---
title: "VEAT for Sequencing Consumables and Servicing"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-065c84"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-065c84"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065c84.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065c84.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH"
published: "2026-04-07"
---

# VEAT for Sequencing Consumables and Servicing

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065c84

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## Summary

The University of Edinburgh has awarded a contract to Oxford Nanopore Technologies to supply sequencing consumables and provide servicing for specialised equipment under the procurement title "VEAT for Sequencing Consumables and Servicing." This procurement, classified under the medical consumables category, was executed using a limited procurement method due to the absence of competition for technical reasons. The contracting process is currently in the award stage, following a decision finalised on 7th April 2026. The contract, valued at approximately £3,949,952.40, is intended for the delivery of goods to the University of Edinburgh located in Scotland (region UKM75). Key dates in the awarding process included the signing of the contract on 26th March 2026.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses involved in the supply and maintenance of specialised medical equipment, particularly those with expertise in advanced DNA sequencing technology. Oxford Nanopore Technologies, being the sole supplier capable of meeting the project's technical requirements, highlights the role of unique proprietary technology in securing public contracts. Companies possessing similar unique capabilities or innovative technologies could find such niche procurements particularly beneficial. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that hold exclusive rights or patented methods within their fields may be well-positioned to benefit from similar, technically constrained public procurement opportunities.

## Notice

The University of Edinburgh intends to award a contract to Oxford Nanopore Technologies due to competition being absent for technical reasons for the provision on sequencing consumables and servicing of equipment.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of Edinburgh intends to award a contract to Oxford Nanopore Technologies due to competition being absent for technical reasons. The University has selected Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) as the supplier for a sequencing program of work as they are the only supplier who can meet the project target of sequencing long DNA sequences of varying lengths while detecting native modifications, allowing like-for-like variant and DNA methylation comparison against saliva DNA controls from equivalent European genetic ancestry, by extending a previous successful pilot study with processes leading to more rapid sample results such as terminating sequencing once desired coverage is achieved, and doing so with sufficiently high throughput that is required within the timescale of the project which is 1 year. The contract is specifically for the purchase of consumables and the 12-month servicing of equipment and the specific justification is as follows: Oxford Nanopore Technologies is the sole manufacturer and patent holder of the nanopore sequencing technology used in the PromethION platform. Consumables: The PromethION flow cells and auxiliary reagents are uniquely engineered to interface with the PromethION hardware and integrated software. No third-party consumables are currently validated or chemically compatible with the proprietary sensor arrays within the device. Use of non-ONT consumables would result in immediate loss of data integrity and system failure. Service & Maintenance: The PromethION system is a highly specialised piece of diagnostic/research equipment. Maintenance requires access to proprietary diagnostic software, firmware updates, and specialised components that are not made available to third-party service providers. Oxford Nanopore Technologies does not authorise third-party distributors or service agents for these specific products and services. Consequently, ONT is the sole economic operator capable of fulfilling the requirement.

### Procurement Information

The University of Edinburgh intends to award this contract without prior publication due to a lack of competition for technical reasons, as there is only one supplier who can meet the requirements listed in the description.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031424-2026 |
| Notice type | Tender 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 | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £5,863,253 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH1 1HT |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | City Centre |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh East and Musselburgh |
| Delivery location | TLM75 City of Edinburgh |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | OXFORD NANOPORE TECHNOLOGIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

### Codes

- 33140000 - Medical consumables

## Release History

- 7 Apr 2026 at 11:37 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031424-2026
- 5 Mar 2026 at 14:50 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019987-2026
- 25 Feb 2026 at 16:28 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017072-2026

## Notice URLs

- http://www.ed.ac.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000824805
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00107

## 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-065c84. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-065c84.json.