Dilution Refrigerator for Cryogenic Characterisation of RF Hardware

NPL MANAGEMENT LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

19 Jun 2026 at 13:05

Planning

16 Jun 2026 at 09:57

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process, led by NPL Management Limited, involves a tender for a "Dilution Refrigerator for Cryogenic Characterisation of RF Hardware." Situated at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, United Kingdom, this procurement falls under the industry category of laboratory and precision equipment. It is currently in the Tender stage, with key dates including an enquiry period ending on 7th July 2026 and a tender submission deadline on 20th July 2026. The procurement is conducted via an open procedure, with an estimated total value of £780,000 and a contract period from 31st August 2026 to 31st May 2027.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in cryogenic and RF hardware equipment manufacturing and supply. Companies that can deliver advanced cryogen-free pulse tube cooled dilution refrigerator systems, equipped with thermometry and coaxial lines suitable for quantum circuits and RF measurements, would be well-suited to compete. The procurement favours small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs), providing an excellent platform for competitive businesses to demonstrate technical and commercial prowess, with a focus on quality and social value.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Dilution Refrigerator for Cryogenic Characterisation of RF Hardware

Notice Description

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is seeking engagement from suppliers who can provide "Dry" ("cryogen-free") pulse tube cooled dilution refrigerator system to be used for characterisation of quantum hardware including RF and quantum circuits with sample volume under vacuum. The system should include thermometry and associated wiring and readout electronics with provision to integrate additional temperature sensors in future for comprehensive diagnostics. The purpose is to complement our existing measurement systems and add measurement capability, for characterisation of quantum and RF hardware with high throughput and faster cooldowns repeated typically every 2 weeks. The dilution refrigerator needs to be suitable for RF measurements of complex quantum circuits and hardware, meaning it must be equipped with 20+ coaxial lines with provision to further increase the number of coaxial lines in the future. These lines must include high attenuation input lines suitable for use with sensitive quantum devices such as superconducting qubits and parametric amplifiers and low-loss output coaxial lines suitable for use with low-noise amplifiers, isolators and parametric amplifiers. Some of these coaxial lines must operate up to 40 GHz with provision to integrate even higher frequency RF cabling in the future. There should be sufficient number of DC lines with sufficient reconfigurability to enable biasing of at least tens of RF multi-way switches, at least four low noise amplifiers and few dedicated high resistance and low resistance DC looms for devices under test with provision to integrate more DC looms in the future. The asset must enable the characterisation of quantum and cryogenic RF hardware based on the following: 1) Base temperature of less than or equal to 10 mK with access to PT2 and other intermediate stages for testing components at intermediate temperatures. 2) Mixing chamber plate area of at least 0.19m2 in horizontal space and vertical experimental sample space below the mixing chamber with a height of at least 400 mm accessible for custom experimental apparatus 3) We do NOT require a magnet.

Planning Information

Any submission received in response to this exercise will not constitute any contractual agreement between the respondent and NPL. Nor does the receipt of a response automatically include the respondent in the procurement process. A Tender Notice will be issued to the market which will provide details of how the relating procurement documentation can be accessed and timescales for submission of the said tender response. Interested parties shall bear their own costs of participation in this Market Engagement of whatever nature. NPL shall not be liable for the costs, expenses or losses howsoever arising (including, without limitation, any loss of profit or other economic loss incurred), regardless of the outcome of the Market Engagement.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058116-2026
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
SME, VCSE
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
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Jun 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
20 Jul 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
19 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Aug 2026 - 31 May 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NPL MANAGEMENT LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
TEDDINGTON
Postcode
TW11 0LW
Post Town
Twickenham
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI7 Outer London - West and North West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Richmond upon Thames
Electoral Ward
Teddington
Westminster Constituency
Twickenham

Further Information

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a7-2026-06-19T14:05:24+01:00",
    "date": "2026-06-19T14:05:24+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a7",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-02937881",
            "name": "NPL Management Limited",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "02937881"
            },
            "additionalIdentifiers": [
                {
                    "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                    "id": "PYDB-8862-JBYM"
                }
            ],
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "National Physical Laboratory",
                "locality": "Teddington",
                "postalCode": "TW11 0LW",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI75"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "etenders@npl.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://www.npl.co.uk",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicUndertaking",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public undertaking"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-COH-02937881",
        "name": "NPL Management Limited"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Any submission received in response to this exercise will not constitute any contractual agreement between the respondent and NPL. Nor does the receipt of a response automatically include the respondent in the procurement process. A Tender Notice will be issued to the market which will provide details of how the relating procurement documentation can be accessed and timescales for submission of the said tender response. Interested parties shall bear their own costs of participation in this Market Engagement of whatever nature. NPL shall not be liable for the costs, expenses or losses howsoever arising (including, without limitation, any loss of profit or other economic loss incurred), regardless of the outcome of the Market Engagement.",
                "dueDate": "2026-06-19T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "056509-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056509-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-06-16T10:57:18+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a7",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Dilution Refrigerator for Cryogenic Characterisation of RF Hardware",
        "description": "The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is seeking engagement from suppliers who can provide \"Dry\" (\"cryogen-free\") pulse tube cooled dilution refrigerator system to be used for characterisation of quantum hardware including RF and quantum circuits with sample volume under vacuum. The system should include thermometry and associated wiring and readout electronics with provision to integrate additional temperature sensors in future for comprehensive diagnostics. The purpose is to complement our existing measurement systems and add measurement capability, for characterisation of quantum and RF hardware with high throughput and faster cooldowns repeated typically every 2 weeks. The dilution refrigerator needs to be suitable for RF measurements of complex quantum circuits and hardware, meaning it must be equipped with 20+ coaxial lines with provision to further increase the number of coaxial lines in the future. These lines must include high attenuation input lines suitable for use with sensitive quantum devices such as superconducting qubits and parametric amplifiers and low-loss output coaxial lines suitable for use with low-noise amplifiers, isolators and parametric amplifiers. Some of these coaxial lines must operate up to 40 GHz with provision to integrate even higher frequency RF cabling in the future. There should be sufficient number of DC lines with sufficient reconfigurability to enable biasing of at least tens of RF multi-way switches, at least four low noise amplifiers and few dedicated high resistance and low resistance DC looms for devices under test with provision to integrate more DC looms in the future. The asset must enable the characterisation of quantum and cryogenic RF hardware based on the following: 1) Base temperature of less than or equal to 10 mK with access to PT2 and other intermediate stages for testing components at intermediate temperatures. 2) Mixing chamber plate area of at least 0.19m2 in horizontal space and vertical experimental sample space below the mixing chamber with a height of at least 400 mm accessible for custom experimental apparatus 3) We do NOT require a magnet.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "38000000",
                        "description": "Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 780000,
            "amount": 650000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "goods",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-08-31T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2027-05-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "active",
                "value": {
                    "amountGross": 780000,
                    "amount": 650000,
                    "currency": "GBP"
                },
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Technical",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 60,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "price",
                            "name": "Commercial",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 20,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Social Value",
                            "numbers": [
                                {
                                    "number": 20,
                                    "weight": "percentageExact"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                }
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2026-06-19T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "status": "active",
        "procurementMethod": "open",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
        "submissionMethodDetails": "Documents - All information relevant to this opportunity can be found on the Central Digital Platform and LUPC Jaggaer e-tender portal. All Participants must register their company via the LUPC Jaggaer Portal. This can be done via the following link https://lupc.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml Any issues surrounding access and functionality of the LUPC Jaggaer System must be directed to Jaggaer Helpdesk on +44 800 069 8630 or email help@bravosolution.co.uk",
        "submissionTerms": {
            "electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed",
            "languages": [
                "en"
            ]
        },
        "tenderPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-07-20T17:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "enquiryPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-07-07T17:00:00+01:00"
        },
        "awardPeriod": {
            "endDate": "2026-08-31T23:59:59+01:00"
        },
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            },
            {
                "id": "058116-2026",
                "documentType": "tenderNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK4",
                "description": "Tender notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058116-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-06-19T14:05:24+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "language": "en"
}