Andorra Rolls Out Smart Phone Lockers in All Secondary Schools

The Andorran government has launched an international tender for the lease of smart lockers to store students' mobile devices at the three secondary schools in Santa Coloma, Encamp, and Ordino.

The Ministry of Institutional Relations, Education, and Universities is managing the open procedure, as outlined in the edict published Wednesday in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA). Companies can submit bids via the public procurement platform until 14:30 on 18 November, with proposals to be opened electronically on 24 November at 10:00.

This follows a successful pilot at the Encamp secondary school last academic year, where secure boxes allowed students to deposit phones on arrival and retrieve them at the end of the day. State Secretary Josep Anton Bardina confirmed the expansion to Santa Coloma and Ordino, noting that officials assessed various storage methods before choosing smart lockers to support the classroom mobile ban and improve student interaction.

The ministry estimates needing 1,325 lockers—500 for Encamp, 425 for Santa Coloma, and 400 for Ordino—with an annual lease cost of €33,000. The initial contract runs through 2027, with options for annual renewals up to six years until 31 December 2032, in accordance with public procurement regulations. Installation is targeted for completion this fourth quarter, ahead of a January rollout across all sites.

Separate measures will formalise handover protocols to guarantee secure and organised device custody throughout the school day.