Tablet computer bidding for Zone 3 put on hold

“We received some complaints that hint at the possibility of bidding collusion,” Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said yesterday, when asked why the bidding results for Zone 3 were yet to be endorsed.
He said there were just two qualified bidders in the zone, and suspiciously the companies that sailed through the pre-qualification round in Zones 1 and 2 did not pass the Zone 3 criteria.
This year, the tablet procurement process kicked off with e-auctions for four zones. Zone 1 includes Pathom 1 students and teachers in Central region and South; Zone 2 Pathom 1 students and teachers in North and Northeast; Zone 3 covers Mathayom 1 students and teachers in Central and South; while Zone 4 covers Mathayom 1 students and teachers in the North and Northeast. The bidding process for Zone 4 was cancelled because only one company passed the pre-qualification round.
Chaturon said yesterday that the board would convene a meeting of legal experts and relevant parties next week to determine how to go ahead with the Zone 3 procurement plan. “I want recommendations from the experts,” he said.
The government has earmarked Bt4.6 billion for procuring tablets this year.
Chaturon said he was unable to say whether the bidding result for Zone 3 would go ahead.
“I have to consult relevant experts first,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chaturon said the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) has been instructed to set up a panel to develop standard content for tablets.
“Obec will also gather the opinions of stakeholders in a bid to improve the project further,” he said. The One Tablet Per Child project is one of the ruling Pheu Thai Party’s election policies.