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Contract for the Supply, delivery, commission, installation, consumables, & maintenance of a Femtosecond Laser Workstation

Queen's University Belfast

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

Award

17 Aug 2026 at 09:54

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

04 Aug 2026 at 14:55

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

31 Mar 2026 at 15:38

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

31 Mar 2026 at 13:42

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

19 Dec 2025 at 11:15

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
PlanningUpdate

11 Dec 2025 at 09:30

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

10 Dec 2025 at 09:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Queen’s University Belfast bought a femtosecond laser workstation for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), an industry-led, open-access manufacturing and engineering innovation centre. The requirement covers supply, delivery, commissioning, installation, consumables and maintenance, with the workstation intended for applications in glass substrates. It supports AMIC’s expanding capabilities in digital factory, smart design, sustainable polymers and composites, nanotechnology and photonics, as part of its wider Factory of the Future development. The equipment will be used in Northern Ireland, at AMIC’s planned facility at Global Point, Newtownabbey. This is a specialist laboratory and manufacturing technology purchase rather than a general laser supply requirement, and is relevant to businesses providing ultrafast laser workstations together with installation, technical support, consumables and ongoing maintenance.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Oxford Lasers Ltd. The award was made on 4 August 2026, followed by contract signature on 14 August 2026. The active contract runs from 20 August 2026 to 20 August 2027, with options to extend for up to five further years or until the equipment reaches the end of its useful life; the maximum extent date is 20 August 2032. The awarded value is £712,183.75 excluding VAT and £854,620.50 including VAT. Queen’s University Belfast used an open procedure. Four bids were received, all from SMEs. Evaluation was based on 60% quality and 40% price, covering technical requirements, support services, sustainability, extended warranty and price.

This award demonstrates demand from Queen’s University Belfast for an integrated femtosecond laser workstation serving advanced manufacturing and glass-substrate applications. A credible future competitor would need to supply specialist ultrafast laser equipment and provide the full delivery chain: commissioning, installation, consumables, maintenance and technical support. The evaluation placed greater emphasis on quality than price, so suppliers would need to evidence compliance with mandatory and desirable technical requirements, dependable support services, sustainable procurement practices and an extended warranty. The successful supplier was an SME, showing that the requirement can be delivered by a specialist business rather than only a large systems integrator. Relevant experience should combine laser engineering with laboratory or industrial manufacturing applications and long-term equipment support.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Contract for the Supply, delivery, commission, installation, consumables, & maintenance of a Femtosecond Laser Workstation

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 manufacturing and engineering innovation centre with state-of-the-art facilities and an expert engineering team, underpinned by academic excellence. AMIC is expanding its core capabilities in Digital Factory, Smart Design, Sustainable Polymers and Composites Nanotechnology and Photonics. With a growing team of engineers and technologists (currently 50 strong) and building upon a track-record of collaboration with manufacturers it will deliver industry 4.0 solutions for industry. Supported through a PS98M investment via Belfast Region City Deal, a 10,000m2 Factory of the Future facility will open at Global Point Newtownabbey in early 2026. The equipment being purchased is critical to the organisational strategy. As part of this project Queen's University Belfast wish to procure a Femtosecond Laser Workstation.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Extend maintenance beyond this period for a further 5 years or the 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 Femtosecond Laser Workstation. 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 InTend platform within 40 days of this notice. 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. Please note that Queen's University is closed 23 December 2025 to 1 January 2026 inclusive. Any queries received during this time will be answered when the University re-opens.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f267
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077955-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

38636100 - Lasers

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£750,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£750,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£712,183 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£712,183 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
30 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
19 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
4 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
20 Aug 2026 - 20 Aug 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Queen's University Belfast
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT7 1NN
Postcode Area
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Oxford Lasers Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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