---
title: "6-off Broadband Ocean-Bottom Seismographs"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DURHAM UNIVERSITY"
published: "2025-01-23"
---

# 6-off Broadband Ocean-Bottom Seismographs

Buyer: DURHAM UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da

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## Summary

Durham University has completed the procurement process for six Broadband Ocean-Bottom Seismographs, classified under "Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)" (CPV 38000000). The procurement, backed by UKRI's NERC funding, is aimed at expanding the existing set of instruments identically designed to the current ones to ensure compatibility and efficiency. The awarded contract, valued at £511,360 and signed on 22 January 2025, places Nanometrics Inc. as the supplier, following a negotiated process without publication of a contract notice due to the absence of competition for technical reasons.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in the manufacture and supply of advanced scientific instruments, particularly those aligned with environmental science applications. Companies with expertise in creating precision equipment compatible with existing systems can benefit from similar future tenders. The procurement method deployed highlights the university's need for tailored, highly specific equipment suited for deep-sea research, offering a niche yet valuable growth area for businesses in this sector.

## Notice

The University has a requirement to purchase 6-off Broadband Ocean-Bottom Seismographs The University has published this VEAT notice and intends to award a contract to Nanaometrics following the expiry of 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University has a requirement to purchase 6-off Broadband Ocean-Bottom Seismographs The University has published this VEAT notice and intends to award a contract to Nanaometrics following the expiry of 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.

### Procurement Information

The Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Facility (OBIF) has a successful track record of deploying a range of autonomous sensors on the seabed for over 20 years. OBIF is funded by the UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and operated jointly by the Universities of Durham and Southampton to support researchers across a broad range of environmental science disciplines. Instrumentation deployments are routinely carried out in water depths ranging from a few 10's of m to over 5000 m, for periods lasting from a few days to more than a year, to measure parameters such as ground vibration, pressure, and electric and magnetic field strengths to address a broad range of specific Earth and environmental science applications. OBIF currently have a fleet of more than 60 autonomous seabed instruments, including a small sub-set of instruments fitted with seismometers that are used for broadband, lower frequency, long deployment duration global seismicity studies. The sole purpose of this procurement is to expand (double) the sub-set of broadband, lower frequency, long deployment-capable instruments to meet increasing user demands and the specific scientific and data requirements of those users. The funding for this purchase was awarded on the basis that the instrumentation purchased is identical to that existing. Consequently, there is a fundamental requirement that the instruments to be purchased are identical in design, capability, operation, sensors and output to the existing set within the Facility. The instruments to be purchased must also be entirely compatible with existing Facility' systems (hardware and software) and approaches to instrument communication (seabed to sea surface) and release (from seabed), and data formatting, harvesting and conversation, QC systems and approaches, and meta data recording. Furthermore, to ensure cost-effective operation within the current financial climate and funding programmes, the systems to be purchased must be compatible with the entire pool of OBIF's existing instruments in terms of consumable types and the interchangeability of recovery sub-systems and spares, to ensure that all operational aspects are consistent across the entire combined pool of instruments.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002439-2025 |
| 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 | 23 Jan 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 22 Jan 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £511,360 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DURHAM UNIVERSITY |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 3LE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Durham South |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | TLC1 Tees Valley and Durham |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 38290000 - Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances

## Release History

- 23 Jan 2025 at 16:58 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002439-2025

## Notice URLs

- http://www.durham.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-04d5da. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04d5da.json.