Awarded contract

Purchase of High Content Screening System

  • Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice reference: 2021/S 000-001601

Published 27 January 2021, 9:56am



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

The Jack Copland Centre, 52 Research Avenue, Heriot-Watt Research Park

Edinburgh

EH14 4BE

Contact

Ramsay Walls

Email

ramsay.walls@nhs.scot

Telephone

+44 1313145603

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UKM - SCOTLAND

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://www.scotblood.co.uk/

Buyer's address

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA12722

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Body governed by public law

one.5) Main activity

Health


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Purchase of High Content Screening System

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 38518100 - Wide field microscopes

two.1.3) Type of contract

Supplies

two.1.4) Short description

Delivery of an Operetta CLS high-content screening system

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)

Lowest offer: £200,000 / Highest offer: £300,000 taken into consideration

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKM75 - Edinburgh, City of

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Supply, installation and training of High Content Screening System Operetta CLS equipment for the detailed analysis of a variety of cell types (including rare cells such as stem cells and antigen-specific T cells) and for more specialist applications including: imaging of primary cells, live cells and cells cultured in 3D systems, tumorigenesis analysis including colony detection, phagocytosis assays, size and shape analysis, quantification of cells/colonies and fluorescence; by TCAT (Tissues, Cells and Advanced Therapeutics), Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS).

The following specific aspects of operetta CLS are strictly necessary for our research and are not provided by any other provider:

— With 8 high-performance LEDs, the Operetta CLS offers an unsurpassed variety of excitation wavelengths for the entire range between ultraviolet and near-infrared. This flexibility is of immense importance for QC development of a wide variety of assays

— The Operetta CLS has a user-accessible 8-position emission filter wheel, which can be equipped with barcode filters for error-free operation, and for optimal coincidence between excitation and emission source.

.— The Operetta CLS can be equipped with 3 automated water immersion lenses with high numerical aperture of various magnifications (20x, 40x, 63x). This shortens the measurement time and improves the resolution in the z-direction; overall, this increases throughput in the analysis of three-dimensional structures. This is necessary for the exact analysis of the many different samples that are measured in our central department (tissue sections, tumor organoids, cell culture experiments, etc.). This technology is patented: EP1386189 B1, US7304793 B2 and EP1646902 B1, US7961384 B2.

— The system automatically corrects displacements resulting from the 5x to the 40x or 63x lens by means of a fluorescent reference sample (QuasiperiodicGrid) firmly installed in the table. This ensures that the desired cells, cell complexes, or cell structures can be found again and again at the

right level. Perkin Elmer also has a patent (US9582864). The ability to pre-scan and return to the same spot reduces the amount of time that cells are expose3d to incident illumination and therefore limits damage to the cells, this allows repeat analysis and temporal tracking.

— That the equipment software offers advanced morphological characteristics that allow the quantification of various aspects of the shape and structure of objects, for example: elongation, symmetry, smoothness of the edge and spatial distribution of the intensity of the texture characteristics,

— The system offers a method for machine learning (PhenoLOGIC) during analysis. This allows the software to identify different cell populations or regions and then automatically set the best parameters for optimal image segmentation and cell classification (patents to PhenoLOGIC:WO2013038224).

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of options

On-going annual maintenance will also be required.

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Negotiated without a prior call for competition

  • The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
    • absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation:

The following specific and unique selling points of operetta CLS are strictly necessary for our research and are not provided by any other provider:

— With 8 high-performance LEDs, the Operetta CLS offers an unsurpassed variety of excitation wavelengths for the entire range between ultraviolet and near-infrared. This flexibility is of immense importance for QC development of a wide variety of assays

— The Operetta CLS has a user-accessible 8-position emission filter wheel, which can be equipped with barcode filters for error-free operation, and for optimal coincidence between excitation and emission source.

.— The Operetta CLS can be equipped with 3 automated water immersion lenses with high numerical aperture of various magnifications (20x, 40x, 63x). This shortens the measurement time and improves the resolution in the z-direction; overall, this increases throughput in the analysis of three-dimensional structures. This is necessary for the exact analysis of the many different samples that are measured in our central department (tissue sections, tumor organoids, cell culture experiments, etc.). This technology is patented: EP1386189 B1, US7304793 B2 and EP1646902 B1, US7961384 B2.

— The system automatically corrects displacements resulting from the 5x to the 40x or 63x lens by means of a fluorescent reference sample (QuasiperiodicGrid) firmly installed in the table. This ensures that the desired cells, cell complexes, or cell structures can be found again and again at the

right level. Perkin Elmer also has a patent (US9582864). The ability to pre-scan and return to the same spot reduces the amount of time that cells are expose3d to incident illumination and therefore limits damage to the cells, this allows repeat analysis and temporal tracking.

— That the equipment software offers advanced morphological characteristics that allow the quantification of various aspects of the shape and structure of objects, for example: elongation, symmetry, smoothness of the edge and spatial distribution of the intensity of the texture characteristics,

— The system offers a method for machine learning (PhenoLOGIC) during analysis. This allows the software to identify different cell populations or regions and then automatically set the best parameters for optimal image segmentation and cell classification (patents to PhenoLOGIC:WO2013038224).

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes


Section five. Award of contract/concession

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

22 January 2021

five.2.2) Information about tenders

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire

Perkin Elmer

Chalfont Road, Seer Green

Beaconsfield

HP9 2FX

Telephone

+44 800896046

Fax

+44 800891714

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UK - UNITED KINGDOM
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME

No

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)

Lowest offer: £200,000 / Highest offer: £300,000 taken into consideration


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=641947.

(SC Ref:641947)

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Sheriff Court House

Edinburgh

EH1 1LB

Country

United Kingdom