New Delhi: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has floated a tender worth nearly Rs 7.5 crore to appoint a professional agency to tighten the security of its examination ecosystem following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy.
The agency that is finally appointed will provide 24×7 security services across its headquarters, regional offices and other sensitive locations. Bids have also been invited by the NTA for housekeeping and secure printing services as part of broader measures to strengthen the integrity of its examination system, as reported by India Today.
The selected agency will provide security at the NTA headquarters on Delhi’s Minto Road, its Okhla regional office and other notified locations, the July 25 tender says, as reported by Hindustan Times.
It will be responsible for safeguarding personnel, visitors, confidential examination materials, server rooms, strong rooms, warehouses, record rooms and other sensitive facilities.
The proposed contract will run for an initial period of two years, with provisions for two one-year extensions based on satisfactory performance.
NTA announced on its official social media handles that it has floated separate tenders for housekeeping services, security services and examination-grade printing services through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
The NTA has broken away from the conventional lowest-bid procurement model followed by many government departments, and has gone in for the Quality-and-Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method for the contract, emphasising that safeguarding the country’s examination infrastructure requires greater weight to be given to technical capability.
Technical proposals will determine 70% of the final score under the framework, while commercial bids will contribute the remaining 30%. Agencies failing to secure at least 70 marks in the technical assessment will not be considered for the financial evaluation.
Eligible applicants will need to have a minimum of five years’ experience in the security sector, an average annual turnover of Rs 10 crore during the previous three financial years, and experience handling protection services for central government institutions or other high-security establishments, including examination bodies, universities, airports, hospitals and metro networks.
The selected agency will be responsible for controlling access to NTA premises by verifying the identity of staff and visitors, restricting entry to authorised personnel and maintaining detailed visitor logs. Security checks at designated points will include the use of door-frame and hand-held metal detectors.
The tender further mandates the deployment of technology-driven monitoring systems, including GPS-enabled guard patrol tracking, biometric attendance and digital incident-reporting platforms.
It also places strong emphasis on confidentiality. The selected service provider and its personnel will be required to protect all information related to examination processes, security protocols and IT infrastructure, with these obligations remaining in force even after the contract expires.
