Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

260101 - Contract for Supply, Delivery, Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance of a High Throughput Live-Cell Imaging System

Queen's University Belfast

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

31 Jul 2026 at 11:24

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

22 Jun 2026 at 13:57

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

19 Apr 2026 at 15:06

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

18 Apr 2026 at 23:06

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Queen’s University Belfast is procuring a high-throughput live-cell imaging system for the Future Medicines Institute (FMI), with supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance. The system is intended to support real-time monitoring of living cells in controlled carbon dioxide and humidity conditions, strengthening drug discovery and high-throughput screening. Required capability includes imaging up to six plates or vessels, including six 384-well plates, and capturing high-resolution fluorescence and bright-field images over hours, days or weeks. It must support the observation and measurement of cellular changes in two-dimensional cultures, spheroids and organoids, with integrated image acquisition for complex cellular assays. Delivery is to Queen’s University Belfast in Belfast. The requirement is classified as goods, covering detection and analysis apparatus, microscopes and medical imaging equipment.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through an above-threshold open procedure. One bid was received and evaluated on price and technical quality: price carried 70% and technical quality 30%, covering sustainability, ease of use, servicing and maintenance, and lead times. Compliance with the mandatory technical specification was pass/fail. Sartorius UK Ltd was awarded the contract on 22 June 2026 for £975,000 gross. The award standstill ended on 1 July 2026, and the contract was signed on 30 July 2026. The contracted period runs from 30 July 2026 to 30 July 2029, with an option to extend maintenance, software updates or development for up to 10 years or until the equipment reaches the end of its useful life. Payment is due within 30 days of a valid, undisputed invoice.

This award indicates demand from Queen’s University Belfast for specialist laboratory imaging equipment that combines high-throughput multiplate imaging with live-cell environmental control, fluorescence and bright-field capture, and long-term time-lapse analysis. Suppliers competing for a future requirement would need to demonstrate a proven system for two-dimensional cell work and three-dimensional spheroid and organoid models, with integrated acquisition, quantification and support for complex cellular assays. Credibility would also depend on reliable installation and commissioning, responsive servicing and maintenance, software updates and development, and the ability to manage technology changes, integration issues, training needs and supply-chain risks. Sustainability, ease of use and dependable lead times were part of the quality assessment. The opportunity was marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, although the selected supplier was a large business.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

260101 - Contract for Supply, Delivery, Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance of a High Throughput Live-Cell Imaging System

Notice Description

The Future Medicines Institute (FMI) requires a high throughput live-cell imaging system to enable FMI scientists and collaborators to monitor live cell imaging in real time under optimal conditions of cell growth in a properly maintained carbon dioxide and humidity environment to enable the efficient capture of cellular changes as they happen in the incubator. The objective of procuring a live cell imaging system is to enhance FMI's capacity to monitor cells in real time, in an optimally controlled environment, to support and strengthen its drug discovery capabilities. The proposed system must: * Be capable of multiplate/vessel imaging, up to a capacity of 6 plates/vessels and including capacity to image 6 384 well plates, to meet the volume of analysis that the centre is undertaking and support high throughput drug screening projects. * Enable high resolution fluorescence and bright field images to be captured and recorded in real time over hours, days, or weeks. * Offer flexibility to enable users to observe and quantify complex biological changes over time in cells and 3d structures such as spheroids and organoid models. * Include a fully integrated image acquisition system to capture real-time insight into morphological and phenotypic changes and allow multiple users the opportunity to perform complex cellular assays. * Offer versatile assay configurations, supporting various experimental formats such as 2d cell systems and 3d spheroid, and organoid models. The procurement of this live cell imaging system directly supports FMI's broader goals of: * Accelerating drug discovery through rapid identification and characterisation of therapeutic candidates * Providing screening capabilities in high-throughput format * Facilitating translational research by bridging fundamental cellular studies with therapeutic applications. The procurement of a live cell imaging system will provide direct benefit to research scientists within FMI, and wider stakeholders such as partner organisations and the wider academic community in Queens University Belfast (QUB) by: * Significantly enhance its cellular screening capabilities. * Enhancing live cell imaging capabilities and data acquisition throughput in optimised cellular conditions. * Reducing time in setting up multiple vessels for multiple time point experiments. * Reducing plasticware consumables and expensive reagents currently used in setting up multiple time point experiments. If funding becomes available to address future expansion needs the University reserves the right to purchase additional Live-Cell Imaging Systems during the life of the contract. Subject to the availability of funding, the University may optionally purchase additional Live Cell Imaging Systems during the term of the contract. Any such additional purchases shall be non guaranteed, limited to the optional items and maximum quantities and/or values set out in the Pricing Schedule, and shall have been included in the estimated contract value for the purposes of this procurement.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: option to extend maintenance/consumables, software updates or development, beyond this period for a further period of up to 10 years or the end of useful life of the equipment

Planning Information

Queen’s has conducted Preliminary Market Engagement with a number of suppliers in order to: • develop the understanding of our requirements and the proposed approach to the procurement; • gain a better understanding of what the market can offer and if the market was capable of responding to a tender in relation to this requirement; • identify potential suppliers for the requirement; • understand potential lead times; • gain an understanding of the commercial profile for the requirement; • communicate sustainability targets and minimum requirements to confirm the market has the capability to deliver on these. • identify opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of the requirement. The information gathered from PME will be used to shape any forthcoming procurement strategy to ensure that requirements can be subject to reasonable competitive tension. Participation in preliminary market engagement is not a prerequisite for any future tender exercise

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0685cf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072622-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

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

CPV Codes

33110000 - Imaging equipment for medical, dental and veterinary use

38430000 - Detection and analysis apparatus

38510000 - Microscopes

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£975,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£975,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£975,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£975,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jul 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
20 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
19 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
22 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
30 Jul 2026 - 30 Jul 2029 3-4 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
TLN06 Belfast
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Sartorius UK Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...