Supporting Malta’s National Literacy Agency
How Happier Every Chapter successfully delivered thousands of books to support a national literacy initiative in Malta. Client: National Literacy Agency, Malta
The National Literacy Agency leads national initiatives to strengthen reading culture and literacy outcomes across Maltese schools.
Background
Across Malta, the National Literacy Agency works to ensure that children develop the confidence, curiosity and language skills needed to thrive in school and beyond.
To support this mission, the Agency launched a national procurement process to supply English-language books for primary school pupils across the country. The project required international sourcing, logistics management and strict compliance with public procurement requirements.
Overview
Happier Every Chapter, our independent literacy organisation based in the UK, submitted a proposal to supply books for the programme as part of a competitive international tender process.
Following evaluation of administrative, technical and financial criteria and a competitive tender process. Happier Every Chapter was successfully awarded contracts to supply books to the National Literacy Agency for use in Maltese schools.
Happier Every Chapter delivered the books within the required timeframe, ensuring that children across Malta had access to engaging, high quality literature that supports reading development and literacy engagement.
The Challenge
National literacy programmes operate at scale and require reliable partners capable of delivering complex book supply projects. National literacy initiatives require more than simply purchasing books.
The National Literacy Agency needed a supplier who could deliver thousands of books efficiently while maintaining quality and meeting strict procurement requirements. \The Agency required a supplier that could:
- Source approved high-quality titles aligned to curriculum requirements from publishers
- Deliver large quantities internationally and manage publisher relationships and international distribution
- Meet strict procurement compliance requirements
- Ensure compliance with public procurement and logistics regulations
and manage customs, duties and shipping logistics
- Deliver large quantities reliably across borders within a defined timeframe
Failure to deliver accurately or on time would disrupt national literacy programmes and school distribution schedules.
The Opportunity
For Happier Every Chapter, the project aligned closely with its mission.
The organisation exists to help schools, families and education authorities nurture reading for pleasure and diversity awareness through high-quality children’s literature.
The Malta contract presented an opportunity to extend this mission internationally, ensuring that children in another country had access to engaging and age-appropriate books that support literacy development.
The Solution
Happier Every Chapter delivered the project through a structured supply and logistics model.
Tender Analysis: The team analysed the technical specifications issued by the National Literacy Agency, which included a list of approved titles and required quantities for national distribution.
Strategic Book Sourcing
Working with publishers and approved book distributors, the team confirmed availability and secured inventory for selected titles. Working directly with publishers and approved book distributors, the team secured the required titles and quantities.
Procurement Compliance
The tender submission satisfied all administrative and technical criteria and was awarded on the basis of the cheapest compliant offer.
International Logistics
A dedicated shipping partner was engaged to manage international freight, customs and import regulations. Books were delivered using a Delivery Duty Paid shipping model, ensuring the contracting authority faced no customs or import complications.
Structured Delivery Process: Books were delivered to Malta on a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) basis, ensuring that all shipping, duties and customs requirements were handled by Happier Every Chapter. The organisation provided a four-week hyper-care support period after delivery to address any operational or logistical questions from the client.
- Tender analysis and technical review
- Publisher sourcing and inventory securing
- International shipping and customs coordination
- Delivery to the National Literacy Agency
- Post delivery support and issue resolution
The Outcome
Happier Every Chapter successfully delivered contracts awarded by Malta’s Department of Contracts.
Project highlights included:
- Supply of English language books for Year 1 and Year 3 pupils
- International delivery to Malta within procurement timelines
- Compliance with national public procurement regulations
- Competitive pricing while maintaining quality assurance
One contract covered the supply of 1,000 copies of the book Where the Sea Meets the Sky for use in national literacy programmes.
A further framework contract for language and humanities books for middle and secondary schools was awarded too.
The National Literacy Agency awarded Happier Every Chapter multiple contracts under its framework agreement. These awards confirmed that Happier Every Chapter submitted the cheapest compliant offer meeting all administrative and technical criteria, demonstrating both procurement compliance and competitive pricing.
Impact
Through this partnership, Happier Every Chapter not only demonstrated the ability to deliver literacy resources at national scale but contributed to Malta’s national literacy strategy by helping ensure that children have access to high-quality reading materials in schools.
The project demonstrated that a specialist literacy organisation can successfully operate within international public procurement systems while maintaining its core mission of improving reading outcomes for children.
The project helped ensure that children in Malta had access to engaging books that support reading for pleasure and literacy development.
It also demonstrated the organisation’s ability to operate successfully within international public procurement frameworks.
Why This Matters
For Happier Every Chapter, the Malta project showed what is possible when literacy expertise meets operational delivery capability.
It proved that:
- Independent literacy organisations can compete successfully in international public tenders
- Inclusive book curation can operate at national scale
- Efficient logistics and procurement compliance are essential to expanding literacy access globally
Most importantly, it reinforced the organisation’s belief that books remain one of the most powerful tools for building confident readers and expanding opportunity for children everywhere.
Why Organisations Choose Happier Every Chapter
Clients partner with Happier Every Chapter because the organisation combines:
- literacy expertise
- inclusive book curation
- procurement capability
- international logistics experience
This combination enables education authorities, councils and schools to deliver literacy programmes confidently and efficiently.
Interested in Working With Us?
If you are a local authority, school trust or education organisation looking to improve reading engagement through high quality book provision, we would be delighted to help.
Contact Happier Every Chapter
ndah.mbawa@happiereverychapter.com