The government has approved the procurement of more than 5.3 crore textbooks for students in grades 1 to 5 for the 2025 academic year, with an estimated cost of Tk276.63 crore for printing, binding, and delivery.

The approvals were made during the Adviser’s Council Committee meeting on Government Procurement, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Thursday at the Secretariat.

Details of the textbook procurement

According to meeting sources, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education’s proposal was approved for the printing, binding, and delivery of textbooks in 28 lots.

Of these, 27 lots were approved for procurement, while one lot failed to attract a qualified bidder.

A total of 46 bids were received for the 28 lots, of which 43 were considered responsive.

The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) recommended awarding contracts for 27 lots at a cost of Tk65.14 crore for printing, binding, and delivering approximately 12.9 crore books.

The estimated cost per textbook, including paper, printing, and binding, is Tk50.52.

For grades 4 and 5, the procurement plan included 20 packages involving 95 lots.

A total of 196 bids were received, with 179 deemed responsive. The TEC recommended awarding contracts for these 95 lots at a total cost of Tk211.48 crore for printing, binding, and delivering more than 4 crore books, with a per-textbook cost of Tk52.39.

The approved bid prices for these procurements are 18.65% and 14.13% higher than the estimated costs, respectively.

LNG, fertiliser and rice procurement

The meeting also approved several proposals to procure liquefied natural gas (LNG), fertiliser, and rice to meet growing national demand.

Petrobangla will procure two cargoes of LNG from M/S Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore. The first cargo, priced at US$14.55 per MMBtu, will cost approximately Tk686.39 crore, while the second cargo, priced at $14.42 per MMBtu, will cost Tk680.25 crore.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) will buy 30,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser from Russia’s JSC Foreign Economic Corporation “Prodintorg” for Tk104.31 crore. Another 40,000 tonnes will be sourced from the Canadian Commercial Corporation for Tk139.08 crore.

Additionally, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will procure 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Fertiglobe Distribution Ltd, UAE, for Tk128.99 crore, 30,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea from Qatar Energy for Tk128.99 crore, and 30,000 tonnes of prilled urea from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia for Tk131.40 crore.

The Directorate General of Food will import 50,000 tonnes of non-Basmati boiled rice from M/S SAEL Agri Commodities Ltd, India, through an international tender at a cost of Tk282.96 crore.

Youth training and other approvals

The meeting also approved a proposal to appoint e-Learning and Earning Ltd, Dhaka, to train 28,800 youths under a project for Tk 297.16 crore. Additional proposals from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Road Transport and Highways Division were also approved.

These decisions aim to address the country’s growing demand for educational materials, essential commodities, and youth development initiatives, ensuring stability and progress across multiple sectors.