---
title: "Provision of ultrasound scanning equipment to measure muscle and fat depths in live sheet and cattle"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134"
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markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS"
published: "2021-11-29"
---

# Provision of ultrasound scanning equipment to measure muscle and fat depths in live sheet and cattle

Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134

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## Summary

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is currently in the award stage of the procurement process for the tender titled "Provision of ultrasound scanning equipment to measure muscle and fat depths in live sheep and cattle." This procurement, which falls under the agricultural and related products industry category, is located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire (CV8 2TL). The contract, valued at £30,000, commenced on 2nd April 2020 and will continue until 31st March 2023. The initial tender period was open until 9am on 10th February 2020, utilising an open procedure below the threshold for procurement method.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses that specialise in medical imaging equipment, particularly those with capabilities in providing portable, serviceable, and repairable ultrasound technology suited for agricultural environments. Suppliers capable of offering innovative solutions and demonstrating compliance with rigorous technical specifications will find suitable prospects in this contract. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, given the nature and scope of the requirement, which may allow for multiple contract awards.

## Notice

Provision of ultrasound scanning equipment to measure muscle and fat depths in live sheep and cattle. Signet Breeding Services, a department within AHDB currently provide performance recording of a few beef breeds and virtually all sheep within the UK. Signet continues to scan around 50,000 sheep and 5,000 cattle each year. Equipment is required for two services (sheep and beef scanning) for which two different probes may be needed and for which there are two different "reporting" procedures. The ultrasound scanning of sheep and cattle requires the use of a real-time ultrasound imaging system which must be portable and be able to withstand "on-farm" conditions. Images must be taken externally using non-evasive techniques, ideally without the need for clipping the fleece or coat of the animal. Liquid paraffin is applied to the skin of the animal over the 3rd lumbar vertebra so that contact can be made with the probe in a position 90o to the backbone to obtain an image in the loin area of the animal (loin chop in sheep; sirloin in cattle). The probes need to make direct contact with the skin without the use of a stand-off. Once an acceptable image is available on screen, the image must be frozen to enable measurements to be taken with the use of the imaging system's screen callipers. In the case of sheep, the four text measurements (three fat, one muscle) will be required to be downloaded directly onto a laptop using a USB data transfer connection. Additional data will be entered directly onto the laptop such as date, ID, weight, gender, management group as part of a specialised AHDB designed software package. In the case of beef, the nine measurements (four fat, one muscle at the 3rd lumbar and four fat at the last rib) will be manually recorded onto paper (other data will also be recorded such as date, ID, weight, gender, management group). Electronic collection into a laptop software package will not be necessary for beef cattle. The solution proposed must be of a model which would be fully serviceable and repairable in the UK for the period of the contract and therefore obsolete models will not be considered an acceptable proposal. The outcome of this tender may result in more than one provider being awarded a contract. If you are interested in receiving further documentation, please email procurement@ahdb.org.uk Closing date for submissions: By 9am on Monday 10th February 2020 Additional information: If you are interested in receiving further tender documentation, please email procurement@ahdb.org.uk Submission deadline: By 9am Monday the 10th February 2020

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/900be447-17fc-4cee-9e54-e3f3c7b325f4 |
| 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 | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Nov 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 10 Feb 2020 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 13 Mar 2020 |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2020 - 31 Mar 2023 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £30,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS |
| Additional buyers | D E F R A |
| Locality | WARWICKSHIRE |
| Post town | Coventry |
| Postcode | CV8 2TL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire |
| ITL 3 | TLG13 Warwickshire CC |
| Local authority | Warwick |
| Electoral ward | Cubbington & Leek Wootton |
| Westminster constituency | Kenilworth and Southam |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | VET IMAGE SOLUTIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 03 - Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products
- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

### Codes

- 03000000 - Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products
- 33112000 - Echo, ultrasound and doppler imaging equipment
- 38520000 - Scanners

## Release History

- 29 Nov 2021 at 17:25 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/900be447-17fc-4cee-9e54-e3f3c7b325f4
- 8 Jan 2020 at 15:37 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/30eb4a61-d7e9-4d8c-83ba-906a2c0f181d

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/900be447-17fc-4cee-9e54-e3f3c7b325f4
  29th November 2021 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/30eb4a61-d7e9-4d8c-83ba-906a2c0f181d
  8th January 2020 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/0665ad10-b248-4bbb-bc1a-ddf7f7881500
  Redacted Contract attached
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/SupplierAttachment/10529283-2dc1-4647-a89a-ce3f005b4adc
  Redacted contract attached

## 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-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-0bceb913-9ad2-42d6-be44-515fb436e134.json.