Award

Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System

DURHAM UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

11 Feb 2025 at 13:15

Award Notice
TenderAmendment

16 Dec 2024 at 13:47

Tender Notice
Tender

13 Nov 2024 at 08:40

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham University has awarded a contract for a "Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System" to Vesper Technologies Ltd. The project, valued at £249,991.14 including VAT, aims to develop a high-performance computing hardware laboratory at the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) in Durham. This initiative is part of the DiRAC national Tier-1 HPC service and involves hosting a proof-of-concept liquid immersion cooled system. The procurement method used was an open procedure above the threshold. The awarded contract is effective from 11th February 2025 to 10th February 2026, with the total budget capped at £250,000. The delivery address for the system is Durham, England, postcode DH1 3LE.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in advanced computing hardware, particularly those with innovative cooling technologies. The project emphasises the importance of long-term collaboration, providing a platform for industry partners to work closely with Durham University. Companies that are experienced in high-performance computing and can contribute to the optimisation and future enhancement of such systems are well-suited to participate. This collaboration will not only boost the technical capabilities but can also extend their market reach within the UK research technical community.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Liquid Immersion Cooled HPC System

Notice Description

The Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) at Durham University host part of the DiRAC national Tier-1 High Performance Computing (HPC) service. As part of this, a HPC Hardware Laboratory has been developed to investigate novel HPC technologies in all areas. We are currently funded to host a proof-of-concept liquid immersion cooled system, which will be made available to the UK research technical community to enable HPC systems administrators to grow in confidence with this technology, to visit the data centre, and learn how to manage immersion cooled servers. The total budget for this system is PS250k including VAT (currently 20%) and must not be exceeded. The tender must be in UK pounds. It is a key requirement of this procurement project that the successful supplier will be prepared to build a strong and effective long-term collaborative partnership with the ICC. The University is keen to open opportunities to work closely with an industry partner to optimise this system and work towards future larger systems.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-051fb571-4031-4756-aeff-444bb5830752
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/667a815b-64af-43ac-8286-ac9811df0aef
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

CPV Codes

30211000 - Mainframe computer

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£250,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£249,991 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Feb 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
6 Jan 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 Feb 20251 years ago
Contract Period
11 Feb 2025 - 10 Feb 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 3LE
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Durham South
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

VESPER TECHNOLOGIES

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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