---
title: "RBGKEW1500 - Seed viability X-ray cabinet"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06113c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06113c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06113c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06113c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW"
published: "2026-01-28"
---

# RBGKEW1500 - Seed viability X-ray cabinet

Buyer: BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06113c

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## Summary

The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has recently completed the procurement process for an updated X-ray Machine specifically for their Millennium Seed Bank laboratories. This procurement falls under the goods category, specifically X-ray devices, with a legal basis in compliance with directive 32014L0024. The contract, awarded on 9th December 2025, was processed through a limited procurement method without a prior call for competition due to the unique technical requirements that only a single supplier, Southern Scientific Limited, could meet. The Millennium Seed Bank laboratories are located in various regions across the UK, including regions such as UKC, UKD, and others, ensuring a broad geographic scope for delivery and implementation.

This opportunity highlights significant potential for businesses involved in supplying specialised scientific equipment, particularly those with a focus on agricultural and environmental applications. The procurement process adopted a single tender action justified by the lack of competitive alternatives that could meet specific compliance requirements, positioning Southern Scientific Limited as the ideal partner to deliver advanced X-ray equipment. Companies with capabilities in developing or providing unique, high-compliance technological solutions may find similar opportunities within other specialised sectors of public procurement. Engaging in such tenders can spur business growth, allowing expansion into niche markets defined by innovative and tailored product offerings.

## Notice

The Millennium Seed Bank laboratories (RBG Kew) are seeking to update their X-Ray Machine to continue supporting the assessment of quality seed collections during the cleaning and processing stage to assess the final number of "good" seeds prior to banking, which allows to keep the collections to be kept at top quality.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Millennium Seed Bank laboratories (RBG Kew) are seeking to update their X-Ray Machine to continue supporting the assessment of quality seed collections during the cleaning and processing stage to assess the final number of "good" seeds prior to banking, which allows to keep the collections to be kept at top quality. Market route via Single Tender Action is justified because early market engagement demonstrated that competition is absent for technical reasons, with no reasonable alternative or substitute available that can meet RBG Kew's combined scientific and IT compliance requirements.

### Procurement Information

The STA is justified because early market engagement demonstrated that competition is absent for technical reasons, with no reasonable alternative or substitute available that can meet RBG Kew's combined scientific and IT compliance requirements. The supplier is offering a highly competitive price for a state-of-the-art unit, along with maintenance support that will ensure core operations can continue and enable new research activities, such as efficient measurement of X-ray seed density. The equipment's specifications, specialised agricultural/seed-focused design, and accompanying software are not available from other suppliers.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007729-2026 |
| 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 | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 9 Dec 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 | £150,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW |
| Locality | KEW GREEN |
| Post town | Twickenham |
| Postcode | TW9 3AE |
| 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 | Kew |
| Westminster constituency | Richmond Park |
| Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

### Codes

- 33111000 - X-ray devices

## Release History

- 28 Jan 2026 at 16:08 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007729-2026

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kew.org

## 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-06113c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06113c.json.