translated from Spanish: 87% of contracts for textbooks, by direct award

The Free Textbook Commission (CONALITEG) has already made 30 contracts for the acquisition of inputs and the printing of books for the next school year, which total 811 million pesos; 87% has been delivered by direct Award and only 13% by public bidding.
Although the books should arrive at the beginning of the school year on August 26, the hirings took place between 25 April and 24 May, that is to say, up to five months after what was done in previous years.
Two companies receive 388 million pesos in contracts, despite accusations of fraud for the sale of books
According to the revision of the contracts through the Compranet platform, 25 of the 30 contracts were for direct adjudication, i.e. the Conaliteg chose the companies without opening a public contest and without explaining why they chose these companies.
The total amount of the contracts delivered by this route amounts to 734 million pesos. Half of it ended in two companies: Lithograph Magno Graf S. A. de C. v. and publishing company Ultra, S. A. de C. v., both were charged criminally for selling books overpriced during the management of the Director of the National commission of Free Textbooks ( Conaliteg), Marco Antonio Meza, in 1999, and who repeats in the position in the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. 
Despite this background, the Magno Graf lithograph got 249 million pesos in four contracts, which places it as the main beneficiary company. This is the property of Armando Prida Huerta, who also owns the association journalistic synthesis, S.A. de C.V., which publishes the newspaper synthesis of Puebla, with presence also in Tlaxcala and Hidalgo; And faces magazine, dedicated to the social news in Puebla, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Mexico City. 
The second most benefited company was the Ultra Publishing company, with 139 million pesos, a considerable increase to the 51 million of pesos that won through public bidding last year.
All contracts began between 30 April and 24 May last for the printing of textbooks with and without delivery of inputs.
In contrast, only five contracts have been made for 109 million pesos through public competition. All for the acquisition of paper, cardboard and boxes for the production and packing of books in the tender LA-011L6J001-E19-2019 and whose ruling occurred on 25 April.
The winning companies were Comercializadora Copamex, with the largest contract for 76 million pesos; Delman International, with 23 million pesos, group paper Gabor, with 9 million; Copamex corrugated with 379,000 pesos and XC international comerce with 345,000 pesos.
While the Procurement Act allows for direct adjudication of contracts, it must occur only as an exception and under certain conditions. For example, in the event of an emergency, when goods or services should be acquired quickly and cannot be expected to develop a competition, such as a natural catastrophe.
Direct contracts can also be granted when there is hardly a vendor on the market that can fulfill a good or service, or when it comes to national security-related services.
However, in the case of textbooks, the federal government postponed bidding for three months arguing a supposed increase in the collection of competing companies.
After delaying bids, government delivers 3 contracts for textbooks by direct adjudication
This has meant that while in the usual process – which has allowed the books to reach the students in August at the beginning of the school year – printers were chosen in December, at the end of April and May. That is to say, between four and five months  
According to the procedure that was made each year, the printing of millions of books occurred from January to March; In May they went to distribution to the States and during June and July they were distributed to the municipalities, school areas and finally to the schools, especially because the conditions of access to the communities of the country slows the logistics. 
The rest of the companies won by direct Award are: Photomechanical reproductions, which obtained 110 million pesos; Printer and Editor Xalco, with 85 million pesos; Inphagen Web, with 78 million of pesos; Editorial graphic Group, with 18 million pesos Dipalmex, with 12 million pesos; Advertising multigraphic and Print LSC Communications, with little more than 8 million pesos, respectively.
López Obrador’s Compadre company withdraws from the bidding for textbooks
Ansof marketers, with 5 million pesos; Real estate and Leasing GLD, with 4 million pesos and Jano, with 1.8 million pesos.
The direct allocation is not found in Compranet the annexes technical of the purchase, i.e. the number of books to be printed for each company, the unit cost or the dates of delivery.
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Original source in Spanish