U.S. Office of Personnel Management www.opm.gov - Recruiting, Retaining and Honoring a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People

GPO Rider Information for Ordering Career Service and Retirement Certificates

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers agencies the opportunity to "ride" OPM's printing requisition for Career Service and Retirement Certificates. These certificates are available through the Government Printing Office.

What are Career Service and Retirement Certificates?

Career Service Certificates recognize various milestones in an employee's Federal career. Retirement Certificates recognize an employment career completed in the Federal service. Available since 1988, these certificates provide a form of honorary recognition and may be presented to employees alone or in combination with other career service and retirement emblems or pins as they complete these significant milestones or retire.

What do these certificates look like?

The certificates, which are suitable for framing or placing in a presentation folder, are available in two common frame sizes:

• 8" x 10" (203 x 254 mm) and
• 8 1/2" x 11" (216 x 279 mm).

The certificates are pre-printed on an off-white card stock with lines for entering the recipient's name, date, and appropriate signature. The length-of-service certificates have an embossed seal with the Great Seal of the United States within an octagonal medallion and the retirement certificate has the seal encircled with a laurel wreath. To distinguish the various certificates, the

• 5-, 10- and 15-year certificates are bronze embossed;
• 20- and 25-year certificates are silver embossed; and
• 30-, 35-, 40-, 45-, 50-year and retirement certificates are gold embossed.

How can I order them?

Agencies may obtain these certificates by riding OPM's printing requisition and placing an order through their printing officer. It is important to remember

• these certificates are not stocked by the Government Printing Office, so riding OPM's printing requisition is the only way to obtain them;
• to check with your agency's printing officer for specific details on how to place your order; and
• you must process all GPO Rider requests through your agency's printing officer.

We encourage you to anticipate your needs over an extended time period and order accordingly.

What is the cost?

The estimated printing cost is $12.50 for 50 copies of any given certificate.

How often will this GPO Rider be offered?

In the past, we offered this Rider once a year. In response to customer requests, we now are offering the Rider twice a year. The Federal Career Service and Retirement Certificate GPO Rider announcements are available via an email subscription. The electronic subscription is free. You can subscribe by sending an email message to listserv@listserv.opm.gov. (In the body of the email in either upper or lower case type: SUBSCRIBE RIDERINFO your first and last names; for example, subscribe riderinfo John Doe.) After subscribing, you will receive an electronic confirmation message.

How can I get more information?

For information on the GPO Rider, contact the Division for Human Capital Leadership & Merit System Accountability at 202-606-1575 or by email at General@opm.gov.

For help with the electronic subscription, information on determining your agency's printing officer, how to complete the requisition form, or any other printing related questions, please call OPM's publications office at (202) 606-1844.