Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
APUC Limited
Unit 27, Stirling Business Centre, Wellgreen
Stirling
FK8 2DZ
UK
Contact person: Ola McIntyre
E-mail: omcintyre@apuc-scot.ac.uk
NUTS: UKM77
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10402
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.u
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
Microscopy & Imaging Equipment
Reference number: LAB1035 AP
II.1.2) Main CPV code
38510000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
The Authority is seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of supply, servicing, maintenance and repairs of microscopes and imaging equipment plus related consumables and software used in research, teaching and medical applications across the further and higher education sector and other public bodies in the UK. This includes Full and Associate Members, and future members, and their associated and affiliated bodies of the UK higher and further education regional purchasing consortia :
- APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges): https://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/?#!/members
- HEPCW (Higher Education Procurement Consortia Wales): https://www.hepcw.ac.uk/members/
- NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium): https://www.neupc.ac.uk/join/members/who-are-our-members
- NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium): https://www.nwupc.ac.uk/members/
- LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium): https://www.lupc.ac.uk/members/our-members/
- SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium): https://www.supc.ac.uk/our-members/
Other participating bodies include:
- Scotland Excel and their associate members
- NHS National (Scotland) Procurement
- Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture – SASA
- National Galleries of Scotland
- National Records of Scotland
- Forestry and Land Scotland
- Historical Environment Scotland
- Marine Directorate.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
80 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
Yes
Tenders may be submitted for all lots
II.2) Description
Lot No: 1
II.2.1) Title
Optical Microscopes – Low-End (Teaching)
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
38634000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
A variety of low-end optical microscopes, with a price of 10,000 GBP (excl. VAT) and less, suitable for laboratory teaching including, but not be limited to:
- Compound Microscopes – upright or inverted equipment featuring optional fluorescence and camera systems for use in teaching, tissue culture analysis and routine applications.
- Stereo and/or Zoom Microscopes - equipment featuring optional fluorescence and camera systems, for routine and clinical dissection, sorting, and examination.
- Gel Documentation Systems.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50%
Price
/ Weighting:
50%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 2
II.2.1) Title
Optical Microscopes – High-End (Research)
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
38634000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
A variety of high-end optical microscopes, with a price of over 10,000 GBP (excl. VAT), suitable for research including, but not be limited to:
- Compound Microscopes - upright or inverted equipment featuring optional fluorescence and camera systems for use in teaching, tissue culture analysis and routine applications.
- Stereo and/or Zoom Microscopes - equipment featuring optional fluorescence and camera systems, for routine and clinical dissection, sorting, and examination.
- Medical Microscopes - Products designed for specialist medical and surgical applications, e.g. colposcopes, surgical loupes and microscopes with specific task fulfilment in neurology, ENT, dermatology, ophthalmology, dental or maxillofacial medicine.
- Label Free Holographic Microscopes
- Automated Live Cell (extended time lapse) microscopes
- Slide scanners.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 3
II.2.1) Title
New Technology and Combined Systems
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Areas of developing innovation or products and associated equipment that utilises technology that crosses two or more lot boundaries. This will include, but not be limited to:
- Non-traditional microscopes and imaging equipment
- Spatial biology instruments capable of high-plex acquisition of DNA, RNA, protein or metabolite data (including systems with panels of validated antibodies or markers).
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 4
II.2.1) Title
High-throughput Systems
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
71900000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
A variety of high-end systems and associated products that can be used in high-content screening set up. The imaging systems can be laser-based or not. Associated products can be, but not limited to, software for data analysis, automatic sample handling etc.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 5
II.2.1) Title
Laser-based Imaging Systems and Laser Components
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
33128000
38510000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Upright or inverted microscopes using laser technology such as Confocal, Spinning Disc, TIRF, Light Sheet and Multi-photon.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 6
II.2.1) Title
Super Resolution and Enhanced Resolution Microscopes
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
- Deterministic super resolution and stochastic super resolution microscopy equipment such as simulated emission depletion (STED), ground state depletion (GSD), SPDMphymod.
- FLIM/FRET systems.
- Structured Illumination and other techniques (e.g. array detectors) for super resolution or other methods for achieving sub diffraction optical resolution.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 7
II.2.1) Title
Detectors
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
38651000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
- Specialist camera and detector components for image acquisition in relation to life science applications and materials research.
- Other detectors – Photo Multiplier Tubes (PMTs), FLIM.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 8
II.2.1) Title
Light Sources
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
38510000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
- Incendescent Lamps
- Halogen Bulbs
- Arc Lamps
- LED Light Sources
- Lasers.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 70%
Price
/ Weighting:
30%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions' requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot No: 9
II.2.1) Title
Servicing, Maintenance and Repairs
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
71900000
73111000
38510000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
United Kingdom
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Comprehensive or preventative maintenance of equipment and associated software included in this Framework Agreement which is out with its agreed warranty period including existing equipment located in institutions.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50%
Price
/ Weighting:
50%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months, subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutional requirement.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Please refer to Question 4B.5 of the SPD and Economic and Financial Standing section of the Contract Notice. Tenderers must confirm that they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP
Public Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP
Product Liability Insurance = 5 Million GBP
To demonstrate and evidence suitable economic standing, successful Contractors will be required to provide 2 years audited accounts, or equivalent if awarded to the Framework Agreement. Alternatively, if the Contractor is unable to provide the required accounting information, e.g. due to being a new business, then they will be required to provide a banker's letter demonstrating their willingness to the support the Contractor's organisation over the term of the framework agreement.
Please refer to 4B.6 of the SPD.
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Tenderers must confirm they have (or have access to) the relevant supply chain management and tracking systems to ensure a resilient and sustainable supply chain. This includes confirmation that they have the systems in place to pay subcontractors through the supply chain promptly (i.e. no later than 30 days after the invoice (or similar claim) relating to the payment is presented) and effectively, and provide evidence when requested of:
a) their standard payment terms
b) ≥95% of all supply chain invoices being paid on time (in accordance with the terms of contract) in the last financial year.
If the bidder is unable to confirm (b) they must provide an improvement plan, signed by their Director, which improves the payment performance.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.2) Contract performance conditions
Submission of Management Information Following commencement of the Framework Agreement, the Contractor will provide a performance report to the Authority on a quarterly basis to include spend by Institution under the Framework Agreement for the reporting period. Contractors must provide the information on a quarterly basis, within 10 working days following the start of each quarter. Data must be uploaded to the website: http://ucsp.ac.uk.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement with several operators.
Envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework agreement: 50
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:
2025/S 000-005578
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
31/07/2025
Local time: 14:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
31/07/2025
Local time: 14:30
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
February 2028
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Suppliers should confirm they will be in a position to complete (at point of award) the following:
Appendix A Form of Tender
Appendix B Freedom of Information
Appendix D APUC Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct
Appendix H Declaration of Non-involvement in Serious Organised Crime
Appendix I Declaration of Non- Involvement in Human Trafficking and Labour Exploitation
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 29254. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343
The Contracting Authority does not intend to include a sub-contract clause as part of community benefits (as per Section 25 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014) in this contract for the following reason:
Sub-Contracting is not a significant part of the overall anticipated contract spend.
Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/
A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:
The Contractor will work with the Authority to deliver Community Benefits or social value where they are identifiable throughout the term of the Framework Agreement. Examples of Community Benefits or social value are providing training opportunities to staff and students, graduate placements and supply chain development in the local community.
(SC Ref:797934)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Sheriff Court House
Viewfield Place
Stirling
FK8 1NH
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
05/06/2025