Award

Purchase of three Chromatography Systems

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

06 Aug 2025 at 00:00

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Edinburgh has completed a procurement process for the purchase of three Chromatography Systems, with the contract awarded to Cytiva. This procurement, classified under the 'Education' category, took place in Edinburgh, UK. The procurement method was limited, involving an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, due to technical reasons. The value of the contract is £220,941.08, and it was signed on 30th July 2025. As the procurement process has been completed, the contract is currently in the active stage.

This tender offers opportunities for businesses specialising in laboratory equipment, particularly those that develop and supply advanced chromatography systems, to engage with significant research institutions. While the awarded procurement reflects a direct contract due to specific technical requirements, it underscores the high demand for unique scientific equipment in academia. Companies with expertise in bespoke chromatography solutions, or those capable of developing innovative tools to enhance laboratory workflows, could find fertile ground for collaboration and growth within similar procurement opportunities in the educational sector.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Notice Title

Purchase of three Chromatography Systems

Notice Description

Purchase of three Chromatography Systems

Procurement Information

The AKTA Pure Micro for the JP lab will be used mainly for the preparation of cryoEM samples, the AKTA Pure Micro and its corresponding accessories are specifically designed for such a purpose and is routinely used for preparation of cryoEM samples. The final, and most crucial, stage of the experiments in Kyle's lab require that the use of liquid chromatography devices to purify very small quantities of protein complexes for further analysis by the recently installed Glacios2 cryo-electron microscope. The experiments require that the team monitor the composition of the samples, which is achieved using an on-board multi-wavelength ultraviolet light detector, and that the lab achieve very fine separation of protein samples to ensure the highest purity. The latter can only be accomplished using the AKTA Pure Micro, because the equipment has been designed to minimise hold-up volumes between valves used for sample application and processing. Finally, the device dispenses droplets as low as 8 uL, allowing the highest possible resolution in terms of sample separation. There are no market competitors for the AKTA Pure Micro. The AKTA Pure M is a larger volume liquid chromatography device optimised for semi-automated isolation of protein complexes. This device will be required for the laboratory to isolate material essential for downstream processing in the AKTA Pure Micro. The fluid integration of the workflow between the AKTA Pure M and AKTA Pure Micro means that it is necessary to purchase the AKTA Pure M alongside the AKTA Pure Micro. Interaction with both machines is standardized through a proprietary software, Unicorn 7, not transferable between devices from other manufacturers. This will facilitate consistency of pipelines and procedures between the machines, which can be directly transferred. Given the above technical reasons the purchase of two AKTA Pure Micro's and one AKTA Pure M has been awarded directly to Cytiva.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000806595
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=AUG536444
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - Contract 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

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


CPV Codes

38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£220,941 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Aug 20256 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Jul 20256 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
jcouper@ed.ac.uk
Contact Phone
+44 1316502759

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

CYTIVA

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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-r6ebe6-0000806595-2025-08-06T00:00:00Z",
    "date": "2025-08-06T00:00:00Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-r6ebe6-0000806595",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "org-329",
            "name": "University Of Edinburgh",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "University Of Edinburgh"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Charles Stewart House, 9-16 Chambers Street",
                "locality": "Edinburgh",
                "region": "UKM75",
                "postalCode": "EH1 1HT"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "jcouper@ed.ac.uk",
                "telephone": "+44 1316502759",
                "url": "http://"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer",
                "centralPurchasingBody"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "Body governed by public law",
                        "scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE"
                    },
                    {
                        "id": "09",
                        "description": "Education",
                        "scheme": "COFOG"
                    }
                ],
                "url": "http://www.ed.ac.uk"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "org-339",
            "name": "Cytiva",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Cytiva"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Amersham Place",
                "locality": "Amersham",
                "region": "UK",
                "postalCode": "HP6 6JL"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "url": "http://"
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "org-104",
            "name": "Edinburgh Sheriff Court",
            "identifier": {
                "legalName": "Edinburgh Sheriff Court"
            },
            "address": {
                "locality": "Edinburgh"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "url": "http://"
            },
            "roles": [
                "reviewBody",
                "reviewContactPoint"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "name": "University Of Edinburgh",
        "id": "org-329"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "NCA31116",
        "title": "Purchase of three Chromatography Systems",
        "description": "Purchase of three Chromatography Systems",
        "status": "complete",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKM75"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethod": "limited",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "The AKTA Pure Micro for the JP lab will be used mainly for the preparation of cryoEM samples, the AKTA Pure Micro and its corresponding accessories are specifically designed for such a purpose and is routinely used for preparation of cryoEM samples. The final, and most crucial, stage of the experiments in Kyle's lab require that the use of liquid chromatography devices to purify very small quantities of protein complexes for further analysis by the recently installed Glacios2 cryo-electron microscope. The experiments require that the team monitor the composition of the samples, which is achieved using an on-board multi-wavelength ultraviolet light detector, and that the lab achieve very fine separation of protein samples to ensure the highest purity. The latter can only be accomplished using the AKTA Pure Micro, because the equipment has been designed to minimise hold-up volumes between valves used for sample application and processing. Finally, the device dispenses droplets as low as 8 uL, allowing the highest possible resolution in terms of sample separation. There are no market competitors for the AKTA Pure Micro. The AKTA Pure M is a larger volume liquid chromatography device optimised for semi-automated isolation of protein complexes. This device will be required for the laboratory to isolate material essential for downstream processing in the AKTA Pure Micro. The fluid integration of the workflow between the AKTA Pure M and AKTA Pure Micro means that it is necessary to purchase the AKTA Pure M alongside the AKTA Pure Micro. Interaction with both machines is standardized through a proprietary software, Unicorn 7, not transferable between devices from other manufacturers. This will facilitate consistency of pipelines and procedures between the machines, which can be directly transferred. Given the above technical reasons the purchase of two AKTA Pure Micro's and one AKTA Pure M has been awarded directly to Cytiva.",
        "mainProcurementCategory": "goods",
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "AUG536444",
                "documentType": "awardNotice",
                "title": "Purchase of three Chromatography Systems",
                "description": "Purchase of three Chromatography Systems",
                "url": "https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=AUG536444",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ],
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "description": "Purchase of three Chromatography Systems",
                "status": "complete",
                "awardCriteria": {
                    "criteria": [
                        {
                            "type": "quality",
                            "name": "Quality",
                            "description": "100"
                        },
                        {
                            "type": "price",
                            "description": "0"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                "hasOptions": false
            }
        ],
        "coveredBy": [
            "GPA"
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "D_TECHNICAL",
                "description": "The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons",
                "scheme": "TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL"
            }
        ],
        "classification": {
            "id": "38000000",
            "scheme": "CPV"
        },
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "32014L0024",
            "scheme": "CELEX"
        }
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "NCA31116",
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "org-339",
                    "name": "Cytiva"
                }
            ],
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "contracts": [
        {
            "id": "NCA31116",
            "awardID": "NCA31116",
            "status": "active",
            "value": {
                "amount": 220941.08,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "dateSigned": "2025-07-30T00:00:00Z"
        }
    ],
    "language": "EN",
    "description": "(SC Ref:806595)",
    "bids": {
        "statistics": [
            {
                "id": "706",
                "measure": "bids",
                "value": 1,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "707",
                "measure": "smeBids",
                "value": 0,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "708",
                "measure": "foreignBidsFromEU",
                "value": 0,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "709",
                "measure": "foreignBidsFromNonEU",
                "value": 1,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            },
            {
                "id": "710",
                "measure": "electronicBids",
                "value": 1,
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ]
    },
    "links": [
        {
            "rel": "canonical",
            "href": "https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000806595"
        }
    ],
    "noticetype": "OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice"
}