Packaging and printing irregularities in primary textbooks
City Correspondent
The government might incur huge losses following alleged corruption in quotation for printing and packaging of primary textbooks.Officials of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) said that a non-responsive party had submitted the lowest price in the tender and for that reason, the second lowest price has been approved instead of the lowest price endorsed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). But printing and packaging companies that had participated in the tender said that this was a fabrication of facts. "The lowest price was submitted by Hamid Printing and Packaging which had been verified and then approved by the PMO," said an owner of a printing and packaging house of Banglabazar. Printers and packagers also thought that the NCTB was violating regulations. "By approving two tenders without canceling the first one and by not re-tendering, the NCTB has become legally at fault," said another printer. The printers and packagers alleged that the tender price had been re-negotiated between a group of printers and packagers and NCTB officials. "We could have easily done the job with the lowest price which was Tk. one crore higher than last year's quotation. The second lowest quotation would raise the cost by Tk. 70 lakhs which will benefit some NCTB officials and printers," said an owner of a printing press. The NCTB had floated the tender for printing, packaging and transportation of 8.5 crore primary textbooks for the year 2005. Accordingly 523 quotations had been submitted for 239 packages on the last date of submission on August 18. The NCTB verified the tenders and selected 352 applicants as responsive. Hamid Printing and Packaging gave the lowest estimate for printing which was Tk. 14 crore. The cost was Tk. one crore higher than last year's lowest package. The quotation had been approved by the PM's office and accordingly the NCTB started issuing notification of award letters to applicants from September 20 for the submission of performance guarantee. But a section of printers and packagers allegedly influenced NCTB officials in having the second lowest quotation approved. One NCTB officials said that some printers and packagers were asking for re-tender to increase the package price which would delay the printing by two to three months and would eventually lead to a deadline failure for availability of textbooks in the 2005 education year.
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