---
title: "UKSBS PR17118 MOONS Cryostat Optical Bench"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2018-03-19"
---

# UKSBS PR17118 MOONS Cryostat Optical Bench

Buyer: UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575

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## Summary

The UK Shared Business Services Limited is seeking suppliers for the manufacture and construction of a Cryostat Optical Bench as part of the MOONS (Multi-Objects Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph) project. This procurement falls under the 'Laboratory, optical and precision equipment' category, with an estimated contract value of £45,000. The closing date for bids was on 28th November 2017, with the contract expected to commence on 18th December 2017 and concluding on 31st August 2018. The procurement method used is an open procedure, suitable for businesses registered with the e-sourcing portal managed by Crown Commercial Service.

This tender presents a unique opportunity for businesses specialising in industrial machinery and optical equipment. Companies capable of fabricating aluminium structures, particularly those with experience in cryogenic systems and precision machining, would be well-positioned to compete. This contract could facilitate growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the specialised manufacturing sector, especially those looking to diversify their portfolios in high-tech environments like astronomical instrumentation.

## Notice

CLOSING TIME FOR BIDS IS 28th November 2017 14:00 HOURS BST. Scope of requirement: Manufacture and construction of an Optical Bench. DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE BUYER. 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 registration". Note: Please disregard any content in this notice that requests your organisation "to apply directly to the buyer" as this is unfortunately a system generated error, that is outside of the Contracting Authorities control. 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). It has been selected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in response to a call for proposals for the development of 3rd generation instrumentation. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), through its UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC), require a Cryostat Optical Bench to be manufactured and constructed as part of the MOONS project. The MOONS Spectrograph design consists of two identical cryogenic spectrographs. Each spectrograph incorporates three cameras fed by fibre optics. The optical elements of each Spectrograph will be mounted on an Optical Bench inside a vacuum vessel, cooled to cryogenic temperatures (about 120K). The Scope of this requirement is for the Optical Bench. The Optical Bench must be fabricated in Aluminium due to the operational weight constraint of the instrument. The Optical Bench must be capable of operating with no trapped volume. The Optical Bench will be machined flat after fabrication and will require multiple machining operations after fabrication. The contract will be awarded based on the criteria set out on the sourcing documents. For the full technical specification, please see the following documents: 'PR17118 MOONs Cryostat Optical Bench Drawing number VLT-DWG-MON-14620-00-330-050-B' and supporting lower level drawings which are provided as attachments within the e-sourcing platform https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sso/jsp/login.jsp Additional information: 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 with Contracts Finder. 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/deab2ed1-4566-40aa-940e-a5d42a11c970 |
| 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 | 19 Mar 2018 |
| Submission deadline | 28 Nov 2017 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Dec 2017 |
| Contract period | 18 Dec 2017 - 31 Aug 2018 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £45,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £63,800 |
| 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 | A.S. SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 42000000 - Industrial machinery

## Release History

- 19 Mar 2018 at 17:12 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/deab2ed1-4566-40aa-940e-a5d42a11c970
- 31 Oct 2017 at 11:49 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9238867a-d27f-4f16-8469-2f6785c71268

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/deab2ed1-4566-40aa-940e-a5d42a11c970
  19th March 2018 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9238867a-d27f-4f16-8469-2f6785c71268
  31st October 2017 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/b63c6290-ed23-4858-9875-0f9817fb3d6c
  Bidder Training Guide document
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e15e590f-55b3-4fb7-8b46-e46b956c3cda
  PR17118 Optical bench drawings VLT-DWG-MON-14620-00-330-050-B
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e9c44e2f-3f8e-4901-a160-e1f27ec7b968
  PR17118 MOONS Cryostat Optical Bench ITQ questions
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/80a15693-f833-4d52-bba3-ee26fa6b8305
  PR17118 MOONS Cryostat Optical Bench ITQ

## Notice URLs

- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/emptoris
- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sso/jsp/login.jsp

## 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-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-eb7aa2e2-c620-4e33-ad9d-5caa2e84a575.json.