Books, Magazines, Diaries and Calendars Tenders in Pakistan

What books & publications tenders cover

Library tenders are title-based. The buyer attaches a list of books with author, publisher and edition, and the supplier must provide the exact titles, often at a discount off the published price. Journal and magazine subscriptions are bought on annual terms. Diary and calendar tenders, by contrast, specify paper weight, binding, size, cover material, number of pages, printing colours and the text or logo to be printed.

Timing is predictable: library budgets are spent before the financial year ends in June, and diary and calendar notices appear from September to December. Bidders fall into different groups. Established booksellers and library suppliers, who hold accounts with local publishers and international distributors, dominate title-based tenders. Printers and stationery houses win diaries and calendars, and some firms do both. Because every title or item is checked on delivery, small errors in supply, such as a wrong binding or missing index pages, can cause a whole lot to be rejected. Strong record-keeping, publisher invoices and a clean delivery routine matter here more than in many other categories.

• Textbooks, reference books and law reports for libraries
• Foreign and local publications from a given list of titles
• Journals, magazines and newspaper subscriptions
• Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and Quran and religious publications
• Printed diaries with embossed or foil covers
• Wall, desk and table calendars with department branding
• Corporate greeting cards and annual reports
• Binding, laminating and book repair

Who issues them

Buyers include public and private universities and colleges, higher education commissions and libraries, courts and law departments, parliament and assembly libraries, provincial textbook boards, school education departments, government ministries and attached departments that order diaries and calendars, banks, insurance and telecom companies, and development authorities.

Rules and procedure

Federal buyers follow the Public Procurement Rules, 2004 and publish through e-PADS, while provincial departments follow their rules under PPRA Punjab, SPPRA, KPPRA and BPPRA. Library tenders are generally evaluated on the discount offered across the list and the percentage of titles the supplier can actually deliver, while diary and calendar tenders are awarded on the lowest evaluated bid among bidders whose samples meet the specification. Importing foreign books involves customs clearance, and imported books are treated differently from local printing, so quotations should state clearly whether duties and taxes are included. Copyright law requires that books supplied are genuine editions, not photocopied or pirated reprints. Payment is usually released after the committee has checked the delivered lot against the order list, so allow time in your cash flow for inspection and billing.

How to bid

1. Register as a taxpayer and ask whether the buyer wants enlistment as a bookseller or printer.
2. Check the title list and mark which books you can supply from stock, local publishers or import.
3. For diaries and calendars, produce a sample to the exact paper, size and binding in the specification.
4. Quote the discount or unit rate on the basis requested, with delivery and packing included.
5. Deliver in complete lots and get the books checked against the invoice by the library staff.

Documents you will usually need

• NTN and sales tax registration
• Business registration
• Authorisation or dealership letters from publishers and distributors
• Sample of diary or calendar as per the schedule
• Printing press ownership or arrangement proof for printed items
• List of past supplies to libraries or departments; non-blacklisting affidavit

Tips from the notices we track

• Verify edition and ISBN for every title; supplying an older edition is the commonest reason for rejected deliveries.
• Order paper and cover material early for diaries, since seasonal demand pushes up prices in the final months.
• Say plainly which titles you cannot supply rather than substituting without approval.