---
title: "UK SBS PR16194 Side Entry Cold Stage for EM"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2018-03-21"
---

# UK SBS PR16194 Side Entry Cold Stage for EM

Buyer: UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b

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## Summary

The UK Shared Business Services Limited is procuring a Side Entry Cold Stage for Electron Microscopes (Tender ID: UK SBS PR16194) aimed at enhancing its Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) at MRC Cambridge. The contract, valued at £50,000, focuses on the acquisition of a single-tilt holder designed for cryo transfer and tomography, with a particular need for maintaining low temperatures and high resolution. The procurement process is currently in the award stage, with the contract period set to commence on 25th September 2016 and conclude on 31st March 2017. The tender period closed on 14th September 2016.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses focused on manufacturing specialised scientific equipment, particularly those capable of producing advanced components for electron microscopes. Companies that can meet the stringent specifications required for cryogenic applications and provide innovative solutions may find this tender to be an ideal fit. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the technical equipment sector are encouraged to engage, especially those with proven expertise in delivering high-quality products that align with the complex requirements of the scientific research industry.

## Notice

The LMB (Laboratory of Molecular Biology-MRC Cambridge) wish to purchase single-tilt holder for cryo transfer and tomography of thin-film frozen-hydrated/vitrified specimens for use in the LMBs existing range of transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) with the following specifications: * The construction of the standard specimen cup/ holder tip material should be constructed from Beryllium copper material * Should be able to maintain a temperature below -175 C for 4 hours or more in Cryo Work Station or a TEM. * Time to reach minimum operating temperature 30 mins or less * Should be able to tilt to +/- 75 degrees * Should achieve a resolution at 0 degrees tilt of 0.34nm or higher * Should enable the frost-free transfer of cryo-specimens to the TEM stage * Should allow the user to effortlessly secure a grid without the use of additional detachable C-clips or clip-rings that can get lost or damaged. * Should allow tool-free specimen mounting * Should accept a 3 mm diameter TEM sample grid * Should have a low drift-rate of 1.5 nm/minute or better * The level of liquid nitrogen in the holder dewar should not affect the drift-rate of the holder so as automated data acquisition can be carried out without supervision for at least 4 hours or more. The closing date for this tender is the 14th September 2016 at 14:00 Additional information: The section below will provide instructions on how to submit a bid for this procurement The instructions are as follows; UK Shared Business Services eSourcing as part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (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 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 which 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@ccs.gsi.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 accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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 eSourcing 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/05ec2dad-24a0-44ae-91dc-dfce8e69041a |
| 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 | 21 Mar 2018 |
| Submission deadline | 14 Sep 2016 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Sep 2016 |
| Contract period | 9 Oct 2016 - 31 Mar 2017 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £50,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £31,250 |
| 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 | 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MINDEX |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38511000 - Electron microscopes

## Release History

- 21 Mar 2018 at 10:41 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/05ec2dad-24a0-44ae-91dc-dfce8e69041a
- 18 Nov 2016 at 20:15 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e6d2289b-4276-4db6-b915-043a4fc03ed9

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/05ec2dad-24a0-44ae-91dc-dfce8e69041a
  21st March 2018 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e6d2289b-4276-4db6-b915-043a4fc03ed9
  2nd September 2016 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/05a321a0-16be-4700-914c-0dad4aef7633
  PR16194 ITQ Invitation to Quote
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/bdc38fa2-8556-4eb7-baab-535be99a890b
  PR16194 ITQ Invitation to Quote

## Notice URLs

- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

## 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-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-1f6b253c-adca-11e6-9901-0019b9f3037b.json.