Tendering of exam contracts defended

THE AWARD of printing contracts for Leaving and Junior Cert papers to two British companies is fully in line with national and…

THE AWARD of printing contracts for Leaving and Junior Cert papers to two British companies is fully in line with national and EU guidelines, the State Examination Commission said yesterday.

The contract for the printing of the 2010 Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examination papers was awarded to Stephen Austin and Sons Ltd; the 2010 Junior Certificate examination papers was awarded to Pindar. Both companies are located in Britain.

Gerry Andrews of the Print and Packaging Forum told RTÉ’s News at One the decision made little sense at a time when many Irish printing companies were battling for survival.

Exam papers have been printed outside of the State since 2003.

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Each year, the examinations commission makes arrangements for the printing of about 34 million pages of exam papers. It has the capacity to print about 15 per cent of this but the remainder is put out to tender.

The commission says the value of the printing contract – which it is refusing to disclose for commercial reasons – means it must be advertised across the EU.

But the Irish print industry say the contract should have been broken up and given to an Irish company.

The examinations commission says it evaluates all tenders on the basis of various factors including price, security and experience.

The commission insists security for the exam will not be compromised by the decision to print outside the State.

Last year, more than 50,000 Leaving Certificate students had to resit an English exam after a superintendent in Drogheda, Co Louth, handed out the wrong paper. The rescheduling the exam to a Saturday cost over €1.5 million.

Last week, Minister for Education Mary Coughlan told the Dáil new procedures were being introduced to ensure no repetition of last year’s events.