Scope
Description
..
Contract 1
Supplier
Contract value
- £344,000 excluding VAT
- £412,800 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
17 December 2025
Contract dates (estimated)
- 17 December 2025 to 17 December 2026
- Possible extension to 18 December 2030
- 5 years, 2 days
Description of possible extension:
The contract may be extended for a further four twelve month periods to extend the original warranty.
Main procurement category
Goods
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
The contract may be extended to purchase four 12 month warranty extensions.
CPV classifications
- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Direct award justification
Single supplier - technical reasons
Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) intends to award a contract for the purchase of a Xenium single-cell spatial transcriptomics/proteomics instrument to 10X Genomics, on the basis that no reasonable alternative or substitute exists which meets the specific technical and operational requirements of the organisation.
Independent comparative studies have demonstrated that alternative platforms currently on the market exhibit significantly higher levels of background noise, reducing data quality in single cell spatial analysis. MDC has verified these performance results and determined that the Xenium system is uniquely capable of delivering the sensitivity and precision required for our research and service activities.
Beyond this the Xenium platform also offers operational advantages. It enables the use of panels with a low minimum run size, which aligns closely with the typical experimental scale within MDC. Competing systems require substantially higher minimum slide numbers, making them unsuitable and leading to inefficient use of resources.
In addition, acquiring the Xenium system will strengthen MDC's national role by providing UK drug discovery organisations access to a capability that is not currently available within any UK based CRO. This avoids duplication with existing commercial provider and ensures MDC can offer new and complementary capabilities to the wider life sciences community.
Supplier
10x Genomics Inc
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBMJ-4568-WMPX
6230 Stoneridge Mall Road
Pleasanton
CA 94588-3260
United States
Email: tenders@10xgenomics.com
Website: https://www.10xgenomics.com/
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1
Contracting authority
MEDICINES DISCOVERY CATAPULT LIMITED
- Companies House: 09928547
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PJPQ-6911-DQYY
Block 35g, Mereside Alderley Park
Macclesfield
SK10 4ZF
United Kingdom
Region: UKD62 - Cheshire East
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government