The Gauteng Department of Education has achieved important savings in the price of school textbooks for 2014 following a rigorous procurement process.
This included an open tender which attracted 21 bidders and an assessment of all possible cost-cutting measures by an external advisor. As a result, the GDE has been able to secure all of the books required by the 190 Gauteng schools for which it buys learning materials at a projected saving of over R18 million for 2014.
In Gauteng, governing bodies in 1 855 schools are empowered to select and purchase their own textbooks. The Department of Education buys learning materials directly for schools whose governing bodies do not have the authority to do so themselves.
GDE also procures textbooks for all no-fee schools in grades where new textbooks are required due to the curriculum changes under CAPs. For the 2014 academic year this includes grades 7, 8, 9 and 12.
The total budget for textbooks for schools supplied by the GDE is R155 million. Schools procuring books directly themselves are projected to receive a budget of R641 million for January 2014.
"We are pleased that we have been able to appoint the service provider timeously," said GDE spokesperson Charles Phahlane. "This will allow us once again to ensure that Gauteng schools are supplied with all necessary learning materials in time for the start of the school year next January."
The exhaustive procurement process leading to the appointment of the service provider for 2014 included a final short list of two companies. The contract was awarded to EduSolutions on the basis of price, and its ability to demonstrate its procurement, warehousing, and distribution capacity and capability.
The contract was awarded for a single year as a national procurement process is currently under discussion. The contract can be extended should this be required.
For more information contact the Gauteng Department of Education’s Head of
Communication:
Charles Phahlane
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
