School Notebook Tender Supply — Board, District and Institutional Contracts from Sivakasi
Supplying notebooks against a tender is a documentation job with a printing job attached. This page covers the specification traps, the sampling process, the academic-year timeline and what we will not bid.
In short
Notebook tender supply starts at 25,000 pieces. A 172-page long notebook on 58 GSM maplitho runs ₹14–₹24 per piece at 25,000 and ₹11–₹19 at two lakh. Tenders must be won by March for a June academic year, because production takes 10–15 days and the February–April window is the cluster's second peak.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · tender timelines reviewed each October, before the January to March tender season
Tender-scale notebook rates
The same products as the notebook page, at the quantities tenders actually run to. Ex-factory, excluding GST and freight; tender pricing normally requires a delivered rate, which we build per district rather than averaging.
| Notebook | 25,000 pcs | 50,000 pcs | 2,00,000 pcs | 5,00,000 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short notebook, 76 pages58 GSM maplitho, centre-pinned, printed wrapper | ₹6 – 10 | ₹5.50 – 9 | ₹5 – 8 | ₹4.60 – 7.40 |
| Long notebook, 120 pages58 GSM maplitho, centre-pinned | ₹10 – 16 | ₹9 – 15 | ₹8 – 13 | ₹7.40 – 12 |
| Long notebook, 172 pages58 GSM maplitho, centre-pinned | ₹14 – 24 | ₹13 – 22 | ₹11 – 19 | ₹10 – 17.50 |
| Long notebook, 200 pages70 GSM maplitho, centre-pinned | ₹17 – 28 | ₹15 – 26 | ₹13 – 22 | ₹12 – 20 |
| Graph / practical record, 100 pages70 GSM, alternate plain pages, centre-pinned | ₹12 – 20 | ₹11 – 18 | ₹9.50 – 16 | ₹8.80 – 14.50 |
| Drawing book, 30 sheets120 GSM cartridge, board cover | ₹22 – 38 | ₹20 – 34 | ₹17 – 29 | ₹16 – 26 |
The four specification traps that decide a notebook tender
Pages or leaves. A 172-page notebook has 86 leaves printed both sides. A tender that says “172 sheets” means twice the paper and roughly twice the price. This is the single most common ambiguity in Indian notebook tenders and it is worth clarifying in writing before anyone quotes, because a bidder who reads it the cheap way will undercut everyone and then substitute.
GSM and what actually arrives. A tender specifying 58 GSM at a rate that only works at 54 GSM is inviting substitution. The difference is invisible to the eye and obvious on a scale: weigh a ream from the delivered stock, divide by area, and you have the real GSM in five minutes. Any serious tender should include a delivered-sample weight check as an acceptance condition, and we would rather bid against one than not.
Brightness. Almost no tender specifies it and it is what determines whether the notebook looks acceptable. Two 58 GSM sheets at 78 ISO and 85 ISO brightness cost meaningfully different amounts and look completely different on a desk. If a tender is silent on brightness, the lowest bidder will supply the lower number, legitimately.
Ruling. Single-line, four-line, square, unruled, and the ruling pitch within each. Four-line ruling for primary classes has a defined spacing that varies by state board, and supplying the wrong pitch makes the notebook unusable for its purpose while technically meeting every other line of the specification. Attach a marked-up ruling sample to the tender; it removes the argument entirely.
The tender calendar for a June academic year
October – December: tender published and bid
Specification review, sample submission, price bid. This is where the specification traps above have to be resolved, not later.
January: award and paper booking
Award confirmed, paper booked against the named GSM and mill. Paper booked in January costs less than paper booked in March, and everyone in the trade knows it.
February – March: production
Wrapper printing, block production, centre-pinning, trimming and bundling. Ten to fifteen days per release; a five-lakh contract runs as several releases.
March – April: staggered dispatch
District-wise or school-wise delivery against the schedule, with a packing list per destination and delivery challans matched to the award.
May: buffer and shortfall
The month that exists so that a miscount in March does not become a crisis in June. A tender with no buffer month is a tender someone will fail.
Documentation and what we require
What we supply
- GST registration and a GST invoice with printed matter under HSN 4911
- Physical samples against the tender specification, produced on the actual paper being bid
- Written confirmation of paper GSM, brightness and mill for the bid specification
- A district-wise or school-wise dispatch schedule with delivery challans matched to the award
- Prior-supply evidence and references appropriate to the contract size
- Bank details and documentation for EMD and performance guarantee routing through the registered company
What we ask from you
- The full specification in writing, including whether the page count means pages or leaves
- A marked-up ruling sample, particularly for four-line and square ruling
- The delivery schedule and destination list before production, not after
- The acceptance test — weight check, sample retention, or visual inspection — stated up front
- Realistic payment milestones. A supplier funding five lakh notebooks on a post-delivery payment is a supplier who will cut the GSM
- Confirmation of whether wrapper artwork is supplied or to be designed against a brief
What we will not bid
We will not bid a specification we cannot hold. If a tender asks for 58 GSM at 85 ISO brightness at a rate that only works at 54 GSM and 78 ISO, the honest answer is to say so and not bid, because the alternative is winning it and then substituting — which is what makes notebook tendering the reputationally difficult category it is. We will tell you, in writing, what the specification actually costs, and if that is above the ceiling then the ceiling is wrong.
Questions we answer daily
What is the minimum quantity for a notebook tender supply?
Twenty-five thousand pieces. Below that it is an ordinary notebook order rather than a tender supply, and the documentation overhead is disproportionate. Our general notebook minimum is 5,000 pieces; the tender rates on this page start at 25,000 because that is where institutional contracts realistically begin.
How much does a school notebook cost at tender quantities?
A 172-page long notebook on 58 GSM maplitho with a printed wrapper runs ₹14–₹24 at 25,000 pieces, ₹11–₹19 at two lakh and ₹10–₹17.50 at five lakh, ex-factory. A 76-page short notebook runs ₹6–₹10 at 25,000 and ₹4.60–₹7.40 at five lakh.
Does 172 pages mean 172 sheets?
No. A 172-page notebook has 86 leaves printed both sides. A tender that says 172 sheets means twice the paper and roughly twice the price. It is the most common ambiguity in Indian notebook tenders and it must be clarified in writing before bidding, or the cheapest bidder will simply have read it the cheap way.
When must a notebook tender be awarded for a June academic year?
By January or February. Production runs 10–15 days per release, February to April is the cluster's second peak, and distributors stock in April and May. An award in April leaves no buffer month, and a tender with no buffer is a tender somebody will fail to deliver on time.
How do I stop a supplier substituting a lighter paper?
Make a delivered-sample weight check an acceptance condition. Weigh a ream from delivered stock and divide by area; the real GSM takes five minutes to establish. Also specify brightness in ISO, because a tender silent on brightness will legitimately receive the lowest acceptable number.
Can you deliver district-wise across a state?
Yes. We pack in bundles of 25 or 50 inside 5-ply cartons, mark each carton with the destination and count, and produce a packing list and delivery challan per destination against a single award. The destination list needs to arrive before production finishes, not after, or the stock has to be re-picked at cost.
Do you supply school diaries as well as notebooks?
Yes. A school diary is an A5 book with an art card cover, 70 GSM inner and centre-sewn binding, running ₹26–₹48 at 5,000 pieces. Schools usually tender diaries and notebooks together, and running them as one job shares the wrapper make-ready across both.
What documentation do you provide for a government tender?
GST registration and invoicing under HSN 4911, physical samples produced on the bid paper, written confirmation of GSM, brightness and mill, prior-supply evidence, a district-wise dispatch schedule, and bank documentation for EMD and performance guarantee routing through the registered company.
Related pages
- Notebook manufacturers Formats, GSM, binding and wrapper printing
- Diary manufacturers in Sivakasi School diaries and institutional diary supply
- Question paper & OMR printing The other institutional printing contract
- Paper & GSM guide Maplitho weights, brightness and how to verify them
- Printing cost in India 2026 Notebook rates at every quantity tier
- Get a quote Send the tender specification and we will cost it
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