Planning

Purchase of Portable Human MRI System

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

30 Oct 2025 at 09:33

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cardiff University, a sub-central government public authority operating under Welsh devolved regulations, is leading a procurement process aimed at acquiring a Portable Human MRI System. The tender is currently in the planning stage, with a focus on engaging the market to identify potential suppliers. Interested parties are encouraged to express their interest by email before the scheduled deadline on 13th November 2025. The activity takes place under UK legal framework and aims to conclude a contract for the supply of medical equipment, with an estimated value of £400,000. The equipment will be delivered within the United Kingdom between December 2025 and November 2026.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses capable of supplying advanced medical imaging technology, particularly those offering modular and customisable MRI systems suitable for brain imaging at low field strengths. Suppliers able to provide systems compatible with open-source software for both acquisition and reconstruction, and which operate without the need for external cooling, would be particularly well-suited. The project is particularly inclusive of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations, fostering diverse competition and potential business growth in the medical technology sector.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Purchase of Portable Human MRI System

Notice Description

Cardiff University is currently exploring the acquisition of a Portable Human MRI System. Our comprehensive market research indicates that there is only one supplier available for this specific technology. In light of this, we are issuing this Preliminary market engagement notice to invite expressions of interest from any suppliers who believe they can also meet our requirements. We encourage interested parties to submit their expressions of interest by emailing rogalaa@cardiff.ac.uk no later than Thursday, November 13, 2025. In the event that we do not receive any responses, the contract will be awarded directly in accordance with Regulation 41. Requirements: Portable human MRI system operating at very low field strength and suitable for imaging the brain in vivo. The system should use permanent magnets and must be modular in hardware (i.e. individual parts can be replaced with customised components, but it should come complete of gradients and an RF head coil). The code for running MRI sequences should be open source and freely available (i.e. users must be able to program any acquisition system, not just modify parameters of available ones). No external cooling should be required and it should be powered by a standard single-phase electricity supply. K-space and complex imaging data need to be exportable. - Target anatomy Head - Field strength (B0): between 40 and 80 mT. - Field homogeneity (over 20 cm DSV): Less than 1000 ppm. - Max gradient strength on each channel simultaneously: Greater than 25 mT/m. - Max gradient strength on each channel simultaneously - Number of Rx Channels 8 or more - Hardware Modular and customisable - Software (acquisition) Open source - Software (reconstruction) Open source

Planning Information

We encourage interested parties to submit their expressions of interest by emailing rogalaa@cardiff.ac.uk no later than Thursday, November 13, 2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d6ca
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069601-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

CPV Codes

33100000 - Medical equipments

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£400,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Oct 20252 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Dec 2025 - 30 Nov 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
rogalaa@cardiff.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
CARDIFF
Postcode
CF24 4HQ
Post Town
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Cardiff
Electoral Ward
Cathays
Westminster Constituency
Cardiff South and Penarth

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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