Award

202526 5355 - Optical Tweezers-Fluorescence Microscope

  • University of Leeds

UK5: Transparency notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-072355

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05dd90

Published 10 November 2025, 12:05pm



Scope

Reference

202526 5355

Description

Purchase of an optical tweezer system with Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and widefield microscopy plus microfluidics.

To view this notice, please click here:

https://neupc.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=992880616


Contract 1

Supplier

Contract value

  • £877,740.50 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Earliest date the contract will be signed

18 November 2025

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 19 December 2025 to 18 December 2030
  • 5 years

Main procurement category

Goods

CPV classifications

  • 38512200 - Molecular microscopes

Contract locations

  • NL329 - Groot-Amsterdam

Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes


Procedure

Procedure type

Direct award

Direct award justification

  • Single supplier - technical reasons
  • Extreme and unavoidable urgency

This procurement is being undertaken via a single-source route due to the unique

technical capabilities of the C-Trap® Dymo 400 and the exclusive rights held by its

manufacturer, LUMICKS B.V. the unique elements of this are:

• Multi-trap continuous-wave optical tweezers,

• Multi-colour confocal fluorescence microscopy, and

• Multi-channel laminar flow microfluidics.

These technologies are protected by several granted patents, including: US9952421,

EP3256254B1 (optical traps), US9766180, EP3004848B1 (fluorescence imaging),

S11156513B2 (optical force measurement) and EP3737756B1 (DNA supercoiling).

No other commercially available instrument can provide simultaneous, correlated forcedistance-fluorescence measurements with the required resolution and sensitivity.

Key performance features exclusive to the C-Trap include:

• Force resolution 0.1 pN and drift stability 0.3 pN over 2 minutes

• Confocal localisation precision 15 nm

• Real-time imaging of single molecules under physiological flow conditions

• Escape force 1000 pN, allowing for broad biological applicability

• Integrated hardware/software for fast setup and automated experimental workflows.

Additionally, the system includes a complete service and application support package,

exclusive training kits, and proprietary components that are not available from any other

provider


Supplier

Lumicks B.V.

  • Companies House: 60187263

Paalbergweg 3

Amsterdam

1105AG

Netherlands

Telephone: +31 643216589

Email: j.osullivan@lumicks.com

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Contract 1


Contracting authority

University of Leeds

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDVB-8476-PXMZ

Purchasing Office, University of Leeds

Leeds

LS2 9JT

United Kingdom

Contact name: Maggie Whitworth

Telephone: +44 113 3431810

Email: m.a.whitworth@adm.leeds.ac.uk

Region: UKE42 - Leeds

Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government