---
title: "Purchase of a Materials Tester"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH"
published: "2026-07-15"
---

# Purchase of a Materials Tester

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138

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## Summary

The University of Edinburgh has completed a procurement process for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester, with GDS Instruments awarded the contract. The procurement was conducted using a limited method, characterised by an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, due to the specialised nature of the equipment and lack of competition. The process falls under the education industry category and the procurement was deemed complete with the contract signed on 2nd July 2026. The materials tester will be delivered to the University of Edinburgh, located in the region of UKM75.

This tender offers significant potential for businesses specialising in highly technical and niche manufacturing sectors. The opportunity is particularly beneficial for firms that offer advanced technological solutions with unique specifications, as demonstrated by GDS Instruments. SMEs operating within this sphere can leverage their specialised capabilities to meet the precise requirements of educational and research institutions. This procurement highlights the importance of innovative design and proprietary technological advancements for businesses seeking to grow within the high-tech equipment supply industry.

## Notice

The University of Edinburgh intents to award a contract for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester. The University of Edinburgh believes that GDS Instruments is the only supplier capable of providing a solution that meets its requirements.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of Edinburgh intents to award a contract for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester. The University of Edinburgh believes that GDS Instruments is the only supplier capable of providing a solution that meets its requirements, specifically: 1) Measurement accuracy and integrity through proprietary design that removes seal friction and pressure compensation irrespective of surrounding stress as well as the elimination of the need for mathematical compensation to correct for ram upthrust. 2) Enhanced safety due to the usage of pressure/volume controllers as compared to syringe-based or pneumatic systems. 3) Open architecture software that is crucial for the ongoing research at the University that also allows for user-defined custom scripts and custom calculations and virtual transducers.

### Procurement Information

From a comprehensive market analysis the University of Edinburgh thinks that there is a lack of competition due to technical reasons as specified in the notice.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUL560231 |
| Notice type | OJEU - F3 - 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 | 15 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 10 Apr 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 | £63,711 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| 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 | GDS INSTRUMENTS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

## Release History

- 15 Jul 2026 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUL560231
- 10 Apr 2026 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR553636

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR553636
  Purchase of a Materials Tester - The University of Edinburgh intents to award a contract for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester. The University of Edinburgh believes that GDS Instruments is the only supplier capable of providing a solution that meets its requirements.
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=JUL560231
  Purchase of a Materials Tester - The University of Edinburgh intents to award a contract for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester. The University of Edinburgh believes that GDS Instruments is the only supplier capable of providing a solution that meets its requirements.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.ed.ac.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138

## 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-r6ebe6-0000829138. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000829138.json.