Award

VEAT Notice for Sample Preparation Reagents

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

25 Feb 2026 at 16:29

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Edinburgh is in the process of awarding a contract for laboratory reagents, specifically sample preparation reagents for sequencing. This contract falls under the industry category of education and takes place at the University's premises in Edinburgh, specifically in the region UKM75. The procurement process is at the Award stage, with noteworthy details dating from 25 February 2026. The contract is a straightforward award to New England Biolabs, valued at £335,000, which highlights its completion status. Due to technical reasons, the procurement method is limited, with no prior publication of a call for competition.

This tender provides significant opportunities, particularly for businesses specialising in high-quality laboratory reagents and sample preparation protocols. Given the unique compatibility requirements with Oxford Nanopore Technologies equipment, businesses focussing on specialised and validated reagents would be well-positioned to understand and meet these specific needs. Although this contract has been awarded to New England Biolabs, it underscores the importance for competing businesses to invest in compatibility and validation processes in molecular biology product offerings to leverage similar opportunities in future procurements.

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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/017076-2026
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
Large

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
£335,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

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

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
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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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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