--- title: "Purchase of a Laser Ablation tool for Specimen Preparation" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER" published: "2016-12-20" --- # Purchase of a Laser Ablation tool for Specimen Preparation Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2.json) ## Summary The procurement process involves the purchase of a Laser Ablation tool for Specimen Preparation by the UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, located in Manchester, England. This opportunity falls under the goods category, specifically for industrial lasers. The tender was published on 20th December 2016, with a deadline for submissions set for 23rd January 2017. The procurement method is an open procedure, and the contract is expected to start on 17th February 2017 and conclude by 31st March 2017. This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in the manufacturing or supply of advanced laser technology and imaging equipment. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular may find this a suitable prospect due to the specialised nature of the requirements, enabling them to engage in innovative solutions. Companies well-versed in correlative microscopy and advanced imaging technologies would be especially adept at competing for this contract, leveraging their expertise in both non-destructive and destructive imaging methods. ## Notice Background information on Project The vision is firstly, to develop correlative tomography to radically increase the nature and level of information (morphological, structural and chemical) that can be obtained for a 3D volume of interest (VoI) deep within a material or component by coupling non-destructive (3D+time) X-ray tomography with destructive (3D) electron tomography and, secondly to exploit this new approach to shed light on damage accumulation processes arising under demanding conditions. Successful completion of this project will provide new 3D & 4D insights across many areas & yielding key experimental data for multiscale models. There has been an emphasis on bringing together 2D imaging techniques on the same surface, or near surface, region of interest. Coined correlative microscopy this approach is now routinely being applied in the life sciences, primarily to bring together light and electron microscopy. Today there are many methods capable of providing 3D information, either non-destructively or destructively. Non-destructive methods tend to rely on penetrating beams such as X-rays, whereas destructive methods involve progressive material removal and can range from large scale mechanical serial sectioning down to the removal of atoms atom by atom, as in atom probe microscopy. Conventionally, information has been brought together from different samples at different scales statistically to build up a multi-scale picture (e.g. hierarchical pore structures). Recently the proposer has linked together X-ray and election microscopies to obtain a multidimensional and multi-faceted 3D picture of a selected volume of interest. Calling this approach correlative tomography it promises to radically increase the level of information one can obtain about features of interest. Precision milling by focused ion beam (FIB) milling has made it possible to excise a region tens of microns in size, identified by X-ray tomography, say for subsequent higher resolution imaging or tomography within the scanning electron microscope, or from serial section SEM tomography for higher resolution electron or atom probe tomography. However, FIB milling is limited to regions tens of microns in dimensions and tens of microns below the surface limiting both the volume that can be examined by electron optical methods and the depth from which it can be excavated. In this respect laser and plasma beam milling offer significant advantages in terms of milling rates and accessible depths and volumes of interest. The proposer's recent experiments suggest that new plasma beam-SEM instruments appear to be a particularly promising prospect opening up volumes of interest hundreds of microns in size for serial sectioning recovered from significant depths. Additional information: To access all tender documents please follow the In-Tend link. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5049a888-6520-4e67-986b-da171a3bf38e | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Goods | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 20 Dec 2016 | | Submission deadline | 23 Jan 2017 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 17 Feb 2017 - 31 Mar 2017 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1 | | 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 MANCHESTER | | Locality | MANCHESTER | | Post town | Manchester | | Postcode | M13 9PL | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester | | ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester | | Local authority | Manchester | | Electoral ward | Hulme | | Westminster constituency | Manchester Rusholme | | Delivery location | TLD North West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) ### Codes - 38636100 - Lasers - 38636110 - Industrial lasers ## Release History - 20 Dec 2016 at 09:06 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5049a888-6520-4e67-986b-da171a3bf38e ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5049a888-6520-4e67-986b-da171a3bf38e 20th December 2016 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofmanchester/aspx/ProjectManage/627 In-Tend ## 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-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-82a00ac3-b75d-4fef-bd41-9d0188a421f2.json.