CBSE's Rs 384 crore OSM deal: Coempt beat TCS with lower bid

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) awarded a significant digital evaluation contract, valued at approximately ₹384.6 crore, to Hyderabad-based Coempt Edu Teck, bypassing tech giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The decision has ignited a storm of controversy, with allegations of irregularities in the tender process and scrutiny of the winning bidder's past performance. Coempt Edu Teck secured the contract by achieving a score of 91 out of 100 in the technical evaluation, narrowly ahead of TCS's 89. Crucially, Coempt's financial bid was nearly 60% lower than TCS's, with Coempt quoting between ₹24.75 and ₹25.74 per answer booklet, while TCS quoted between ₹53 and ₹65. This substantial cost difference, coupled with a slight edge in technical scores, led to Coempt's selection as the preferred vendor for the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. The awarding of the contract, which was finalized on December 5, 2025, and announced for national rollout on February 9, 2026, has come under intense scrutiny from various quarters. The Ministry of Education has sought a detailed report from the CBSE regarding the procurement process, indicating a serious examination of alleged irregularities and cybersecurity vulnerabilities associated with the digital evaluation ecosystem. This scrutiny intensified after ethical hackers flagged potential security gaps in systems linked to the board's digital evaluation infrastructure. Allegations of manipulated tender norms have been a central point of contention. Critics, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claim that eligibility conditions and technical criteria were progressively modified across multiple tender rounds to favor Coempt. Specific changes cited include lowered scanning resolution requirements, the removal of robotic scanner mandates, a reduction in CMMI certification levels from 5 to 3, and the elimination of penalties for errors in answer sheets. A 17-year-old student, Sarthak Sidhant, has been credited with uncovering details of these alleged modifications through his investigation into the tender documents. CBSE officials have defended the process, stating that the modifications were made to correct shortcomings from earlier rounds and that the contract was awarded to the lowest qualified bidder following government procurement rules. Further complicating the issue is the past record of Coempt Edu Teck's previous avatar, Globarena Technologies. This firm was previously associated with a significant controversy in Telangana in 2019, where examination result processing failures led to widespread student distress and a cancellation of the contract by the state government. While Globarena was not blacklisted at the time, this history has raised concerns about the due diligence undertaken in awarding the CBSE contract. The controversy has also been fueled by recent complaints from students regarding the performance of the OSM platform itself. Issues such as blurred answer sheets, missing pages, answer-sheet mismatches, and technical glitches during the re-evaluation process have been reported, adding to the public outcry. In response to these issues, a CBSE official acknowledged vulnerabilities and confirmed that Coempt Edu Teck would be penalized according to the tender document's provisions. However, the contract's penalty clauses do not include provisions for blacklisting the company, and a criterion for blacklisting was reportedly removed via a corrigendum. The government's response indicates a serious intent to address the matter. The Ministry of Education is examining the procurement process and the security of the platform, with officials indicating that strong action will be taken against those found accountable if procedural lapses or negligence are established. The situation highlights a broader debate about vendor-driven governance models in India's education sector and the importance of robust procurement processes to ensure the integrity and efficiency of critical educational systems. This news is specific to India. The CBSE is a national board of education in India, and the contract pertains to its examination system. The implications of this event are of significant interest to students, parents, educators, and policymakers within India. The credibility of India Today as a news source is generally considered high for Indian news, although specific articles can vary in depth and objectivity. The story is categorized under Education and Technology, with potential political undertones due to the involvement of prominent political figures and the scrutiny from the Ministry of Education.

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