Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
University Of Edinburgh
Charles Stewart House, 9-16 Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1HT
UK
Telephone: +44 1316502759
E-mail: aoughton@ed.ac.uk
NUTS: UKM75
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.ed.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00107
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
VEAT for Sequencing Consumables and Servicing
II.1.2) Main CPV code
33140000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
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.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
3 949 952.40
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
33140000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM75
Main site or place of performance:
University of Edinburgh
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Price
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition
Justification for selected award procedure:
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the Directive
Explanation
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.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2026/S 000-017072
Section V: Award of contract
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
26/03/2026
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Gosling Building, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park
Oxford
OX4 4DQ
UK
NUTS: UK
The contractor is an SME:
Yes
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 3 949 952.40
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
(SC Ref:828686)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Edinburgh Sherriff Court
Edinburgh
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
07/04/2026