Bidders asked to supply 400,000 tablets each

The successful bidders in the next round of the One Tablet Per Child scheme will supply more than 400,000 devices each, up from 140,000-180,000 called for under the original resolution.

"If we buy in bigger bulk each time, we should be in a better position to bargain for the lowest price," Chinnapat Bhumirat, secretary-general of the Basic Education Commission, said yesterday.

The old resolution called for bidding for up to five zones for Pathom 1 students and five zones for Mathayom 1 students.

Yesterday's meeting of the panel overseeing the OTPC scheme, chaired by Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana, revised the resolution to just two zones for each grade. The government is preparing to hand out PC tablets to students under the OTPC scheme.



SPECULATION DISMISSED

Chinnapat dismissed speculation that the change might favour large vendors.

"We believe there will be at least three qualified bidders for each zone," he said.

However, large players usually had a more solid system for after-sales service, he said.

As part of the detailed tablet-procurement plan now being drafted for Cabinet consideration, the procurement for all zones would be by e-auction.

"We have already consulted the Comptroller-General's Department about this," he said.

The budgets are estimated at Bt2,720 for a Pathom 1 tablet and Bt2,920 for a Mathayom 1 tablet, he added.