Award

Award of contract for HPC upgrade - University of Aberdeen

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

22 Jan 2026 at 00:00

PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The University of Aberdeen has recently completed the procurement process for an upgrade to its High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, specifically for the partial replacement and expansion of existing compute nodes. This award, with a procurement identification of AU25/36, falls under the goods industry category, specifically linked to the CPV code 44316400. The procurement method was limited, executed without prior publication of a call for competition due to the absence of technical competition. This contract, valued at £123,433 GBP, was signed on 22nd January 2026. The procurement was conducted in Aberdeen, UKM50, contributing to the university's education sector-driven initiatives. The contracting phase has been marked as complete, indicating that the supplier, OCF Limited, has been successfully engaged under active contract terms.

This procurement offers significant business growth opportunities, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in technical and innovative solutions for the education sector. Companies experienced in providing niche technological services where competition is technically constrained could find similar opportunities highly advantageous. The contract's direct award nature, a reflection of technical exclusivity requirements, suggests that businesses providing unique solutions might benefit from exploring similar contracts without the burden of competitive tendering. The contract scenario also highlights the potential for firms capable of delivering bespoke and integrated technical services to leverage their specialised expertise in future educational procurement initiatives.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Award of contract for HPC upgrade - University of Aberdeen

Notice Description

Award of contract for partial replacement and expansion of existing HPC compute nodes

Lot Information

Lot 1

Award of contract for partial replacement and expansion of existing HPC compute nodes

Procurement Information

The basis for awarding this contract without a formal competitive procedure is that competition is absent for technical reasons. Under Clause 6(1)(b)(ii) of the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016, a contracting authority may make a direct award where no reasonable alternative or substitute exists, and where the lack of competition is not the result of artificially narrowing the procurement parameters. In this case, the justification for not exposing the requirement to competition is as follows: procuring from a different economic operator would introduce disproportionate technical and operational difficulties in operating and maintaining a live managed HPC service, including split support responsibility, increased service risk, and additional management overhead.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN547777
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
PCS Notice - Website 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
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

CPV Codes

44316400 - Hardware

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£123,433 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Jan 20261 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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
e-sourcing@abdn.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
ABERDEEN
Postcode
AB24 3FX
Post Town
Aberdeen
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM5 North Eastern Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire
Delivery Location
TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire
Local Authority
Aberdeen City
Electoral Ward
Tillydrone/Seaton/Old Aberdeen
Westminster Constituency
Aberdeen North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

OCF

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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