---
title: "OrbiSIMS - simultaneous high-mass resolving power and high-spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging for biological and advanced materials characterisation"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY"
published: "2023-01-23"
---

# OrbiSIMS - simultaneous high-mass resolving power and high-spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging for biological and advanced materials characterisation

Buyer: NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3

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## Summary

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has recently completed the OrbiSIMS procurement process for simultaneous high-mass resolving power and high-spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging equipment designed for biological and advanced materials characterisation. The procurement falls under the category of Laboratory, optical and precision equipments, and the procurement method used was an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition. NPL located in Teddington, UK, was the buying organization, with the tender being in the goods category. The procurement stage has reached the award phase, with the contractual agreement signed on 23rd January 2023.

This tender for the OrbiSIMS equipment, awarded to IONTOF GmbH, presents a growth opportunity for businesses involved in laboratory equipment manufacturing, particularly those specialising in high-tech mass spectrometry devices. Companies with expertise in developing cutting-edge analytical instruments for biological and materials research would be well-suited to compete in such tenders. The innovative features and high specifications required for the OrbiSIMS instrument indicate a need for businesses with advanced technology capabilities and a track record of delivering precision scientific equipment.

## Notice

NPL pioneered the next generation OrbiSIMS technology introduced in detail in Nature Methods (2017, PMID: 29131162). The instrument is equipped with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ToF) for high-speed imaging of large areas or in 3D. It is also equipped with a high-field Orbitrap mass spectrometer with a mass resolving power of >240,000 at m/z 200 and a mass accuracy of approximately 1 ppm. Both ToF and Orbitrap analysers can be used simultaneously or separately. The OrbiSIMS shall be able to carry out cryogenic analysis under ultra-high vacuum with sample holder temperatures below -150 oC.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The OrbiSIMS instrument shall be equipped with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ToF) for high-speed imaging of large areas or in 3D. It shall also be equipped with a high-field Orbitrap mass spectrometer with a mass resolving power of >240,000 at m/z 200 and a mass accuracy of ~ 1 ppm. The instrument shall be equipped with 3 primary ion beams which are optimal for different materials systems. (1) A 20 kV gas cluster ion source with a spatial resolution < 2 um used for biological imaging and depth-profiling of organic materials, (2) a low energy (250 eV to 2000 eV) dual source (Cs and O2) sputter beam with high-current (>50 nA at 500 eV with a spatial resolution < 40 um) for depth profiling of semiconductor samples and (3) a 30 kV high-resolution Bi nanoprobe with a spatial resolution < 50 nm. The instrument shall be able to operate with either the ToF analyser or the Orbitrap analyser or a combination of the two as described in the Nat. Methods paper. (4) a Ga focused ion beam with accelerating voltages of up to 30 kV, minimum bema diameter of 60nm and beam current > 25 nA. The OrbiSIMS shall be equipped for cryogenic analysis (sample holder temperature < -150 oC) and be compatible with and including Leica sample holders and allow the docking of a Leica VCT-500 cryo transfer vessel. It shall have two high-resolution TV cameras for direct sample observation and rapid location of the area of interest, as well as a photo box for high-resolution sample navigation. In addition to mass analysers, the instrument shall have a pulsed high-quality Everhart-Thornley secondary electron detector, located at grazing incidence to the sample, for primary ion induced secondary electron imaging and a self-adjusting charge compensation system using a pulsed, low energy electron flood gun. Samples shall be mounted using a rapid sample introduction system, with one sample holder for rear mounting of up to 18 samples with maximum dimensions of 10 mm x 10 mm x 8 mm, including mounting accessories, one sample holder for top mounting of multiple samples on an area of 100 mm x 80 mm with a maximum thickness of up to 20 mm, and one sample holder for mounting samples for cryogenic analysis.

### Procurement Information

The OrbiSIMS concept was created at NPL and the first prototype instrument was built in a collaborative project with IONTOF and ThermoFisher Scientific. The instrument was subsequently commercialised by IONTOF and sold as the Hybrid SIMS. IONTOF are the only manufacturer of this type of instrument. A number of features of the OrbiSIMS instrument are protected by international patents. Unique features of the OrbiSIMS instrument include: 1. Imaging of biomolecules from tissue using a gas cluster ion beam with a spatial resolution of < 2 um simultaneously with a mass resolving power of > 240,000 at m/z 200. 2. Depth resolution of < 10 nm of organic molecules in an organic multilayer reference sample simultaneously with a mass resolving power of > 240,000 at m/z 200. 3. Depth resolution of < 2 nm of ions in an inorganic semiconductor delta-layer reference sample simultaneously with a mass resolving power of > 240,000 at m/z 200. 4. Cryogenic imaging (see requirement 1) with a sample holder temperature of < -150 oC. Samples shall be mounted on Leica sample mounts. The instrument shall accept docking of a Leica VCT-500 cryo transfer vessel and have provision to receive samples into the instrument.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002057-2023 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Jan 2023 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 23 Jan 2023 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| 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 | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY |
| Locality | TEDDINGTON |
| Post town | Twickenham |
| Postcode | TW11 0LW |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI7 Outer London - West and North West |
| ITL 3 | TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames |
| Local authority | Richmond upon Thames |
| Electoral ward | Teddington |
| Westminster constituency | Twickenham |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | IONTOF |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

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

## Release History

- 23 Jan 2023 at 16:45 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002057-2023

## Notice URLs

- http://www.npl.co.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-0399e3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0399e3.json.