Accra, March 14, GNA - The Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA), on Monday asked the Ministry of Education to kick against plans to sole source atlases to schools, which is likely to cost the State more than $10 million. A statement issued by Asare Konadu Yamoah, President of GBPA and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said such a move should be made through public announcement to 93level the playing field so that other companies can compete as stipulated by the Public Procurement Act".

"As has been indicated by the Association in the past, books by their very nature are not best procured through sole sourcing. "This is because of the sheer availability of a large number of competing books, the implicit objective of the Textbook Development and Distribution Policy and the National Book Policy to develop the local book industry and the importance of getting as much choice as possible in book selection," the statement said.

The GBPA said that was the basis of the legal case initiated by members against the Ministry of Education and the Public Procurement Board concerning the acquisition of almost $28 million worth of readers from Macmillan Education, UK in 2005.

The statement said sole sourcing was contrary to the blue print of the Ministry's 93Textbook Development and Distribution Policy", which spelt out the terms and conditions under which textbooks, supplementary readers, dictionaries and atlases among other books would be procured.

It said atlases could be found on the local market at very competitive prices and appealed to the Ministry to stop the procurement and rather investigate the deal, which the GBPA claimed did not go through open tender.

"Should the Ministry desire to purchase atlases, the GBPA recommends that an open competitive tender be organised, one that adheres to the tenets of Textbooks Development and Distribution Policy and the objective of fairness and transparency.

"Members of the Association pledge that they are ready and willing to respond to any request for submission of atlases to schools on competitive basis."

GBPA asked the Ministry not to compromise on the 93value for money", saying it would not serve the interest of students as it would fail to get them the best books on the market and lead to financial loss to the State.

"Such factors do not help advance the better Ghana agenda of the government," the statement said.