Education Ministry Probes CBSE's Coempt Contract: How EduTeck Beat TCS by 2 Marks and ₹566 Crore

The Union Education Ministry has launched an internal inquiry into the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system and the contract awarded to Hyderabad-based Coempt EduTeck, amid growing scrutiny over the digital evaluation project used for Class 12 board examinations.

Officials have sought a detailed report from CBSE and collected documents related to the tender process. The review comes as questions are being raised over the selection of Coempt for a project that involved the digital scanning and e-evaluation of nearly 9.86 million answer books.

Ministry Examining Tender Award Process

According to sources, the ministry is examining both the implementation of the OSM system and the procurement process that led to the award of the contract to Coempt EduTeck.

The inquiry is reportedly looking into allegations that certain tender conditions may have favoured the selected bidder. Officials are also reviewing explanations submitted by CBSE regarding the project and its execution.

The development coincides with a Parliamentary Standing Committee review of the OSM system, with senior education officials and the CBSE Chairman expected to answer questions regarding concerns raised by students and evaluators.

How Coempt Outscored TCS

Tender records show that Coempt secured 91 marks out of 100 in the technical evaluation, narrowly ahead of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which scored 89.

Both companies received full marks in several categories, including manpower strength, certifications, solution architecture, security compliance, training and disaster recovery planning.

The biggest difference emerged in the "Past Experience of Bidder" category. Coempt scored 32 out of 35 marks compared with TCS's 25.

Under the criterion related to scanning and distribution of subjective answer booklets for digital evaluation, Coempt secured the full 10 marks while TCS received none. Coempt also earned full marks for handling large-scale digital evaluation projects and managing multiple evaluation centres simultaneously.

TCS performed better in the technical presentation and live demonstration segment, scoring 14 out of 15 marks against Coempt's nine. It also received higher marks for annual turnover due to its significantly larger size and revenue.

Price Gap Gave Coempt a Major Advantage

The financial bids revealed a much wider gap between the two contenders.

According to the tender documents, Coempt quoted between ₹24.75 and ₹25.74 per answer booklet, while TCS quoted between ₹53 and ₹65 per booklet for the same work.

The evaluated value of Coempt's bid stood at approximately ₹384.6 crore compared with about ₹951.3 crore for TCS, creating a difference of nearly ₹566 crore.

The contract was awarded under the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) framework, where technical scores account for 70 per cent of the final assessment and financial bids contribute 30 per cent.

Procurement experts note that under this system, even a narrow technical lead combined with a significantly lower price can provide a decisive advantage in the final ranking.

OSM Controversy Intensifies Scrutiny

The tender has come under increased attention following complaints regarding the OSM system after the declaration of Class 12 results.

Students reported issues including alleged discrepancies in marking, blurred scans, missing pages and delays in post-result services such as re-evaluation and verification of marks.

While the ministry's inquiry is ongoing, officials are expected to determine whether any procedural lapses occurred during the award or implementation of the contract and whether accountability needs to be fixed within CBSE.

No findings of wrongdoing have been announced so far, and the review remains underway.