoprints from

CLIN 0010

Per the noted sets above Within 48 hours of reorder request

To Be Delivered to the customer(s) noted above

0011 Digital Images

(provided on DVD) of all photoprints of original plant patent color drawings contained in the weekly issue

DVD Prior Workday 9, Thursday

To Be Delivered to the

USPTO COTR

(a)By Prior Workday 16, Tuesday, for each weekly issue of the Plant Patent photoprints, the contractor shall provide two “to be approved” photoprints for inspection and acceptance by the USPTO prior to completion of the entire weekly issue.

(b)All Plant Patent original examiner drawings shall be returned to the USPTO after each weekly issue is accepted and successfully distributed as per the detailed delivery schedule.

(c)If the scheduled delivery falls on a Government holiday, then the delivery for the products denoted by asterisks (*) shall be delivered the next business day. The remaining deliverables shall be made one business day before that holiday. If the USPTO is closed for any other reason on a scheduled delivery day, the Contractor shall make alternate delivery arrangements with the USPTO.

(d) See Section F.7 (g) for the physical delivery addresses of the indicated receivers in the “Where Delivered” column.

C.4 PRINTING OPERATIONS

C.4.1 WEEKLY ISSUE PRINT FILE

(a)The Weekly Issue Print File in PostScript® format will contain an entire patent weekly issue of Utility, Plant, Reissue, Design, and SIRs (UPRDS) patents (CLIN 0001 a – d) and will be furnished on Prior Workday 13 via electronic data transfer by the Patent Data Capture (PaDaCap) Contractor. An additional separate Weekly Issue Print File in PostScript® format containing reexamination patents (CLIN 0001 e –

h) will be delivered on Prior Workday 3. However, as a backup means of delivery, a DVD will be provided whenever the electronic data transfer is not available. The Contractor shall maintain responsibility for the Government Furnished Data (GFD) to include maintaining a complete electronic file of all Weekly Issues for future reorders and reprints. Loss and Damage of GFD will be subject to the application of Liquidated Damages, See §G.2 (g). All methods of transmission will be under the control of the Contractor.

(b)The PaDaCap Contractor will provide two (2) or more batches of encrypted, zipped files containing the Weekly Issue Print File via a SSH/SFTP server to the Patent Printing/Plant Patent Contractor.

(c)The PaDaCap Contractor will supply the following: (1) password protected specific user accounts (2) WinSCP software and (3) encryption software with a pair of encryption keys to the Patent Printing/Plant Patent Contractor. The PaDaCap Contractor will transfer files to the Patent Printing/Plant Patent Contractor at a predetermined timeframe.

(d)The Patent Printing/Plant Patent Contractor will be required to have a WindowsXP or higher PC that has a line to an internet connection. The Patent Printing/Plant Patent Contractor will retrieve the files from the SSH/SFTP server using the password protected account and key. The files will then need to be decrypted and unzipped for processing. The contents list will be included in the electronic delivery.

(e)The Weekly Issue Print File in PostScript® format will contain an entire patent weekly issue and will be furnished by the Patent Data Capture (PaDaCap) Contractor. The Weekly Issue Print File is a PostScript® Level 2 compression. Each patent document will appear as a single file. These files will range in size from 1 - 2,000 megabytes. The PaDaCap Contractor assumes a maximum average of 2 MB per patent for the patents in any given issue. The actual current average size of a patent is 1.5 MB.

(f)The PaDaCap Contractor will provide a media contents list with every Weekly Issue Print File delivery (See Attachment F). This list identifies issue date and the date on which the file was run, and lists every patent file that is included.

(g)When DVD(s) are used as backup, a material receipt slip is provided with the DVD, which the PaDaCap Contractor will require acknowledgement of receipt by a representative of the Patent Printing Contractor. (A minimum of 5,000 patents is estimated to fit on two DVD(s). Approximately 7,000 patents should fit on three DVD(s) ).

(h)During the life of the contract, the USPTO anticipates that the Patent Printing Contractor will be required to print and deliver a cover page in color for each patent Grant (see references in Deliverable table above “…with Color Cover Page”). This Color Cover Page will be included in the Weekly Issue Print File as part of each patent document. Until such time when the USPTO notifies the Patent Printing Contractor of the necessity of the Color Cover Page, the Patent Printing Contractor will not produce and deliver CLIN 1b and 1f. Additionally, at the time the USPTO requests the Color Cover Page, the Patent Printing Contractor will be instructed to stop production and delivery of CLIN 1a and 1e.

(i)During the life of the contract, the USPTO anticipates the Patent Printing Contractor to print and deliver patent color drawings for patent Grants requesting color drawings. These Patent Color Drawings will be included in the Weekly Issue Print File as part of each patent document. Until such time when the USPTO notifies the Patent Printing Contractor of the necessity of the Patent Color Drawings, the Patent Printing Contractor will not produce and deliver CLIN 1c and 1g. Additionally, at the time the USPTO requests both the Patent Color Drawings and the Patent Color Cover Page, the Patent Printing Contractor will be instructed to stop production of previous CLIN 1c and 1g and begin delivery of CLIN 1d and 1h. If the contractor is asked to produce color drawings, there will be approximately 10 to 15 patents with color drawings per issue.

C.4.2 MISCELANEOUS CERTIFICATES PRINT FILE

The Miscellaneous Certificates Print File in PostScript® format will contain Certificates, Dedications, Disclaimers, and Adverse Actions for each weekly issue and will be delivered to the Patent Printing Contractor via the PaDaCap Contractor. The Miscellaneous Certificates Print File will be furnished on DVD along with a media contents list by the PaDaCap Contractor, which the PaDaCap Contractor will require acknowledgement of receipt by a representative of the Patent Printing Contractor.

C.4.3 CLASSIFICATION DATA FOR LEDGER PLANT PATENTS

(a)The Government requires printing of classification data in the upper left corner of each plant patent provided by the Patent Printing contractor. The contractor shall print, in the header of each copy of the ledger plant patent (One Ledger Set Plant Patents Only, With Classification Labels), the Classification Data. Plant patents for each week's issue shall be sorted and boxed in accordance with Government instructions and the boxes delivered to Government-designated location by noon on issue day.

(b)The USPTO will provide one Classification Data File which is transmitted electronically to the Patent Printing contractor. The file is a Microsoft Word® document, with each record in the file detailing the Classification Data for each ledger plant patent.

(c)The contractor shall use the Classification Data File to determine the required number of patents to be printed for each unique plant patent number (see Attachment 1 for examples of the proper format). The file will contain the following data fields: Patent Class, Patent Sub-class, Modifier (if present), Art Unit, EX (examiner search room), Issue date, OR (original classification) or XR (cross reference), Patent Number, Patent Class, Sub-class, SR (public search room), Issue Date, Patent Number, OR (original classification) or XR (cross reference). Some fields may be empty or contain the two to five character alphanumeric project codes.

(d)The contractor shall institute a quality control program to insure the correct number of documents is printed and that each document contains the correct label information.

(e)Printed patents for each issue shall be sorted, boxed, and delivered in accordance with the following:

Search room copies are the bulk of any issue and are those new issues whose labels indicate they belong in either the Public Search File (PSR) or the Examiner Search File (ESR--Art Unit xxxx). The PSR copies must be sorted by patent number within classification, boxed in classification sequence, and each box clearly marked to identify its contents and issue date (e.g., PSR NEW ISSUES for 01-21-03, classes 1-29). The ESR copies are sorted by classification delivery location and patent number within each classification. Patents shall be sorted for each delivery location in classification sequence and each box clearly marked to identify its contents and issue date (e.g., ESR NEW ISSUES for 01-21-03, Tech Center 1, Room xxxx, classes 3, 54, 101, 129).

(f)All PSR patents shall be delivered directly to the Public Search Facility.

(g)Prior to full and final implementation of the label printing process, the contractor shall at a minimum perform the following testing in conjunction with USPTO personnel. For no less than three issues, the contractor shall provide lists of printed label facsimiles for patents in selected Tech Centers to be determined by the Government. In addition, the Government may also request that actual patent copies containing the printed filing label be provided for approximately one to three Art Units to be determined by the Government. For a minimum of two issues, the contractor shall provide lists of printed label facsimiles for all patents in those issues. The contractor may also be asked to provide a sample of their ability to correctly fulfill the Government's sorting and boxing requirement. Final implementation of the new process will not occur until the Government determines that all label printing is correct and accurate and that sorting and boxing will occur as required.

C.4.4 GATHERING OF PHOTOPRINTS

After production of the photoprints, the contractor shall gather together the photoprints and the text pages in order to make a complete Plant Patents Set, according to the quantity shown in Section B.

C.4.5 CREATION OF MAIL LABELS

The contractor shall create mailing address labels for the One White Offset Set of Plant Patent Sets as outlined in the Deliverable Table in Section C.4 Printing Operations. Mailing Labels shall be affixed to each unit of mail as described in Section D.4 Labeling and Marking. The addresses for these labels will be provided to the contractor upon award of contract. The USPTO will provide the contractor with changes and updates as necessary.

C.4.6 SOFT COPY LISTS

The soft copy list contains the following fields: patent number in ascending order, number of soft copies to be printed and number of advanced orders to be mailed. This list is transmitted electronically from the USPTO to the contractor.

C.4.7 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Data on subscriptions will be furnished electronically containing the following fields: Account Number, Patent Number, Number of Copies, and Subscriber Name and Address.

C.4.8 PATENT STORAGE

All Government furnished data must be stored by issue date for the life of this contract so that they may be accessed for reprints. The contractor shall also retain digital images of the plant patent color drawings in order to fulfill future requests of reprints during the life of this contract. If DVD(s) are used, then they must be stored by issue in a normal filing position (DVD that is stored in chronological order by patent issue date) for the life of the contract so that they may be accessed for reprints. The Government reserves the right to charge the contractor a flat rate of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per item that must be regenerated due to loss or misplacement by the contractor. At the completion of the contract, all Government furnished DVDs being stored by the contractor must be returned to the USPTO and all stored data must be deleted per the instructions of the USPTO. All costs incurred in returning Government furnished DVDs to the USPTO shall be borne by the contractor.

C.5 REPLACEMENT OF MISSING, DEFECTIVE, OR POOR QUALITY PATENTS

C.5.1 CLAIM LETTERS

(a)Should a patent copy(s) be defective or missing from a delivery, the Government will issue a "Claim Letter" electronically for the correction or replacement of the defective or missing patent(s).

(b)Claim letter schedule:

1. Claim letter requests shall be fulfilled and redelivered or placed in the mail as directed within 48 hours of notification by Government of missing, defective, or poor quality patents.

2. Advance Orders/Subscription shall be mailed first class, or as directed, with the next issue following notification by Government of missing, defective, or poor quality patents.

3. Contractor will be responsible for all costs incurred with the re-mailing or redelivery of the patents listed on the claim letter.

C.5.2 GRANT LEDGER DEFECTS

(a)Should a patent ledger copy(s) be defective or missing from a delivery, the Government will notify the contractor of the defect and order replacement copies.

(b)Replacements necessitated due to contractor error must be made at no cost to the Government. The Contractor will reprint/correct and redeliver/remail the defective or missing copy(s) in accordance with the following schedule: within one workday of notification of defective or missing copy.

(c)Grant ledger defect schedule:

1. Replacement Grant ledger copies shall be delivered to the Government designated address within one workday of notification of defective or missing copy.

2. Contractor must develop a system (to be approved by the Contracting Officer) for documenting "Claim Letter" and "Grant ledger" compliance.

C.6 FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall provide all necessary copies, reprints, and bindings in the binding style ordered from the following binding styles:

C.6.1 TRIM SIZES

(a)The entire patent weekly issue printed on 20 lbs. White Offset or Xerographic paper, shall be trimmed to: 216mm x 279 mm (8-1/2" x 11").

The entire patent weekly issue printed on 44 lbs. (Ledger Set) White 25% Rag Ledger, shall be trimmed to: 197mm x 287mm (7-3/4" x 11-5/16").

(b)For Photoprints, use "double weight" color photoprint paper, semi-matte finish. Dimensions shall be 8 ½" by 11" +/- 1/16 and a margin minimum top of 1" above typeset heading. The center image shall be side to side with ¾" minimum margin on each side. The bottom margin shall be ¾" minimum. The reproduction shall be at 79% plus or minus 5% smaller than the examiner approved plant drawing.

C.6.2 MARGINS

Head margin of all pages is to be 19 mm (3/4") to first line of patent information. Bar code is not to be considered patent information and therefore may appear in the head margin. Side margins of all pages shall be exactly equal. See Attachment J for image and stitch positioning.

C.6.3 BINDING OF OVERSIZED PATENTS

(a)Approximately 40 to 150 distinct patents per issue will be oversized and the Contractor shall be required to provide special binding for each copy. An oversized patent is defined as 59 or more leaves of White Offset Paper or White Xerographic Paper.

(b)For each oversized patent the contractor shall:

1. Drill two 6mm (1/4") round holes, 216mm x 279mm (8-1/2") center to center, on the left binding edge, 10mm (3/8") from left edge of sheet to center of holes.

2. Furnish, insert and fasten an Acco® or similar type fastener.

3. Oversize patents shall be broken into multiple volumes with no more than 650 per volume.

a) Patents that range between 650 leaves to 1,300 leaves shall be bound in two volumes of equal size.

b) Patents that exceed 1,300 leaves shall be bound in multiple volumes of equal size.

C.6.4 COLLATING OF PATENT DELIVERABLES

(a)The Contractor shall place one copy of each patent for a weekly issue into sets by patent number sequence (see Deliverable Table for number of sets).

(b)The contractor shall place into sets the Miscellaneous Certificates: (i.e., Certificates, Dedications, Disclaimers, and Adverse Actions) one of each of the four different items collated together (see Deliverable Table for number of sets).

C.6.4.1 WITHDRAWN PATENTS

(a)It is sometimes necessary for the Government to withdraw patents from an issue. Therefore, upon receipt of the Weekly Patent Print File and in preparation for printing of the weekly issue, the Contractor shall exclude from printing, any patent appearing on the DVD for which they have received a withdrawal notice.

(b)In addition, the Contractor shall remove withdrawn patents from each and all deliverables, as late as noon Prior Work Day (PWD) 2 upon notification of withdrawal. Therefore, it will be necessary for the contractor to remove these patent(s) from the patent sets already assembled for distribution or mailing.

Copies of printed withdrawn patent(s) shall be shredded. The Contents Lists (See Attachment F), packed in with the each of the deliverables, must be adjusted to list the patent(s) as a withdrawn patent.

C.7 PAPER REQUIREMENTS

(a)Payment for all paper supplied by the contractor under the terms of these specifications, as ordered on the individual print orders, will be based on the net number of leaves furnished for the product(s) ordered.

The cost of any paper required for make-ready or running spoilage must be included in the prices offered.

(b)The specifications of all paper furnished must be in accordance with those listed herein or listed for the corresponding JCP Code numbers in the "Government Paper Specification Standards No. 11" dated February 1999.

(c)Notice: Copies of the "Government Paper Specifications Standards, No. 10" dated July 1994, are for sale, on a subscription basis, by the Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

(d)Stock to be furnished must be consistent through the term of the contract. Under no condition will the mixing or substitution of papers be allowed.

(e)White Offset Book, grammage 75 g/m2 (basis weight: 50 lbs per 500 sheets, 25 x 38"), equal to JCP Code A60 or, at contractor's option, White, Plain Copier, Xerographic Paper (Qualified Product), grammage 75 g/m (basis weight: 20 lbs per 500 sheets, 17 x 22"), equal to JCP Code 0-60.

(f)White 25 % Ledger, grammage 165 g/m. 2 (basis weight: 44 Ibs. per 500 sheets, 17 x 22"), equal to JCP Code J20.

(g)Photoprints: The Contractor shall provide and use "double weight" color photoprint paper, semi-matte finish. Dimensions shall be 8 ½" by 11" +/- 1/16 and a margin minimum top of 1" above typeset heading.

The center image shall be side to side with ¾" minimum margin on each side. The bottom margin shall be ¾" minimum. The reproduction shall be at 79% plus or minus 5% smaller than the examiner approved color drawing.

C.8 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIAL

(a)Government Furnished Materials shall be provided in accordance with the following schedule.

(See Attachment A, and Section F.6 for an explanation of Prior Workday)

1.Prior Workday 20:

a) Original Plant Patent Examiner Drawings.

2.Prior Workday 13:

a) Weekly Patent Print File (Utility, Plant, Reissue, Design, and SIRs (UPRDS)) and the Miscellaneous Certificates Print File will be furnished (See Section C.4 Printing Operations).

3.Prior Workday 12:

a) Classification Data File will be furnished by electronic mail (See Section C.4 Printing Operations).

4.Prior Workday 11:

a) Subscription Order and Advance Order data will be furnished by electronic mail.

b) For Subscription Orders, pre-addressed, pressure sensitive, postage and fee paid labels will be furnished per issue.

c) For Advance Orders, pre-addressed, pressure sensitive, postage and fee paid labels will be furnished per issue.

5.Prior Workday 3:

a) Weekly Patent Print File (Reexaminations) (See Section C.4 Printing Operations).

6.As needed, and at the discretion of the Government:

a) On occasion, a paper copy may be furnished for producing reprints of Patents.

b) Notice(s) of withdrawn patent(s) will be furnished by electronic mail as they become available.

(b)All plant patent original examiner drawings shall be returned to the USPTO after each weekly issue is accepted and successfully distributed following that specific patent issue date.

(c)Delayed availability of any Government Furnished Materials shall be reported immediately to the Contract Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer.

(d)Disposition Instructions for return of all Government Furnished Material are as per Section G.2 and FAR clause 52-245-1of this contract.

C.9 QUANTITY: COPIES/PAGES

(a)Weekly orders for Patents will consist of 1 full Ledger set (CLIN 1a - without a Color Cover Page, until otherwise notified to start production of CLIN 2b – with a Color Cover Page). 1 full Soft copy set, and multiple partial Soft copy sets. Generally, each patent will average 19 printed pages. However, on rare occasions a patent can be in excess of 1,500 pages.

(b)Weekly orders of Miscellaneous Certificates such as Dedications, Disclaimers, Adverse Decisions and Special Certificates, will be approximately 5 to 15 copies of each and will comprise a single page.

(c)The contractor shall produce 120 copies of each original examiner approved plant drawings per weekly issue as noted in Section B.

(d)It is the intention of the USPTO to have a contract in place that can meet the estimated weekly production requirements stated herein, yet at the same time, inform offerors that due to the nature of the product being procured, technological changes and customer requirements, it is impossible for the USPTO to state with accuracy the number of patents that will be required each year.

C.10 ASSEMBLY

In accordance with specifications listed in Section D.2 and Section D.3.

C.11 DELIVERY

The Contractor shall ensure delivery to the addresses and designated locations as directed by the Government.

C.12 PLANT CAPACITY

Production and distribution of all products covered under these specifications must be accomplished at the same facility.

C.13 QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN

(a)The contractor shall, prior to start-up, put into effect within its own organization, and maintain throughout the life of this contract, an independent quality assurance operation. This unit shall be of sufficient size, and expertise, to monitor, perform or have performed, the process controls, inspections, and tests necessary to assure that the production and delivery of United States Patents meet all the Government specifications and requirements as described herein. This includes 100% accuracy in the imaging and collation of patents. The contractor shall be required to correct each defect or error found during the inspection of work either in process or completed.

(b)The contractor shall submit a Quality Assurance Plan detailing contractor quality control programs for this contract as a part of its proposal to the Government as described in Section L.4. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT APPROVAL. This program shall, at a minimum, address the following:

(1) Where and by whom daily process controls and inspections will be performed. Contractor shall state the number of people that shall be permanently assigned to this program and their assignments.

(2) Appointment of an official who shall be responsible for the operation of the quality control system/department and for investigating and ascertaining the causes of deficiencies found in patents shipped, as reported by USPTO and its customers.

(3) How and when daily inspection and tests or reviews will check for:

a) printing registration

b) printing format

c) size, squareness, and parallelism measurements.

(4) Use of standard samples for matching purposes when producing patents. Inspection overlays Attachment H will be used by the Government to check image position for printed drawing sheets, printed front pages, and the printed specification pages.

(5) Procedures to insure that daily samples for inspection will be taken from all phases of production.

(6) Describe how verification will be accomplished to insure that all orders have been processed in full.

(7) Describe how the destruction of defective and/or unused materials will be managed.

(c)A signed Certificate of Inspection of each shipment, certifying that the deliverables were inspected and found to be in compliance with all requirements shall be submitted to the Contract Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer weekly.

(d)Failure to maintain the Quality Control Program in accordance with the plan submitted and approved by the Government may result in the Government's termination of the contract for default.

(e)Any obvious printing problems found during printing production are to be reported to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer.

(f)All requested quality control samples (for use by Government representatives) must be supplied at no cost to the Government.

C.14 REPORTING REQUIREMENT

The contractor shall submit weekly and monthly reports as described in this section.

C.14.1 WEEKLY REPORT

(a)The contractor shall, submit via email on a weekly basis, a written report to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer listing the following information due every Monday (or the next business day when the Monday is a Federal Holiday):

(1) A detailed record of all deliveries made that week.

(2) Weekly records of all quality assurance and inspection work done by contractor's personnel shall be kept complete, and shall be available to the Government upon request during the performance of this contract.

(3) Delayed availability of any Government Furnished Materials shall be reported immediately to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer and listed on the weekly report.

(4) Missing patents per issue.

(5) Details on all late deliveries.

C.14.2 MONTHLY REPORT

(a)The contractor shall, on a monthly basis via e-mail, submit a written report, due the first Tuesday of every month (or the next business day when the Tuesday is a Federal Holiday) to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer listing the following:

(1) Any current problems that impede or may adversely affect contract performance.

Recommendations or proposals for corrective action shall be included, where appropriate.

(2) Problems resolved or improvements realized by action of the contractor in meeting performance requirements.

(3) Recommendations concerning actions to be taken pertinent to contract implementation based on operating experience or observations of the contractor.

(4) Significant changes in the organization, staffing, facilities, equipment, and operating procedures, of the contractor's enterprise devoted to the fulfillment of this contract, which may prospectively affect his capacity for delivering units of production required under this contract.

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 BANDING

Rubber bands shall be of sufficient strength to hold patents in groups without causing damage to the patent pages. Bands will be placed around the width (short dimension) of the patents, as ordered.

D.2 WRAPPING

As specified in the DISTRIBUTION TABLE in Section C.4 Printing Operations, wrap sets with Kraft® paper in units of 50 or 100 patents and packed in cartons or envelopes.

D.3 PACKING

(a)Pack in shipping containers. Pack in accordance with the Packing Order of Patent Issue Sets as specified in Attachment C.

(b)Shipping containers must be packed solidly with the material laid flat on the bottom of the container and in solid contact with the top to prevent shifting and crushing in shipping and storage operations.

(c)Strapping shipping containers (other than envelopes): All containers shall after sealing, be strapped in a minimum of two separate places with a Signode® or similar type polypropylene strapping material.

Strapping requirement applies to…