Award

VEAT Notice for Sample Preparation Reagents

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

07 Apr 2026 at 11:21

Award

25 Feb 2026 at 16:29

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Edinburgh has concluded a contracting process for goods, featuring a VEAT Notice for Sample Preparation Reagents. The procurement involves the acquisition of laboratory reagents, specifically aimed at facilitating library preparation of samples for sequencing. This process is situated in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, under the industry category of laboratory reagents. The procurement, with its latest development on 7th April 2026, has transitioned into the 'Award' stage. The contract, valued at £195,027.97, was signed on 19th March 2026 with New England Biolabs (NEB) as the sole supplier, owing to technical exclusivity and validation requirements unique to the Oxford Nanopore Technologies' equipment used in the project. The procurement was executed using a limited method without prior publication due to the lack of competitive alternatives.

This tender provides significant opportunities for niche suppliers of specialised laboratory chemicals and reagents, specifically those capable of meeting stringent validation and compatibility requirements. While the procurement was limited and awarded to NEB due to the unique specifications of the project, businesses specialising in developing or distributing such precision laboratory products may identify potential collaborative opportunities for future procurement needs. Companies that can engage in R&D to certify their products against specific technical requirements, especially in advanced genomics or molecular biology research contexts, would be well-poised to benefit from comparable procurement opportunities.

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Notice Title

VEAT Notice for Sample Preparation Reagents

Notice Description

The University of Edinburgh intends to award a contract to New England Biolabs to provide products for the library preparation of samples ahead of sequencing.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of Edinburgh intends to award a contract to New England Biolabs (NEB) to provide products for the library preparation of samples ahead of sequencing on Oxoford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) equipment. The NEB reagents are the only products validated, qualified, and optimized by ONT for the library preparation protocol. Substituting these critical reagents would require full revalidation, introducing risks to workflow stability and data comparability. Although multiple suppliers offer general molecular biology reagents, no alternative vendor meets the validated compatibility requirements for the current ONT workflows in this project. NEB is therefore the only acceptable source for the products for library preparation for this project. Based on validation data, workflow compatibility, and compliance requirements, NEB is the single source capable of supplying reagents required for the ONT sequencing processes defined in the project. These products are not available from other vendors; it is only possible to purchase these validated reagents directly from NEB UK.

Procurement Information

The University of Edinburgh intends to award a contract without prior publication due to the absence of competition for technical reasons. There is only one supplier who can meet the requirements as published in this notice.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065c86
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031405-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products


CPV Codes

33696500 - Laboratory reagents

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£530,027 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Apr 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Feb 20262 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

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

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
EH1 1HT
Post Town
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM13 City of Edinburgh
Delivery Location
TLM75 City of Edinburgh

Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
City Centre
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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