---
title: "Supply and Installation of A-Step Mount Drive"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM"
published: "2021-10-11"
---

# Supply and Installation of A-Step Mount Drive

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d

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## Summary

The University of Birmingham has completed a procurement process for the supply and installation of a new A-Step mount drive, as part of their collaboration with CNRS since 2019 to enhance astronomical observations in Antarctica. This procurement, classified under the category of laboratory and optical equipment, was conducted through a limited method, specifically a negotiated process without public notice. The contract, valued at £198,000, was formally signed on 11th October 2021 and involves logistics managed by French and Italian polar agencies, with delivery expected to take place at the Concordia station in Antarctica.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses engaged in specialised manufacturing, particularly those with expertise in developing high-precision equipment for extreme conditions. Companies that design and produce advanced scientific instruments, especially those capable of custom engineering solutions, would be well-suited to compete for similar contracts in future. The niche requirements for the A-Step mount, including unique mechanical designs and low-temperature functionalities, highlight a demand for innovative capabilities within the industry.

## Notice

The University of Birmingham and CNRS have closely collaborated since 2019 to develop a program of observations of exoplanets from Antarctica in the frame of the ASTEP project lead by the Lagrange Laboratory at OCA. A new focal instrument was developed for the ASTEP telescope. The University of Birmingham contributed a new camera with large bandwidth and this will be installed on the telescope at the end of 2021 for its use during the southern winter 2022 and further. The scientific teams of the CNRS and the University of Birmingham, both agree to develop a new direct-drive mount, called ASTEP-Mount, specifically designed for the conditions in Antarctica, to replace the present ASTEP commercial mount. The University of Birmingham will provide a financial contribution to the CNRS which covers a part of the cost of the new mount and CNRS will be in charge of the purchase, assembly, tests, adaptation and installation of the ASTEP-Mount at the Concordia station in Antarctica. CNRS, the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, the University of Birmingham and ESA are contributing to this upgrade.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The testing will be done at Laboratoire Lagrange, which is equipped with adequate facilities including a low temperature enclosure. The software development will also be done at Laboratoire Lagrange. All the logistics related to Concordia is fully managed by the French and Italian polar agencies IPEV and PNRA. The telescope runs in automatic mode and can be remotely controlled. Laboratoire Lagrange will be responsible for the robotic operations and yearly maintenance (one or two collaborators go on site every summer campaign). Daily maintenance will be handled by the winter-over crew as in previous years. The telescope is owned by Laboratoire Lagrange so the organisation will be decided only by the parties mentioned in this proposal. CNRS will openly collaborate with the University of Birmingham on the tools and procedures needed to properly read and manipulate PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controllers used to tune a telescope's direct-drive mount securely and accurately. This transfer will take the form of detailed documentation.

### Procurement Information

Laboratoire Lagrange is to the best of our knowledge the only company that can provide the new direct-drive mount. The proposed mount is expensive because the motors and encoders are entirely insulated and heated which requires a new mechanical design. Special bearings, low-temperature grease and dedicated cables are used. The mount is to be fully tested in a cold chamber prior to its delivery.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025360-2021 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Oct 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 10 Oct 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £198,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| 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 | TLG31 Birmingham |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | LABORATOIRE LAGRANGE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

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

## Release History

- 11 Oct 2021 at 13:48 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025360-2021

## Notice URLs

- https://www.birmingham.ac.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-h6vhtk-02ea7d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02ea7d.json.