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260114 - The Supply, Delivery, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of a High-Resolution Digital Pathology Scanner, including ancillary/consumables Items.

Queen's University Belfast

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

05 Oct 2026 at 15:57

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

07 Sep 2026 at 14:01

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

24 Jun 2026 at 21:55

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

23 Jun 2026 at 13:59

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

22 Jun 2026 at 16:09

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Queen’s University Belfast bought a high-resolution digital pathology scanner for the Northern Ireland Biobank within its Future Medicines Institute. The package covers supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the scanner, together with ancillary items and consumables. It is intended to support research by digitising histological slides at high quality and high throughput, meeting current and future research demand. The equipment and associated services are for delivery in Northern Ireland. This is a specialist medical imaging and scanning requirement, rather than a general-purpose IT or laboratory equipment purchase.

The procurement is complete: the contract was awarded to Leica Microsystems UK Ltd, and signed. The award was made on 7 September 2026, following an open procedure. One lot was assessed on price (75%) and technical quality (25%), with technical quality covering service and maintenance, usability, robustness and reliability, and sustainability. Six bids were received, with three reaching the final stage. The awarded contract value is £312,000. The signed contract period runs from 22 September 2026 to 21 September 2031, with an option to extend maintenance, software updates or development for up to a further 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 demonstrates demand from Queen’s University Belfast for specialist digital pathology equipment capable of high-throughput scanning of histological slides for research use. A credible competitor when this requirement next returns would need to supply a high-resolution scanner and provide end-to-end delivery, installation and commissioning, alongside dependable maintenance and support. The evaluation gave most weight to price, but technical quality also mattered: suppliers needed to demonstrate strong service and maintenance provision, usability, robustness and reliability, and sustainability. The ancillary items and consumables requirement means the offer should cover the supporting products as well as the scanner itself. The selected supplier was a small or medium-sized enterprise, and two SMEs reached the final evaluation stage, showing that suppliers of this scale competed for the requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

260114 - The Supply, Delivery, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of a High-Resolution Digital Pathology Scanner, including ancillary/consumables Items.

Notice Description

Queen's University Belfast (Queen's), on behalf of the Northern Ireland Biobank within the Future Medicines Institute, seeks to procure a high resolution digital pathology scanner to support research activities. The required solution must enable high quality, high throughput digitisation of histological slides, supporting current and future research demand.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: option to extend maintenance, 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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ba66
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093951-2026
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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

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

CPV Codes

33100000 - Medical equipments

33110000 - Imaging equipment for medical, dental and veterinary use

38520000 - Scanners

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£312,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£312,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Oct 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
23 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
23 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
7 Sep 20261 months ago
Contract Period
22 Sep 2026 - 21 Sep 2031 Over 5 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

Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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