Most of the contractors that produce work for the
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) also are involved
in commercial sector printing. Dealing with government
and commercial employees may at times be confusing
when you are trying to decide what standards of conduct
may apply to each group. These standards are oftentimes
different and what is acceptable for one group may
not be acceptable for the other.
In an attempt to remove any doubts or misconceptions
regarding the standards of conduct that GPO personnel
must abide by, this informational sheet has been
prepared for you. It is hoped that after reading
this that you can avoid placing yourself or a GPO
employee in an embarrassing or awkward situation
prompted by a well intended gesture on your part.
All GPO personnel are covered by an instruction
that clearly spells out what is considered to be
proper standards of conduct. In pertinent part, those
standards are as follows:
No GPO employee shall solicit or accept, directly
or indirectly, any gift or favor, entertainment,
loan or any other thing of monetary value, from any
person, corporation, or group which --
1. Has, or is seeking to obtain, contractual or
other business or financial relationships with the
GPO,
2. Conducts operations or activities which are regulated by the GPO, or
3. Has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance or
nonperformance of his/her official duty.
Whether or not specifically prohibited it is intended
that GPO employees avoid any action which might result
in, or create the appearance of
1. Using public office for private gain,
2. Giving preferential treatment to any organization
or person,
3. Impeding Government efficiency or economy,
4. Losing complete independence or impartiality of action,
5. Making a Government decision outside of official channels, or
6. Affecting adversely the confidence of the public in the integrity of the
GPO.
A GPO employee shall not use Federal property of
any kind for other than officially approved activities.
He/she must protect and conserve all Federal property,
including equipment and supplies, entrusted or issued
to him/her.
A GPO employee shall not directly or indirectly
make use of, or permit others to make use of, for
the purpose of furthering a private interest, official
information not made available to the general public.
Any questions regarding this informational sheet
should be addressed to the Manager, Printing Procurement
Department.
Questions or comments regarding the contents
of these pages, or GPO Printing Procurement? Contact prntproc@gpo.gov