--- title: "Award of contract for HPC upgrade - University of Aberdeen" ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343.json" source: "Public Contracts Scotland" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN" published: "2026-01-22" --- # Award of contract for HPC upgrade - University of Aberdeen Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343.json) ## Summary The University of Aberdeen has recently completed the procurement process for an upgrade to its High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities, specifically for the partial replacement and expansion of existing compute nodes. This award, with a procurement identification of AU25/36, falls under the goods industry category, specifically linked to the CPV code 44316400. The procurement method was limited, executed without prior publication of a call for competition due to the absence of technical competition. This contract, valued at £123,433 GBP, was signed on 22nd January 2026. The procurement was conducted in Aberdeen, UKM50, contributing to the university's education sector-driven initiatives. The contracting phase has been marked as complete, indicating that the supplier, OCF Limited, has been successfully engaged under active contract terms. This procurement offers significant business growth opportunities, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in technical and innovative solutions for the education sector. Companies experienced in providing niche technological services where competition is technically constrained could find similar opportunities highly advantageous. The contract's direct award nature, a reflection of technical exclusivity requirements, suggests that businesses providing unique solutions might benefit from exploring similar contracts without the burden of competitive tendering. The contract scenario also highlights the potential for firms capable of delivering bespoke and integrated technical services to leverage their specialised expertise in future educational procurement initiatives. ## Notice Award of contract for partial replacement and expansion of existing HPC compute nodes ### Lot Information Lot 1 Award of contract for partial replacement and expansion of existing HPC compute nodes ### Procurement Information The basis for awarding this contract without a formal competitive procedure is that competition is absent for technical reasons. Under Clause 6(1)(b)(ii) of the Procurement (Scotland) Regulations 2016, a contracting authority may make a direct award where no reasonable alternative or substitute exists, and where the lack of competition is not the result of artificially narrowing the procurement parameters. In this case, the justification for not exposing the requirement to competition is as follows: procuring from a different economic operator would introduce disproportionate technical and operational difficulties in operating and maintaining a live managed HPC service, including split support responsibility, increased service risk, and additional management overhead. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland | | Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN547777 | | Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract 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 | 22 Jan 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 22 Jan 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 | £123,433 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Complete | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN | | Locality | ABERDEEN | | Post town | Aberdeen | | Postcode | AB24 3FX | | Country | Scotland | | ITL 1 | TLM Scotland | | ITL 2 | TLM5 North Eastern Scotland | | ITL 3 | TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire | | Local authority | Aberdeen City | | Electoral ward | Tillydrone/Seaton/Old Aberdeen | | Westminster constituency | Aberdeen North | | Delivery location | TLM50 Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | OCF | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus) ### Codes - 44316400 - Hardware ## Release History - 22 Jan 2026 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN547777 ## Documents - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JAN547777 Award of contract for HPC upgrade - University of Aberdeen - Award of contract for partial replacement and expansion of existing HPC compute nodes ## Notice URLs - http:// - http://www.abdn.ac.uk/procurement - https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343 ## 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-r6ebe6-0000821343. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000821343.json.