Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
HIGHFIELD CAMPUS, UNIVERSITY ROAD
SOUTHAMPTON
SO171BJ
Contact
Jenna Scott
Telephone
+44 2380595000
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ32 - Southampton
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton/aspx/home
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton/aspx/home
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
The Provision of Ocean-Bottom Seismographs
Reference number
2021UoS-0412
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
The University of Southampton wishes to procure a small number (5-10 depending on cost) of broadband ocean-bottom seismographs to assess their interoperability with our existing instrument pool, with a view to expansion of these numbers in the mid-to-longer term. They will be used primarily for solid Earth imaging using natural sources of seismic energy (e.g. earthquakes, ocean waves) but will also be used in experiments that use manmade controlled seismic sources (e.g. airguns).
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £395,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ - South East (England)
Main site or place of performance
The Equipment purchased from this tender exercise is to be delivered to:
National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS)
European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Facility (OBIF) has a successful track record of over 15 years of deploying a range of autonomous sensors on the seabed. OBIF is funded by the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and operated jointly by the Universities of Southampton and Durham to support researchers in a range of environmental science disciplines. We carry out deployments in water depths ranging between 10's of m and 5500 m for periods from a few days to a year to measure parameters such as ground vibration, pressure, and electric and magnetic field strengths.
OBIF currently have a fleet of 55 autonomous seabed instruments, with a physical platform (flotation, pressure tubes, acoustic releases) modified from an original Scripps Institution of Oceanography design, although the current generation of loggers are an internal OBIF design. For measuring vibrations, we currently use high-frequency sensors. We have been awarded NERC capital funding to extend our capability by purchase of a number of market-established broadband ocean-bottom seismographs.
We wish to procure a small number (5-10 depending on cost) of broadband ocean-bottom seismographs to assess their interoperability with our existing instrument pool, with a view to expansion of these numbers in the mid-to-longer term. They will be used primarily for solid Earth imaging using natural sources of seismic energy (e.g. earthquakes, ocean waves) but will also be used in experiments that use manmade controlled seismic sources (e.g. airguns).
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Mandatory Technical Requirements / Weighting: Pass / Fail
Quality criterion - Name: Desirable Technical Requirements / Weighting: 40
Quality criterion - Name: Exemplar Deployments / Weighting: 15
Quality criterion - Name: Quality of Data Samples / Weighting: 25
Cost criterion - Name: Number of Seismographs provided for the budget / Weighting: 20
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £395,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
60
This contract is subject to renewal
No
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.14) Additional information
This procurement is not suitable for splitting into lots. The risk of dividing the requirement into Lots would render the execution of the contract excessively technically difficult, not cost effective and would undermine proper execution of the contract.
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
List and brief description of selection criteria
To support the financial assessment, the University will obtain a Business Risk Report for all Tenderers and every organisation that is being relied on to meet this procurement, using an independent company called Creditsafe.
The University reserves the right to exclude a Tenderer or request provision of further assurances such as parent company/bank guarantee or performance bonds where a Tenderer's Business Risk Score is: "Moderate Risk"; "High Risk"; "Very High Risk"; or "Not Rated", based on the rating provided by Creditsafe.
Where a Business Risk Score from our external system is not available, then an alternative method of assessing financial standing will be used. This method is detailed within the Invitation to Tender document set.
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required
Tenderers are advised that a requirement of this procurement is to have in place, or commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following minimum insurance levels:
Employers (Compulsory) Liability: £10 million GBP per occurrence.
Public Liability: £10 million GBP per occurrence.
Product Liability: £10 million GBP per occurrence and in aggregate
Professional Indemnity Insurance: £5 million GBP per occurrence.
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
List and brief description of selection criteria
Tenderers attention is drawn to the MANDATORY requirements of the award criteria:
A. Instrument:
1) A modular system that enables flexible configuration to meet science goals by change of sensor, internal filtering and/or battery configurations.
2) A system capable of full recording operations on at least 4 channels at 100 Hz sampling for at least 12 months duration, without the need for additional flotation or battery tubes.
B. Platform:
1) Platform to be proven by multiple past successful deployments. Data examples (in miniseed form with appropriate meta-data including instrument response, station longitude, latitude, water depth, clock synchronization and any time corrections applied) should be provided as part of the tender submission, and be sufficient to enable evaluation of performance during quiescent periods and periods of seismic activity, together with periods of sensor releveling as applicable.
2) To have trawl-resistant features and a low profile to seafloor currents.
3) To have a depth rating for all deployed components of at least 6000 m.
4) For interoperability with the existing fleet equipped to enable recovery from seabed via an acoustic release system compatible with Edgetech (formally ORE Offshore) manufactured deck units using the BART command set.
5) For interoperability with the existing fleet, equipped with an acoustic release system with at least two burn wires that can be activated independently.
6) Equipped with quick/easy release fittings to accommodate Xeos LED alkaline light (XMF-11K), VHF radio (XMB-11K) and Argos (XMA-11k) beacons and a flag pole no larger in diameter than 1.5 cm. For avoidance of doubt, OBIF will supply the light and beacon units and the flag pole.
7) To include a lifting point certified to at least twice the maximum entire platform (including ballast) pre-deployment load. Certificates to be included with delivery.
C. Sensors:
1) To be able to record three orthogonal components of ground motion and single component of pressure as a minimum.
2) Ground motion sensor compatibility must include both seismometer and geophone, with a seismometer preferred for supply.
3) Pressure sensor compatibility should include differential pressure gauge and hydrophone, with a differential pressure gauge preferred for supply.
4) Supplied sensors must have a flat sensor response, for all components of ground motion and pressure, over a frequency band of at least 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz.
5) Supplied ground motion sensor must be fully operable on seafloor slopes up to at least 40 degrees. If achieved by self-levelling, the levelling schedule must be operator programmable.
6) Supplied ground motion sensor must be proven to be not prone to jamming by internal components (e.g. mass lock, gimbal brakes).
D. Datalogger:
1) Datalogger to have a range of user-programmable sample recording rates.
2) Datalogger recording capacity to be at least 128 GB.
3) Low drift rate clock timing module to be better than 10-7.
4) Capability for recording timestamps and drift rates against GPS clock/time standards (either 1 PPS or NMEA) before and after deployment.
5) Integrated workflow for downloading data from the datalogger and its conversion to a standard data format.
E. Data output and format:
1) Output data format to be miniseed.
2) Metadata to include timing, with an option to apply or not apply the time drift correction as part of download/format conversion.
F. Warranty and servicing
1) All electronic components to be covered by warranty for a period of at least 12 months.
2) Mechanical components to be covered by warranty for a period of at least 12 months, or until first customer deployment after acceptance.
3) Firmware and data processing updates to be included in the price for a period of 5 years.
4) Two services for each seismometer sensor (if supplied) at the manufacturer's base within a period of 5 years to be included in price. Customer will bear cost of return shipping, and any parts that are identified as being required due to proven customer mishandling.
G. Other:
1) Comprehensive manual(s) outlining instrument construction and deployment/recovery operations, datalogger programming, and data and metadata download.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
10 January 2022
Local time
12:00pm
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date
10 January 2022
Local time
12:01pm
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
six.3) Additional information
E-Tendering Portal: The University is utilising an electronic tendering tool, In-Tend (https://intendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton) to manage this procurement and to communicate with potential suppliers and/or tenderers (as appropriate).
All documentation in relation to this tender can be downloaded from In-Tend.
Potential suppliers/tenderers are advised that there will be no hard copy documents issued and all communications with the University, including the submission of Selection Stage and/or Invitation to Tender responses will be conducted via In-Tend.
Regular monitoring of the portal is the responsibility of the potential supplier/tenderer.
If you are not already registered as a supplier with the University of Southampton, you will need to register in In-Tend in order to access the procurement documentation.
Once you have logged in as a supplier: click on 'Tenders'; locate the relevant project; and click 'View Details'. Once you are in the project screen, you will be able to register your organisation against the project and access all documentation by clicking 'Express Interest'.
Potential suppliers/tenderers are advised that formal expressions of interest in the project must be by way of completion and return of the relevant documents via In-Tend.
Further instructions for the submission of responses are below:
To submit your return:
1. Log in
2. Click 'Tenders'
3. Locate the relevant project
4. View details
5. Click on the tab relating to the relevant project stage (e.g. 'Invitation to Tender')
6. Click on the 'Attach Documents' button and upload your return.
7. Check ALL your response documents are uploaded and displayed in the 'My Tender Return' panel. The system will only permit your organisation to make one return.
8. Click the red 'Submit Return' button.
Please note, to preserve the integrity of the procurement, all communications with the University must be made via the correspondence function within In-Tend.
Publication of Award Details: In accordance with Regulation 50, paragraph (2) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and subject to Article 5 and Annex 5, Part D (13) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (if applicable), the University intends to publish the value of any resulting contract at the award stage, and reserves the right to do so. By submitting a response, potential suppliers/tenderers are consenting to publication of this information unless otherwise agreed in advance with the University.
Costs and Expenses: Potential suppliers/tenderers are solely responsible for their costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and submission of responses and participation in this and all future stages of this procurement. Under no circumstances will the University be liable for any costs or expenses borne by potential suppliers/tenderers or any of their supply chain, partners or advisers in this procurement process.
The University is not liable for any costs in the event of the cancellation of this procurement process.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
University of Southampton
Southampton
Country
United Kingdom