Gun-Lock Contract Doesn’t Involve ‘Printing,’ Appeals Court Says

Veterans4You LLC showed that the Department of Veterans Affairs unlawfully relied on the Government Publishing Office to handle procurement for gun locks that have suicide prevention information on an attached card, the Federal Circuit ruled Monday.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims erred when it ruled in September 2019 that a statutory “printing mandate” applied to the solicitation and obligated the VA to route the solicitation through the GPO, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said.

The solicitation doesn’t involve “printing” because the goods sought aren’t written or graphic published materials, the court said.

This conclusion comports ...