For Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Andrew M. Sherman
February 26, 2000 202-512-1991
asherman@gpo.gov No. 00-06
GPO STATEMENT ON CENSUS ADVANCE LETTERS
The census advance letters were produced by Freedom Graphic Systems, in Milton, WI, working under contract with the Government Printing Office (GPO). Freedom won this contract following significant competition with other commercial printers as the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. Freedom is an experienced commercial printer with a sound record of performance on other Government printing contracts. This job is one of dozens that have been procured by GPO from commercial printers nationwide in support of the decennial census being conducted by the Census Bureau.
A pre-award test of the printing and addressing system for this job was conducted at Freedom. The test ran successfully. GPO has already contacted Freedom and is working with them and the Census Bureau to determine the source of the error. We have contacted other contract printers of census materials to ensure there are no other printing errors. To date, no other problems have been disclosed and every indication at this point is that the addressing of the advance letters is an isolated problem.
GPO is acutely aware of the importance and sensitivity of all census products, including the advance letters, and we are working closely with the Census Bureau to ensure that the public is provided with quality, timely products in support of the decennial census.
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(This statement was prepared in response to the Washington Post article, "Census Mail Goes Out With Wrong Numbers," Saturday, February 26, 2000.)