---
title: "MOONS Fibre Positioning Module BASEPLATE"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2018-04-24"
---

# MOONS Fibre Positioning Module BASEPLATE

Buyer: UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897.json)

## Summary

The procurement process involves the UK Shared Business Services Limited (UK SBS) as the contracting authority for the tender titled "MOONS Fibre Positioning Module BASEPLATE." This procurement falls under the goods industry category, specifically within optical instruments, and is located in Swindon, England. The procurement method is an open procedure below threshold, with the tender period originally closing on 17th January 2018. Although this procedure did not result in a contract award as no suitable bids were received, the average contract value was estimated at £40,000.

This tender represents an opportunity for businesses specializing in precision manufacturing and aluminium fabrication, especially those with capabilities in machining complex components. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with expertise in engineering services could find potential for growth by engaging in similar future tenders, as the requirements for highly specialized tooling and quality standards continue to evolve in sectors like astronomy technology. Collaboration with academic or research institutions may also enhance competitive positioning for upcoming contracts.

## Notice

***This procurement procedure did not result in a contract award and as no suitable offers were made*** Please Note: CLOSING TIME FOR BIDS is 17th January 2018 14:00 HOURS BST. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), through its UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC), requires a Baseplate for a Fibre Positioning Module to be manufactured and machined as part of the MOONS (Multi-Objects Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph) project. Scope of this requirement is to manufacture and machine a Baseplate. The Baseplate must be manufactured in Aluminium due to the operational weight constraint of the instrument. The baseplate is a monolithic plate machined from solid aluminium. MOONS (Multi-Objects Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph) is a new concept for an astronomical spectrograph for the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT). DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE BUYER. Note : Please disregard any content in this notice that requests your organisation "to apply directly to the buyer" as this unfortunately a system generated error, that is outside of the Contracting Authority's control " To express your interest in this opportunity email expressionofInterest@crowncommercial.gov. uk. To register on our e-sourcing portal click on https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk and follow the link "Supplier eSourcing regisAbout UK Shared Business Services Putting the business into shared services UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) brings a commercial attitude to the public sector; helping our customers improve efficiency, generate savings and modernise. It is our vision to become the leading provider for our customers of shared business services in the UK public sector, continuously reducing cost and improving quality of business services for Government and the public sector. Our broad range of expert services is shared by our customers. This allows our customers the freedom to focus resources on core activities; innovating and transforming their own organisations. Core services include Procurement, Finance, Grants Admissions, Human Resources, Payroll, ISS, and Property Asset Management all underpinned by our Service Delivery and Contact Centre teams. UK SBS is a people rather than task focused business. It's what makes us different to the traditional transactional shared services centre. What is more, being a not-for-profit organisation owned by its customers, UK SBS' goals are aligned with the public sector and delivering best value for the UK taxpayer. Our Customers Growing from a foundation of supporting the Research Councils, 2012/13 saw Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) transition their procurement to UK SBS and Crown Commercial Services (CCS - previously Government Procurement Service) agree a Memorandum of Understanding with UK SBS to deliver two major procurement categories (construction and research) across Government. UK SBS currently manages PS700m expenditure for its Customers." Additional information: Closing Time for Bids is 17th January at 14.00 Hours BST. DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE BUYER Note: Please disregard any content in this notice that requests your organisation "to apply directly to the buyer" as this unfortunately a system generated error, that is outside of the Contracting Authority's control " As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS can use the CCS eSourcing Suite for future procurements. If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/emptoris by following the link "Register for CCS eSourcing". Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing ExpressionOfInterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk. Your email must clearly state: the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; the name of the registered Bidder; and the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be assessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/emptoris using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk : Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support bidders utilise Emptoris CCS e-Sourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6b778645-3e34-42da-b7b4-a8b93cb13417 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Apr 2018 |
| Submission deadline | 17 Jan 2018 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Mar 2018 |
| Contract period | 22 Mar 2018 - 16 Aug 2018 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £40,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £38,522 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED |
| Locality | SWINDON |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ALIMEX UK PRECISION IN ALUMINIUM |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 38600000 - Optical instruments
- 71330000 - Miscellaneous engineering services

## Release History

- 24 Apr 2018 at 15:52 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6b778645-3e34-42da-b7b4-a8b93cb13417
- 17 Apr 2018 at 14:43 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e055778e-195c-48c7-90df-1e6c696c29ab
- 4 Dec 2017 at 17:22 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6b778645-3e34-42da-b7b4-a8b93cb13417

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/6b778645-3e34-42da-b7b4-a8b93cb13417
  24th April 2018 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e055778e-195c-48c7-90df-1e6c696c29ab
  17th April 2018 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/784b436b-fe89-49a1-85c7-363465326ca9
  Bidder training guide
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/f179a725-0b47-4f21-bb9f-e4a7b26d4e8a
  PR17164 Specification drawing
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/f581518e-4657-4ac2-aac6-6038dbe341c3
  PR17164 AW5.2 Price Schedule
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/d2a72f29-60fb-4a96-b6c7-571ef40fb582
  PR17164 MOONS FPM BASEPLATE ITQ
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/bc6cd55e-6738-4f31-8f5d-d7f2dc690cf4
  PR17164 MOONS FPM BASEPLATE Contract T&C's
- http://www.uksbs.co.uk/services/procure/Pages/supplier.aspx
  Training information

## Notice URLs

- http://uksbs.co.uk
- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/emptoris

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-07e9e715-5f4a-4775-8429-2e169a95f897.json.