Cardiff University

Procurement Services, McKenzie House, 30-36 Newport Road

Cardiff

CF24 0DE

UK

Telephone: +44 2920879648

E-mail: franklinsp@cf.ac.uk

NUTS: UKL

Internet address(es)

Main address: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/business/why-work-with-us/for-suppliers

Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0258

II.1.1) Title

II.1.2) Main CPV code

38511200

II.1.3) Type of contract

Supplies

II.1.4) Short description

The Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University seeks to purchase a low voltage transmission electron microscope (TEM) in a benchtop/compact format. We require a system that can be used by a variety of non-expert users and which does not require a dedicated member of staff to operate. The instrument must be compact and able to fit on a regular lab bench, and there must be no requirement for electrical or other infrastructure modifications; i.e. it must operate from a single phase 230V electricity supply and not require dedicated cooling. Transmission EM is essential and must provide 1nm resolution with a total magnification range of ~3500x to ~1,300,000x. The required image brightness and contrast for our intended samples would be provided by a nominal accelerating voltage of ≥25kV. Additional features such as scanning transmission EM modes are desirable but not critical to our intended applications. We will use the system to support our research and applications will include imaging synapses at a resolution and detail far higher than that provided by light microscopy. We propose on purchasing a LVEM25 instrument from Delong Instruments as it meets or exceeds all of our requirements.

II.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement

Value excluding VAT: 278 057.00  GBP

IV.1.1) Type of procedure

Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition

Justification for selected award procedure:

The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation

: We do not have the infrastructure in place or space for a fully-featured, conventional TEM in the Dementia Research Institute laboratories at Cardiff University; therefore a compact, benchtop configuration requiring no infrastructure modifications is essential. Furthermore, we do not have a dedicated electron microscopist – nor available funds for one – and thus it is paramount that the instrument is operationally accessible to a broad range of researchers with a relatively basic understanding of and proficiency in electron microscopy. We believe that the Delong LVEM25 is the only TEM instrument on the market today that meets all of our requirements; in particular of being able to fit within our existing physical infrastructure and its user interface being accessible to our current staff. The instrument specifications of the LVEM25 will provide us with the required magnification, image brightness, contrast and quality that we require for our research. In our experience, instruments from other suppliers, whilst meeting our performance requirements, will not fit in the space we have available and would require dedicated staff that we are unable to provide at present and the foreseeable future.

IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number in the OJ S:

2020/S 017-036590

DELONG INSTRUMENTS a.s.

Palackeho trida 3019/153b

Brno

61200

CZ

Telephone: +42 0549123508

NUTS: CZ064

The contractor is an SME: No

VI.4.1) Review body