MLG DEPARTS WITHOUT PREDEP CLRNC. REALIZES WHEN CHANGED TO DEP.

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STANDARD PROC IS TO RETRIEVE PRE-DEP CLRNC 15 MINS BEFORE PUSHBACK IF GATE AGENT HAS NOT BROUGHT IT DOWN. WE WERE BUSY SETTING UP COCKPIT AND PREPARING FOR ENG START AT GATE AS THE APU WAS INOP. AUTOMATED WT AND BAL FINAL WX AND FUEL SLIP ARRIVED AS WE WERE STARTING THE ENGS TO ALLOW FOR A TIMELY DEP. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN SET UP FOR THE SID INCLUDING HDG; ALT AND DEP RADIAL. IN THE PUSHBACK WE DID NOT NOTICE THAT THE PRE-DEP CLRNC HAD NOT ARRIVED WITH THE OTHER PAPERWORK. THERE WAS NO DELAY IN TAXI AND WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF IMMEDIATELY. AFTER APPROX 500 FT THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTACT DEP. THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED WE HAD NO DEP FREQ CLRNC. WE LOOKED FOR THE PRE-DEP CLRNC TO NO AVAIL; FOLLOWED BY ME CALLING FOR OUR CLRNC WHILE THE CAPT MONITORED THE RADIOS. OUR CLRNC WAS RECEIVED BY 1500 FT AND WE CONTINUED ON THE VECTOR WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. LESSON LEARNED: GO GET PRE-DEP CLRNC IF IT HAS NOT ARRIVED 15 MINS PRIOR TO DEP AS PER COMPANY POLICY. OUR GUESS IS THAT ATC SENT OUR PRE-DEP CLRNC BUT IT WAS LEFT ON THE PRINTER AT THE GATE. OTHERWISE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN CLRED FOR TAXI OR TKOF.