NTA floats ₹7.5-crore security tender to protect exam materials after NEET-UG leak

Following the controversy over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a tender worth ₹7.5 crore for round-the-clock security services at its headquarters in Minto Road, regional offices in Okhla, storage facilities, and other designated locations in the Delhi-NCR region.

The Request for Proposal (RFP), dated July 25, states that the move is intended to safeguard NTA personnel, visitors, assets, premises, records, confidential examination material, server rooms, strong rooms, and other critical infrastructure. The estimated contract value is “₹7.5 crore plus GST (tentative) for a 2-year contract without variation”.

Bids must be submitted by 3 p.m. on August 17, while the printing-services tender closes on August 20, according to the document. The contract will remain valid for two years initially and can be extended for two additional one-year periods, subject to satisfactory performance, mutual consent, and approval from the competent authority.

The tender requires a ₹15 lakh earnest money deposit and will be evaluated under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) model, with technical score carrying 70% weightage and financial score 30%.

“The bidder must have provided professional security services for at least five years as of the last date for bid submission,” the document says. Bidders must also have experience serving Central Government Ministries, Departments, Autonomous Bodies, Public Sector Undertakings, Constitutional Bodies, universities, examination agencies, IT parks, airports, hospitals, metro rail systems, or other establishments requiring round-the-clock security. In addition, they must show an average annual turnover of at least ₹10 crore over the last three financial years.

The selected agency is required to deploy “professionally trained, physically fit, police-verified and experienced security personnel”. The scope of work includes access control, premises protection, patrolling, safeguarding confidential examination material, CCTV monitoring, visitor management, fire and emergency response, and incident reporting.

Security personnel must ensure the protection of “confidential examination records”, “examination logistics”, “digital storage media”, and strong rooms containing examination-related material and sensitive files entrusted by the NTA. The RFP explicitly bars them from accessing, handling, copying, photographing, or disclosing any confidential information encountered during duty.

During examination activities, the agency must provide additional deployment for crowd management, queue regulation, protection of confidential examination materials, and assistance during the movement of sensitive materials. The agency must also be capable of mobilising additional trained manpower at short notice as per NTA’s operational requirements in the Delhi-NCR region.

The tentative manpower requirement includes 40 unarmed male guards, 10 female guards, and two security supervisors. However, the NTA has reserved the right to increase, decrease, redistribute, or modify the deployment during the contract, with the manpower requirement varying by up to 50%.

The RFP notes that the NTA conducts “high-stakes national entrance examinations involving handling of confidential records, information technology infrastructure, examination-related materials and public interface”. It also reiterates the agency’s mission to develop and administer “research-based, valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair, and internationally benchmarked assessments”, upholding principles of quality, efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and security.

The tender comes after months of intense public scrutiny following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which raised concerns about the integrity and security of the country’s largest medical entrance examination. The controversy had focused attention on the handling and movement of confidential examination materials. This new security arrangement is part of the NTA’s efforts to address those concerns and strengthen its operational safeguards.