Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
UK Research & Innovation
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
Contact
STFC Procurement
Telephone
+44 1793442000
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKK14 - Swindon
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Research and Innovation
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
UKRI-1552 - HPM μ Live High-Pressure Freezer
Reference number
UKRI-1552
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 38900000 - Miscellaneous evaluation or testing instruments
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
This contract is for the supply of a HPM μ Live High-Pressure Freezer.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £297,820
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
Main site or place of performance
Oxfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This contract is for the supply of a HPM μ Live High-Pressure Freezer including delivery and installation at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
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
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development
- The services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
HPM μ Live high-pressure freezer, manufactured by CryoCapCell, and distributed in the UK by Labtech International Ltd.
This instrument is required for a correlative microscopy development programme at the Central Laser Facility. A key requirement of this programme is a cryogenic sample prep method which enables the capture of highly dynamic events for the analysis of their detailed ultrastructure in cryo-EM methods. This would underpin several major projects for both in-house research and the user access programme.
The only High-Pressure Freezer that is capable of preparing samples this way is the HPM μ Live. CryoCapCell has patented under patent no. WO2020/035522 A1 a hydraulically controlled cryopreservation device with a pressure-raising system that is capable of rising the pressure up to 2000bars in 2 milliseconds (against at least 15 milliseconds for the competitors). This enables the system to freeze a sample in < 2 sec, which in turn allows the capture of dynamic events with their associated ultrastructure. Due to the patent, this is the only commercial solution capable of delivering our requirements.
The manufacturer (CryoCapCell) has an exclusive distribution agreement with Labtech International Ltd. Labtech is therefore the only legal distributor for this product in the UK.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
10 August 2021
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Labtech International Limited
Mytogen House, 11 Browning Road
Heathfield
TN21 8DB
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKJ22 - East Sussex CC
National registration number
02779599
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £297,820
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
To view this notice, please click here:
https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=618244985
GO Reference: GO-2021812-PRO-18725742
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
UK Research and Innovation
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
Country
United Kingdom