To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Directors of Services/Centers and Heads of Units
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
Resident COA Auditors
All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) is pleased to announce the List of Approved Reading and Reference Materials (copy enclosed) which may be used in public schools starting CY 2009.
2. The following guidelines shall be followed in the purchase of the aforementioned supplementary materials:
   1. All purchases of supplementary reading and reference materials starting December 2009 shall be based on this DepEd Order;
   2. DepEd offices may purchase materials included in the enclosed non-exclusive list in accordance with Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act, and its revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). It is understood that in procuring such materials, it shall not limit the bidding opportunity to those referred to in the enclosed list but shall extend to other contracting publishers/suppliers/distributors who are capable of complying with the Department’s requirements based on the same standard/criteria used in the evaluation of the enclosed list of supplementary and reference materials. The enclosed non-exclusive list shall be regularly updated in accordance with the evaluation standards and criteria set by the DepEd Instructional Materials Council Secretariat (IMCS);
   3. Purchasing entities must ensure that the supplementary and reference materials that they will purchase conform to the technical specifications, evaluation standards, and screening criteria established by the Department. In determining the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), procuring entities must be guided by the prevailing price in the market, the number or volume of purchases, and the suggested price referred to in the enclosed list and supported by appropriate market price analysis. The ABC shall include the cost of delivery.
   4. DepEd offices may use savings from their budgets for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), Special Education Fund (SEF), and other non-DepEd funds to procure materials included in the enclosed list;
   5. Any purchase of supplementary materials must be based on specific needs, priorities, and/or validated requests of the public elementary and/or secondary schools who are the intended recipients of said materials.
3. All concerned are enjoined to exercise judicious care in the procurement of these supplementary materials in order to maximize the benefits for the school children.
4. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

Encls.:
As stated
Reference:
None
Allotment: 1- -(D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
BOOKS
FUNDS
LIST
POLICY
PURCHASE
TEACHING AIDS
TEXTBOOKS