The Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system has come under fresh scrutiny after a Class 12 student claimed that several eligibility and evaluation criteria in the tender process were altered before the contract was awarded to Hyderabad-based COEMT EduTech.
Speaking to NDTV, student researcher Sarthak Siddhan today said he examined tender documents and related records available on government procurement portals and found multiple changes in the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents issued between May and August 2025. He alleged that some of these modifications appeared to benefit COEMT EduTech, the company eventually selected to implement the OSM system.
According to Sarthak, the tender process underwent three rounds before the contract was awarded. While the first two rounds were unsuccessful, COEMT EduTech secured the contract in the third round and was formally awarded the project on December 5, 2025. CBSE later announced the full-scale shift to the OSM system on February 9, 2026.
Among the changes highlighted by Sarthak was the removal of a clause related to "poor performance" in previous projects. He claimed earlier tender documents stated that bidders with a record of poor performance, failure to complete contracts, or financial weaknesses could be disqualified. However, he said this provision was omitted from the August 2025 RFP.
The student also pointed to changes in the blacklisting criteria. According to him, an earlier version of the tender disqualified companies that had been blacklisted in the past, while the revised document referred only to entities that were "currently blacklisted."
Sarthak further claimed that the technical evaluation framework was modified. He alleged that earlier evaluation criteria placed greater emphasis on the value and quality of completed projects, while later versions focused more on the number of projects undertaken by bidders.
He also raised questions about the financial eligibility requirement. According to him, COEMT EduTech's average turnover over the previous three years stood at Rs 50.86 crore, marginally above the minimum eligibility threshold of Rs 50 crore prescribed in the tender.
Referring to additional corrigenda issued before the bidding process, Sarthak alleged that certain provisions relating to blacklisting and vendor accountability were altered. He also cited changes in criteria related to software ownership and server infrastructure.
Ministry officials, however, have maintained that procurement rules required the contract to be awarded to the lowest qualifying bidder. Officials told NDTV that both COEMT EduTech and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) qualified in the final round and held Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 5 certification, the highest level of process maturity certification.
Officials further stated that COEMT quoted approximately Rs 24.75 per answer sheet, including taxes, while TCS quoted around ₹65 per answer sheet. As a result, COEMT emerged as the lowest qualifying bidder.
Sarthak argued that greater transparency was needed and called for all relevant procurement documents to be made publicly accessible. He said the changes in tender conditions between May and August 2025 raised questions that, in his view, warranted further clarification from the board.
The allegations come amid ongoing concerns over the implementation of the OSM system, which has faced criticism from students and teachers following reports of evaluation-related issues during the board examination process.