Tender

250293 AMIC Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Etching (CAIBE) Tool

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

19 Feb 2026 at 14:55

PlanningUpdate

26 Nov 2025 at 08:30

Planning

25 Nov 2025 at 09:13

Summary of the contracting process

Queen's University Belfast is conducting a public procurement process for the acquisition of a Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Etching (CAIBE) Tool as part of their Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) initiative, located in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. The procurement follows an open procedure under UK regulations, targeting the laboratory, optical, and precision equipment sector. Business users should note the procurement stage is active with expected award and contract start dates on April 15th and April 30th, 2026, respectively, and an initial contract duration of five years with possible extensions. Interested parties must submit their tenders by March 18th, 2026, as electronic submissions in English are permitted via the specified In-Tend platform.

This tender presents an opportunity for suppliers in the laboratory and precision equipment industry to contribute to innovation in Northern Ireland's manufacturing sector. The successful supplier will provide not only the CAIBE Tool but also its installation, commissioning, and maintenance, including ancillary and complimentary goods. Businesses with expertise in advanced manufacturing technologies and technical support will find this an appealing venture given the emphasis on system capabilities, sustainability, and added value propositions, alongside price considerations. The contract offers prospects for extended business relationships through possible renewals up to ten additional years, facilitating ongoing collaboration within the Factory of the Future project. Suppliers are encouraged to engage with Queen's University Belfast, and participation in the pre-market engagement process, although not mandatory, is welcomed to refine the tender specifications and foster business growth through strategic partnerships.

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Notice Title

250293 AMIC Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Etching (CAIBE) Tool

Notice Description

The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), led by Queen's University Belfast, is key to an exciting future for manufacturing in Northern Ireland, as an industry-led, open-access centre for manufacturing and engineering innovation with state-of-the-art facilities and an expert engineering team, underpinned by academic excellence. Queen's requires a Contract for supply, installation and commissioning and ongoing maintenance of a Chemically Assisted Ion Beam Etching tool; and the provision of associated ancillaries, consumables and complimentary goods. The machine will be situated in the factory of the future, Global Point, Newtownabbey and used by internal researchers and to facilitate collaborative projects with industry partners. For a comprehensive description of the requirements, please refer to document 250293 Specification.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: options to extend beyond this period for the provision of maintenance, ancillaries and complimentary goods for further periods of up to 10 years or the end of useful life of the equipment

Planning Information

AMIC is expanding its core capabilities in Digital Factory, Smart Design, Sustainable Polymers and Composites, Nanotechnology and Photonics. As part of this project, Queen's University Belfast is seeking expressions of interest from suppliers as we wish to procure a CAIBE Tool. Queen's staff wish to engage with suppliers prior to procuring this equipment to: 1 - gain a better understanding of what the market can offer and if the market can respond to a tender meeting our requirements. 2 - identify potential suppliers able to provide the requirement. 3 - understand potential lead times. 4 - gain an understanding of the commercial profile for the requirement. A pre-market engagement questionnaire has been published here: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/queensuniversitybelfast/aspx/Home Interested parties are asked to complete and return this questionnaire via the In-Tend platform. Queen's may then contact suppliers for further discussion of the information received in the questionnaire. Queen's do not guarantee that they will speak to every supplier who submits a return. Participation in the pre-market engagement exercise is not a pre-requisite to participation in any future tender exercise, however, the information provided may be used to inform decisions around the tender exercise. Queen's welcome all participation in this Pre Market engagement exercise. This Pre Market Engagement exercise is not a call for competition and does not commit Queen's to proceed with a formal procurement. Queen's is not obligated to adopt supplier feedback into the process.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e7ee
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015323-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)


CPV Codes

38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,782,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,782,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Feb 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
18 Mar 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
23 Feb 2026Today
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
29 Apr 2026 - 29 Apr 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@qub.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT7 1NN
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
TLN Northern Ireland

Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

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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