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Instructions for Forms 1040 and 1040-SR

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE.UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE.Customer Services · Response deadline: Tue, 27 Oct 2026

What the government is buying

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) is soliciting a contractor to print "Instructions for Forms 1040 and 1040-SR." This is a combined synopsis/solicitation, meaning the notice serves as both an announcement of the requirement and the formal solicitation document. Form 1040 is the standard U.S. individual income tax return, and 1040-SR is the simplified version for taxpayers age 65 and older. The Internal Revenue Service distributes these instruction booklets annually to help millions of Americans complete their federal tax returns.

GPO's Customer Services unit manages this procurement. The work falls under NAICS code 323117, which covers Books Printing — specifically the commercial printing of books, including government documents, pamphlets, and instructional materials. This typically involves high-volume offset or digital printing, finishing, warehousing, and distribution services.

Key facts

Who can bid

This procurement is full and open competition with no set-aside program, meaning any qualified business of any size may submit a bid. Small businesses, large businesses, veteran-owned, woman-owned, and other certified firms all compete on equal footing.

To bid, your business must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) with active registration through the contract period. Your SAM profile must include NAICS 323117 to be eligible. Given the nature of book printing, bidders should have commercial printing capabilities, experience with high-volume government or financial document production, and capacity for the security and quality standards typical of Internal Revenue Service materials. Past performance printing government publications would strengthen your position but is not required unless specified in the full solicitation.

How to put together a competitive bid

For government book printing contracts, focus your proposal on:

Production capability. Detail your press capacity, binding options (saddle-stitch or perfect-bound for multi-page instruction booklets), and quality control systems. IRS instruction booklets are time-sensitive items with rigid distribution schedules tied to tax season.

Distribution and logistics. GPO contracts often require delivery to multiple GPO depositories, regional distribution centers, or direct-to-agency locations. If the solicitation specifies delivery requirements, demonstrate your warehousing, packaging, and shipping infrastructure.

Past performance. Include relevant contracts for federal, state, or commercial high-volume document printing — especially tax forms, financial instructions, or annual publications with similar print runs and deadlines.

Pricing structure. Government printing solicitations typically seek unit pricing (per thousand or per copy) with pricing for various quantities. See the solicitation for the specific pricing format and any economic price adjustment clauses for paper cost fluctuations.

Environmental compliance. Government printing contracts may require use of recovered materials, soy-based inks, or compliance with EPA guidelines for federal procurement of printing and writing paper.

Next steps

1. Read the full solicitation on SAM.gov — search for solicitation number 500032 or reference title "Instructions for Forms 1040 and 1040-SR." The combined synopsis/solicitation contains all terms, conditions, specifications, and evaluation criteria.

2. Note the deadline: Submit your bid by October 27, 2026, at 11:00 AM EDT. Late submissions are inadmissible.

3. Verify your SAM registration is active and complete before preparing your offer.

4. If questions arise after reviewing the full solicitation, use the contracting officer contact information provided in the SAM notice.

View the official notice on SAM.gov →