---
title: "UKRI-6257 Contract renewal Glacios & Vitrobot"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)"
published: "2026-08-24"
---

# UKRI-6257 Contract renewal Glacios & Vitrobot

Buyer: UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b

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## Summary

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) procured maintenance and repair services for precision scientific equipment, specifically its Glacios and Vitrobot systems. The requirement is a contract renewal covering these instruments and their continued servicing. This is specialist laboratory and research-equipment maintenance rather than general facilities management, engineering or IT support. The buying organisation is UKRI, a central government public authority, based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Delivery is across the United Kingdom. The requirement relates to keeping high-value electron microscopy and sample-preparation equipment operational, although the procurement does not provide a more detailed breakdown of the maintenance activities, service levels or parts involved. Suppliers active in servicing comparable precision research equipment would be the closest fit, particularly those able to support Glacios and Vitrobot installations in UKRI’s research environment.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded. UKRI used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition, for one lot. FEI UK Ltd was selected as supplier, and the contract was signed on 14 August 2026. The contract value is £104,904 excluding VAT, or £125,884.80 including VAT. Its stated period runs from 9 September 2026 to 1 September 2027. The contract is active. The award covers repair and maintenance services for precision equipment and is linked to the completed lot for the Glacios and Vitrobot renewal. No competitive evaluation or tender scoring was used because the procurement proceeded as a below-threshold direct award without competition. The commercial outcome therefore reflects a single-supplier appointment rather than competition between several bidders.

This procurement demonstrates UKRI demand for specialist support for Glacios and Vitrobot systems and shows that the requirement was fulfilled through a direct, below-threshold route. A credible supplier for a future requirement would need practical capability in maintaining and repairing precision scientific equipment, with relevant knowledge of these named platforms or closely comparable research instruments. It would also need sufficient technical capacity to support equipment used in a UK research environment and to deliver services across the United Kingdom. Experience working with electron microscopy and associated sample-preparation equipment would be commercially relevant, as would access to appropriately skilled engineers, diagnostic capability and suitable repair or replacement arrangements. Suppliers should also understand how to support continuity of operation for specialist laboratory assets rather than offer general equipment maintenance alone.

## Notice

UKRI-6257 Contract renewal Glacios & Vitrobot 26/27

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080207-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 9 Sep 2026 - 1 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £104,904 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) |
| Locality | SWINDON, WILTSHIRE |
| Postcode area | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | FEI UK Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50430000 - Repair and maintenance services of precision equipment

## Release History

- 24 Aug 2026 at 10:37 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080207-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080207-2026
  24th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.ukri.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-06ea3b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea3b.json.