---
title: "Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice (VEAT)"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-f00f4d6e-0944-4a10-994e-b574799180d6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-f00f4d6e-0944-4a10-994e-b574799180d6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f00f4d6e-0944-4a10-994e-b574799180d6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-f00f4d6e-0944-4a10-994e-b574799180d6.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "HEALTH & SAFETY EXECUTIVE"
published: "2022-12-15"
---

# Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice (VEAT)

Buyer: HEALTH & SAFETY EXECUTIVE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-f00f4d6e-0944-4a10-994e-b574799180d6

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## Summary

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has awarded a contract for the maintenance of ThermoScientific ICS5000+ ion chromatography equipment under a Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency Notice. The contract, valued at £14,853 GBP, was awarded through a direct procurement method with a single tender action. The contract period starts on 29/12/2022 and ends on 28/12/2023. The procurement stage is complete, and the location for the delivery of services is specified with a postal code of SK179JN. The industry category for this contract is "Miscellaneous evaluation or testing instruments".

This tender opportunity offers business growth potential for companies providing maintenance services for scientific equipment. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are well-suited to compete for this contract. The specialised nature of the required services provides a competitive advantage to suppliers familiar with scientific equipment maintenance. Businesses interested in this opportunity should note the direct award to Thermo Fisher Scientific and the importance of expertise in delivering rapid guaranteed repair services for scientific instruments.

## Notice

HSE's ThermoScientific ICS5000+ ion chromatography (IC) instrument is used for of a variety of commercial samples and is essential for supplying samples for 3 sample types in the AIR PT scheme. It is also used for analysis of forensic samples relating to statutory workplace regulations and incident investigation, work which may result in legal proceedings. Regular maintenance is required to comply with the legal requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) for safe operation, to maintain analytical measurement quality, to reduce instrument downtime and maximize the lifespan of this expensive piece of scientific equipment. Regular maintenance, as specified by PUWER, is essential to maintain equipment safety. The instrument is also an expensive capital item with an estimated replacement cost of around PS100k. In order to fulfil the expected 10-year lifespan the IC instrument needs to be maintained by professional engineers. Lack of maintenance will reduce the lifespan of the instrument and impact safety, delivery and the quality of the measurements generated. In addition, if we do not have a contract, any breakdown will lead to disruption to delivery of our services as HSE will have to individually procure a repair visit with the significant delays this would incur. The requirement needs an external provider as HSE do not have the necessary expertise. HSE intends to direct award the contract for this work to the equipment manufacturer, ThermoScientific, under the provisions of Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) - whereby competition is absent for technical reasons. HSE asserts its belief that because of the specialized nature of scientific equipment such as this, such services with guaranteed repair can only be provided by the instrument supplier because they are the only known supplier to have the specialist knowledge required to maintain the equipment to the required standard and to offer a rapid guaranteed repair service when needed. Provided HSE's assertions in respect of this matter are not challenged in the intervening period, we plan to proceed to contract with ThermoScientific for these services on 29/12/2022

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/44dc7952-82da-4096-88f5-72c47bcb0eeb |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Single tender action (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 15 Dec 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 28 Dec 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Dec 2022 |
| Contract period | 29 Dec 2022 - 29 Dec 2023 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £14,853 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £14,853 |
| 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 | HEALTH & SAFETY EXECUTIVE |
| Locality | BOOTLE |
| Post town | Liverpool |
| Postcode | L20 7HS |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD7 Merseyside |
| ITL 3 | TLD73 Sefton |
| Local authority | Sefton |
| Electoral ward | Linacre |
| Westminster constituency | Bootle |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38900000 - Miscellaneous evaluation or testing instruments

## Release History

- 15 Dec 2022 at 11:54 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/44dc7952-82da-4096-88f5-72c47bcb0eeb

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/44dc7952-82da-4096-88f5-72c47bcb0eeb
  15th December 2022 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

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