NTA Floats Rs 7.5 Crore Tender for Round-the-Clock Security at Delhi HQ and Regional Offices

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has floated a Rs 7.5 crore tender to hire a professional security agency for round-the-clock services. The security will cover its Minto Road headquarters, Okhla regional offices and other notified locations.

The security overhaul comes as the examination body undergoes a major overhaul following the NEET-UG 2026 controversy. The contract will initially run for two years, with options for two additional one-year extensions based on performance. Bids are due by 3 pm on August 17, 2026, with technical bids slated for opening later that same day, the Hindustan Times reported.

The NTA and the Union education ministry did not respond to queries regarding the tender, the publication reported. The request for proposal (RFP) document, reviewed by the publication, does not clarify whether previous security was handled internally or outsourced.

Strict Bidder Qualification Criteria

Bidders face stringent evaluation. Agencies must demonstrate at least five years of experience providing professional security for central government organisations, examination agencies, universities, airports, hospitals, metro systems or other high-security establishments.

The contract carries strict financial conditions. Applicants need a Rs 10 crore average annual turnover over the last three fiscal years. The Rs 7.5 crore deal, excluding GST, allows NTA to alter deployment scale or divide the work. Bidders must submit a Rs 15 lakh earnest deposit alongside a 5 per cent performance security.

The NTA has opted for a Quality-and-Cost Based Selection (QCBS) model, where technical quality carries a weightage of 70 per cent and financial bids 30 per cent. The NTA stated that "the sensitive nature of NTA’s examination ecosystem and confidentiality requirements" makes quality of service paramount.

The technical evaluation has a high bar. Firms require a minimum score of 70 out of 100 to reach the financial stage, the document stated. Evaluators will grade bidders on workforce size, financial capacity, ISO certifications, high-security experience and their deployment strategy presentation. The NTA will also assess technological proposals like GPS-tracked patrolling, biometric attendance logs and incident-reporting tools.

Securing Sensitive Examination Assets

The selected agency will regulate entry and exit, maintain visitor records, prevent unauthorised access and deploy hand-held and door-frame metal detectors at entrances and confidential locations.

Security personnel will safeguard NTA personnel, visitors, assets, premises, confidential examination material, server rooms, strong rooms, warehouses, record rooms, IT infrastructure, storage facilities and other critical infrastructure housing sensitive examination records. The agency will provide "comprehensive security services" to ensure "only authorised persons enter restricted areas".

Secrecy rules are absolute. The RFP stipulated that the hired firm and its staff "shall maintain strict confidentiality". This duty covers test papers, IT networks, security setups and any data gathered during the tenure, remaining in force even after the contract expires.

Context of Recent Controversies

The tender comes days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against all 13 arrested accused in the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, Hindustan Times reported. The CBI stated that it had traced the leak from paper setters to beneficiary candidates and uncovered the entire conspiracy.

No government or NTA officials aided the leak. Instead, investigators concluded that hired paper-setting teachers leaked the test, prompting the NTA to scrap the May 3 exam on May 12. The decision followed an email warning that flagged similarities between the actual test and a circulated "guess paper" before a re-test was held on June 21.

While the K. Radhakrishnan committee, constituted after the NEET-UG 2026 controversy, did not recommend hiring a private security agency, it called for strengthening the NTA's security architecture. The panel recommended having "in-house security analysts who will analyse the security protocol and make the necessary changes".