---
title: "Supply of hardware as part of The OU spaceflight instrument and planetary science research"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE)"
published: "2024-05-09"
---

# Supply of hardware as part of The OU spaceflight instrument and planetary science research

Buyer: OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3

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## Summary

The Open University (The OU) has been awarded funding via the UK Space Agency's International bilateral funding call to procure and test detectors for the proposed Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and ultraviolet Research (CASTOR) mission. The procurement stage is in the award phase, with the contract planned to be awarded on 30 April 2024 to Teledyne UK Limited for CIS303 CMOS detectors. The industry category is "Detection and analysis apparatus," and the procurement method is a negotiated procedure without prior publication.

This tender for the supply of hardware as part of The OU spaceflight instrument and planetary science research presents an opportunity for businesses in the detection and analysis apparatus industry. Companies specialising in high-tech hardware development and testing, particularly those with expertise in detector technologies for space missions, would be well-suited to compete. The contract value is £1,100,000 GBP, with the procurement focusing on specialist hardware for space exploration, offering unique growth prospects for innovative suppliers in the sector.

## Notice

The Open University is procuring specialist hardware from a third party provider.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

A contract to procure CIS303 CMOS detectors for testing and inclusion in the wider Canadian Space Agency Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and ultraviolet Research (CASTOR) mission.

### Procurement Information

The Open University (The OU) have recently been awarded funding via the UK Space Agency's International bilateral funding call to carry out the specific task of procuring and testing detectors for a proposed Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and ultraviolet Research (CASTOR) mission. The detectors specified by the CSA must have high quantum efficiency for the 150nm - 400nm UV wavelengths. This range requires careful optimisation of the back surface passivation of the detector, and the application of appropriate antireflection technologies. As part of this procurement, a number of devices will be coated using three different techniques before being supplied to The OU to undergo rigorous testing to identify the coating most suitable to meet the requirements of the project. One of the coating processes is owned by Teledyne UK Limited. The other two have been developed by third parties under non-disclosure agreements for this specific project, are at an early technology readiness level and are not commercially available other than via Teledyne UK Limited for this specific project. It should be noted that these devices are not commercially available products but are under development by Teledyne UK Limited. Previous development phases for these devices have been factored into the schedule and re-commencing a product development programme elsewhere would not align with the schedule for this activity nor the CSA's overall mission schedule. Additionally, any coating techniques not already in development within the parameters of the project will not be suitable. It is therefore the OU's intention to place a contract for CIS303 CMOS detectors with Teledyne UK Limited on 30 April 2024 using the negotiated procedure without prior publication under regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) (competition is absent for technical reasons) and / or regulation 32(2)(b)(iii) (the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014779-2024 |
| 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 | 9 May 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 28 Apr 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £1,100,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE) |
| Locality | MILTON KEYNES |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode | MK7 6AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |
| Local authority | Milton Keynes |
| Electoral ward | Monkston |
| Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central |
| Delivery location | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38430000 - Detection and analysis apparatus

## Release History

- 9 May 2024 at 08:47 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014779-2024
- 29 Apr 2024 at 12:28 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013735-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.open.ac.uk
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/openuniversity

## 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-0455c3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0455c3.json.