---
title: "TENDER FOR THE BULK SUPPLY OF LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM"
published: "2021-07-19"
---

# TENDER FOR THE BULK SUPPLY OF LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d

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## Summary

The University of Birmingham is currently conducting a tender for the bulk supply of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) required from 1st April 2022 until 31st March 2027. This procurement falls under the "Gases" industry category and is executed through an open procurement method, available to all eligible suppliers. The tender period ends on 23rd July 2021, and suppliers should be prepared for potential ongoing collaboration due to the substantial volume requirements outlined, ranging from 20,000 to 36,250 tonnes over the contract duration, which will primarily serve the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR).

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in gas supply, particularly those experienced in providing food-grade CO2 products. Suppliers capable of handling large-scale liquid delivery, ideally from fossil fuel origins such as ammonia production, are well-suited to compete. Given the high-profile nature of the project and its contribution to scientific research, successful bidders can also bolster their reputational standing within the environmental and academic sectors, potentially leading to further contracts in related research initiatives.

## Notice

The University has a requirement for basic food grade carbon dioxide (CO2) for a a period commencing 1st April 2022 up until 31st October 2026 to support the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR). The contract will cover the period 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2027. This project is high profile and far reaching, exploring the long term effects of elevated CO2 on forests. Based in the Staffordshire area, this project is led by the University of Birmingham and is one of only two such projects (other is in Australia) currently running in the World, exploring the real long term impact of CO2 on forest ecology and health. The experiment consists of six arrays of towers within a woodland, each 30 m across, which extend from the ground to the top of the trees. CO2 will be released within three of these rings, while the other three will act as control plots and receive ambient air only. CO2 is stored in 3 x 40,000kg (40 tonnes) capacity Storage Vessels under pressure as a liquid. The liquid CO2 is converted to a gas using ambient heat vaporisers and transported in pipes through the woodland to the experimental arrays. Here, it is diluted with normal air until the level reaches ~550 parts per million (ppm) before being released into the research woodland arrays. Sensors within the array are used by a computer to automatically adjust the amount and direction of released CO2 according to the speed and direction of the wind. The findings will be published as part of the argument on the long-term impacts of CO2. The facility has been in full operation since April 2016 and has been using CO2 product to deliver the experimental conditions since April 2017 to date. The University of Birmingham own and operate all the storage and delivery infrastructure related to bulk liquid CO2. To operate the project effectively and to ensure a high level of robustness in the findings of the research a minimum quantity of 4,000 tonnes per annum (a possible maximum use of 7,250 per year) from April 2022. Thus, a total projected requirement would range from 20,000 tonnes to 36,250 tonnes from April 2022 to April 2027. Variations in volume will be determined by a variety of local environmental conditions, namely, number of daylight hours, wind speeds and ambient temperature. The average consumption of liquid CO2 has been 4,391 +- 1,866 tons per year but there are considerable month to month variations. Historically, the highest demand is in April (~900 tons) and demand drops each subsequent month until October (~600 tons) when supply to the arrays is in early November. The delivery requirement would be most likely to be two deliveries per day from a known/reported point source. The source must also be of fossil fuel origin e.g. ammonia production. Deliveries of product will be required during the growing period lasting approximately from late-March to early-November. The University of Birmingham is looking for suppliers to pric... Additional information: Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Jul 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 23 Jul 2021 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2022 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM |
| Locality | EDGBASTON |
| Post town | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B15 2TT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Edgbaston |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Edgbaston |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 24 - Chemical products

### Codes

- 24100000 - Gases

## Release History

- 19 Jul 2021 at 14:28 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 19 Jul 2021 at 14:28 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 25 Jun 2021 at 11:56 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 4 Jun 2021 at 14:55 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 4 Jun 2021 at 14:55 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 4 Jun 2021 at 14:54 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
- 4 Jun 2021 at 14:54 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/be0f566b-3614-4f2c-b66f-7b9ea0cfd905
  19th July 2021 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofbirmingham/aspx/
  Additional information on how to apply for this contract

## 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-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7f68659d-6a8a-4991-827e-86be2543711d.json.
