Leaked estimates, tailored bids add Tk 2.52 billion to textbook printing costs

A large portion of the government’s contract work for printing textbooks that are distributed free of charge to students has allegedly been divided among a group of contractors. The contractors reportedly learned the government’s estimated prices in advance and secured contracts by submitting bids slightly above or below those figures.

In a further development, the estimated prices were increased midway through the process. The government had initially set estimated prices, but after the figures were leaked, contractors pressured authorities to raise them.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) accepted the demand and increased the estimated prices. The contractors later allegedly coordinated their bids and divided the contracts among themselves.

An NCTB member has acknowledged that the estimated prices were leaked. Procurement experts in the government sector, meanwhile, said contractors were not supposed to know the estimated prices. They said increasing the estimates midway through the process was not in accordance with the rules, while reduced competition increases government expenditure and creates a risk of lower-quality work.

An analysis shows that the increase in estimated prices and the alleged division of contracts will result in an additional cost of Tk 2.52 billion for printing secondary-level textbooks alone.

Tofail Khan, former president of the Bangladesh Printers Association, told Prothom Alo that irregularities would significantly increase government expenditure this year. “It seemed that there was no proper environment for me to work this time, so I did not participate,” he said.

The government provides free textbooks to primary and secondary students. During the tenure of the Awami League government, which was ousted following the July mass uprising, allegations of various irregularities in textbook printing were frequently raised. The quality of textbooks also came under question in some years.

Around 310 million books will be printed for 2027. More than 220 million of them will be secondary-level textbooks, with the remainder for primary-level students. The estimated cost of printing the books is Tk 19 billion. The government aims to deliver the books to all students at the beginning of the year and is working to send them to districts and upazilas by November.

The textbook printing process began during the tenure of former NCTB chairman Md Mahbubul Haque Patwari. Initially, following a market assessment, the official estimated average price for paper per form for primary-level books was set at Tk 3.26. For secondary-level books, it was Tk 2.85.

Based on these estimates, tenders for printing primary-level textbooks were made “live” on the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system on 3 and 4 June, allowing online submissions. Tenders for Class VI and VII textbooks were made live on 7 and 9 June.

Sources at the NCTB and among printing-industry owners said the estimated paper prices were leaked at this stage.

NCTB member Abu Naser acknowledged the leak. He told Prothom Alo that seven or eight committees were involved in the textbook printing process, creating opportunities for information to leak at some stage. He also acknowledged that this was a weakness of the NCTB.

The estimated paper prices were close to those of the previous year. Contractors realised that winning contracts by bidding at those rates would leave them with lower profits, although it would save the government money. At this stage, a section of printing press owners joined forces and applied for an increase in the estimated prices.

In public procurement in Bangladesh, estimated prices are determined by committees of the relevant agencies. A contractor is excluded from the competition if they submit a bid more than 10 per cent above the estimated price. This makes access to the estimated price particularly important. Contractors often arrange to obtain such figures by allegedly paying large bribes to government officials.

Minutes of the NCTB’s 423rd board meeting state that 75 printing-industry owners had applied for an increase in the estimated prices. In response to their applications, the board decided to reassess the estimates. However, contractors were not supposed to have access to these figures.

According to sources, a new NCTB chairman, Mohammad Fakhrul Mawla, was appointed on 8 June to replace Mahbubul Haque Patwari as chairman on additional duty. After Fakhrul Mawla took charge, the estimated prices were revised while the tender process was already under way.

Fakhrul Mawla told Prothom Alo by phone on 11 September that the estimated prices had been increased because of higher costs of paper, electricity, gas and transportation. He said no law had been violated in the process. He also said that coordinated bidding could reduce competition, although the issue was not entirely under the NCTB’s control.

NCTB member Abu Naser also claimed that revising the prices after the tenders had gone live was not a violation of the law. He said the relevant ministry and authorities were aware of the matter.

Prothom Alo contacted Education Secretary Abdul Khaleque to find out whether the ministry was indeed aware of the matter. When contacted at his office on 8 September, he declined to make an official comment after hearing the questions.

Asked whether estimated prices could be increased in this way after a tender process had begun, Faruk Hossain, a public procurement expert and former director general of the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU), told Prothom Alo that there was no scope to change the estimated price after a tender had been invited. If a change was necessary, he said, the tender would have to be cancelled and a new one invited.

According to NCTB data, the average awarded price per form for printing secondary-level textbooks for the 2026 academic year was Tk 2.31. For the 2027 academic year, it has risen to Tk 3.32 — an increase of around 44 per cent.

For the 2027 academic year, the amount of paper required for secondary-level textbooks has been estimated at 2.5 million reams, with one ream equivalent to 1,000 forms. Calculations show that the increase in the estimated paper price could raise government expenditure by more than Tk 2.50 billion.

Prices have also increased for primary-level books. In 2026, the average awarded price per form for books for Classes I to V was Tk 3.44. In 2027, it rose to Tk 3.54. People familiar with the process said the strategy to extract additional money was primarily devised around secondary-level textbooks.

The textbook printing contracts are being awarded in batches, with more than 700 tenders floated. An analysis of 485 tenders found that 231 had only one bidder, who subsequently won the contract. In some cases, multiple companies owned by the same person participated in the same tender.

In some tenders, several companies purchased tender documents, but only one submitted a bid. For example, 14 companies purchased the tender document for Class VII tender No. 714, but ultimately only one company, Letter N Color Ltd, submitted a bid. The company won the contract without any competition.

Tender documents also show instances of multiple companies owned by the same person participating in a tender. For example, in Class VI tender No. 669, Proma Printing, Simanta Press and Bright Printing submitted closely matched bids. All three companies are owned by the same person. No other company competed for the lot.

SM Mohsin, owner of the three companies, told Prothom Alo that each company was a separate legal entity and therefore there would be no problem with the quality of the work.

On 16 June, the day before bids were submitted, printing-industry owners discussed bid prices in a WhatsApp group. A source, showing screenshots of the conversation, alleged that owners involved in the coordination had disclosed in advance how much should be bid for each class.

Agrani Printing Press and Karnaphuli Printers secured a large portion of the NCTB’s textbook printing contracts. Agrani Printing Press is owned by Hasanuzzaman Rubel, while Karnaphuli Printers is owned by Kawsaruzzaman Robin. They are brothers. According to sources, the two played a major role in coordinating the bids.

Prothom Alo contacted Hasanuzzaman by phone on 7 September for his comment. He ended the call after hearing the questions, saying he was busy. Repeated attempts to contact him later were unsuccessful.

Last year, the NCTB blacklisted seven companies over allegations of irregularities in textbook printing. However, after new chairman Fakhrul Mawla took charge, the ban was lifted in the name of ensuring open competition in the tender process. At least two of those companies have reportedly secured contracts this year: Barnamala Press and Sohagi Printing Press. They have faced allegations of supplying low-quality books.

Asked about the matter, Iftikharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), told Prothom Alo that allowing press owners to learn the estimated prices in advance was a major weakness in the NCTB’s textbook printing tenders. He said an investigation should determine how the information was leaked and identify those involved.

Iftikharuzzaman said such incidents had long been an “open secret”. He said irregularities continued because effective action had not been taken.