POLICY

A. Purpose

This policy describes the process of procuring printed or duplicated materials at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), including the digital and offset printing or duplicating of scientific and technical information (STI) and non-STI publications, such as public-information documents.

B. Persons Affected

Employees requiring printed or duplicated material for Berkeley Lab

C. Exceptions

Not applicable

D. Policy Statement

This policy applies to printing or duplication services for both STI and non-STI publications, such as public-information documents.

Printing is defined as composition, platemaking, presswork, binding, microform publishing, or the end items produced by such processes. Often, a printing process is applied when high-quality reproductions are required. Typically, the selection of the printing process most suitable for a particular job requires special expertise. Printing processes usually require lead times of 15 to 20 working days.

Duplicating (copying) is defined as material produced by duplication equipment employing the lithographic process and automatic copy-processing or copier-duplicating equipment employing electrostatic, thermal, or other copying processes.

1. Printing services must be arranged through Berkeley Lab's Printing Services Coordinator (PSC) at [email protected] to ensure optimal timeliness, pricing, and quality. This applies to all printing services irrespective of Government Publishing Office (GPO) threshold requirements defined in Section D.3.
   
   1. The selection of printing processes must address the requirement to promote sustainable printing practices, and to procure printing services that use both:
      
      1. Uncoated printing and writing paper containing at least 30% postconsumer fiber
      2. Vegetable-oil-based inks for offset printing
2. Duplicating services should be arranged by either Berkeley Lab's PSC or Procurement Department to ensure optimal timeliness and pricing. The PSC can provide expertise for those jobs where high quality is required.
   
   1. For duplicating jobs that exceed the GPO threshold requirements defined in Section D.3, the order must be placed by the PSC.
   2. The selection of duplicating processes must also address the requirement to promote sustainable printing practices, and to procure printing services that use both:
      
      1. Uncoated printing and writing paper containing at least 30% postconsumer fiber
      2. Vegetable-oil-based inks for offset printing
   3. In emergency situations, the Payments Requests process may be used for duplicating services, with an appropriate justification, for reimbursement of non-Procurement-selected vendor duplicating costs (except for those that apply to the GPO threshold).
      
      1. The use of an RFIC signifies the requestor's acknowledgement that timeliness, pricing and/or quality may be at risk using a non-Procurement-selected vendor.
3. Government Publishing Office (GPO) Threshold Requirements. When material to be printed or duplicated exceeds 5,000 copies of a single page, or more than 25,000 units in the aggregate of multiple pages, it must be procured by or through the GPO. In this case, Berkeley Lab's GPO specialist, the PSC, must be contacted to ensure the required GPO requirements are met.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

None

H. Implementing Documents

I. Related Berkeley Lab Policies

• Scientific and Technical Publications Requirements Policy
• Acquisition of Goods and Services Policy

J. Contact Information

• Printing Services Coordinator (PSC)
• Information Technology Division/Creative Services
• Procurement Department

K. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

• Title 44 of the U.S. Code, Public Printing and Documents, Chapter 5, Production and Procurement of Printing and Binding, Section 501
• Executive Order 13514

Implementing Documents