The Educational Resources Center of Georgia’s Ministry of Education has withdrawn its GEL 44.9 million tender for sewing school uniforms, which was announced on April 29. BM.GE has contacted the ministry for clarification on why the procurement failed; the story will be updated once a response is received.
The tender was part of a major reform passed earlier this year, which mandates school uniforms for all public-school students in grades I–VI starting from the 2026–2027 academic year. According to the law, uniforms must be available to families at least one month before the school year begins.
To meet this deadline, the Educational Resources Center launched a simplified procurement process, planning deliveries in two stages:
30% of uniforms by July 31,
Remaining 70% by August 20.
The ministry estimated that 1,801,000 individual clothing items were needed for the first year of mandatory uniforms. Based on a market study conducted on April 3, the total procurement value was set at GEL 44.9 million.
Planned quantities included:
Girls’ jackets – 292,000
Boys’ jackets – 308,000
Girls’ trousers – 438,000
Boys’ trousers – 616,000
Knee-length skirts – 146,000
Long skirts – 1,000
Deputy Education Minister Zviad Gabisonia said in April that the expected retail price of a school uniform would be around GEL 100, though he noted the issue is not under his direct supervision.
School uniforms are one component of the government’s broader education reform package, which includes eight major changes affecting public schools across the country.
