Microscopes: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 38510000·Supplies · class·in Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
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Tenders you can still bid for.
Notices at tender stage whose deadline has not passed, counted the way the search counts them: a notice shows under every code and region it names.
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Notices published in the last 12 months.
Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 18 lots from 18 competitions run by 13 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 4 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2.5) and 14 from older notices (bids received, middle 2).
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What a contract here is usually worth.
Middle value of published award values, VAT excluded. Framework ceilings are left out because they are not real contract values.
Based on 62 awards with a usable value, last 36 months.
Published values, not actual spend.
Newest open tenders
3 of 4 open for bids now · newest first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Scaling Imaging Platform | University of Warwick | 25 Nov 2026 | 22d | — |
| Low-Temperature STM/qPlus-AFM with Optical Access | University of Bath | 20 Nov 2026 | 17d | £400,000 |
| Supply, Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of an Advanced Fluorescence Microscope System with Widefield, Confocal and Super-Resolution Imaging Capabilities | Heriot-Watt University | 16 Nov 2026 | 13d | £600,000 |
Codes and neighbouring classes
The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division
38510000 Microscopes92 notices · 51%38511100 Scanning electron microscopes25 notices · 14%38511000 Electron microscopes15 notices · 8%38515200 Fluorescent microscopes10 notices · 5%38511200 Transmission electron microscope7 notices · 4%38512200 Molecular microscopes5 notices · 3%38513100 Inverted microscopes5 notices · 3%38514200 Scanning probe microscopes5 notices · 3%- Detection and analysis apparatus 181 · 12m
- Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring 54 · 12m
- Astronomical and optical instruments 52 · 12m
- Photographic equipment 49 · 12m
- Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances 44 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring quantities 40 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring flow, level and pressure of liquids and gases 25 · 12m
- Meteorological instruments 21 · 12m
- Measuring instruments 19 · 12m
- Research, testing and scientific technical simulator 16 · 12m
- All of Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) →
Who buysi
Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
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Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.
Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.
Education & universities54%(98 notices)
98 of 181 notices are Education & universities (54%).Central government33%(60 notices)
60 of 181 notices are Central government (33%).Other public bodies2%(4 notices)
4 of 181 notices are Other public bodies (2%).Local authorities1%(2 notices)
2 of 181 notices are Local authorities (1%).NHS & health1%(1 notice)
1 of 181 notices is NHS & health (1%).Not classified9%(16 notices)
16 of 181 notices are Not classified (9%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 38 | 13 | 0 |
| University of Warwick | Education & universities | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| University Of Edinburgh | Education & universities | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| University of Glasgow | Education & universities | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| University of Leeds | Education & universities | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Central government | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority | not classified | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Cefas | not classified | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| The University of Sheffield | Education & universities | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER | Education & universities | 4 | 0 | 0 |
64 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.
Where the work is deliveredi
Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
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Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 142 of 182 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region
| Region | Notices | Bids / lot | SME wins | Local wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | — | — | — | |
| East of England | — | — | — | |
| West Midlands | — | — | — | |
| South East England | — | — | — | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | — | — | — | |
| South West England | — | — | — | |
| North West England | — | — | — | |
| Wales (Cymru) | — | — | — | |
| East Midlands | — | — | — | |
| North East England | — | — | — | |
| Greater London | — | — | — | |
| Northern Ireland | — | — | — |
Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.
How it is boughti
How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Contract96%(175 notices)
175 of 182 notices are Contract (96%).Framework4%(7 notices)
7 of 182 notices are Framework (4%).
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Which procedures buyers here use.
Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.
Open46%(84 notices)
84 of 182 notices are Open (46%).Limited / restricted32%(59 notices)
59 of 182 notices are Limited / restricted (32%).Direct award13%(24 notices)
24 of 182 notices are Direct award (13%).Route not published5%(10 notices)
10 of 182 notices are Route not published (5%).Selective3%(5 notices)
5 of 182 notices are Selective (3%).
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How much of this market is above the legal threshold.
Notices by whether the buyer marked them above or below the threshold that triggers the full rules.
Above threshold63%(10 notices)
10 of 16 notices are Above threshold (63%).Below threshold38%(6 notices)
6 of 16 notices are Below threshold (38%).
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How long bidders get to respond.
Middle value in days from the tender notice to its deadline.
Competition
Contracts published in the last 36 months (85) · bid counts per lot from award notices · values are net contract awards, framework and DPS ceilings excluded · SME and local status as declared
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How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid33%(6)
6 of 18 lots fall in 1 bid (33%).2–361%(11)
11 of 18 lots fall in 2–3 (61%).4–66%(1)
1 of 18 lots falls in 4–6 (6%).7 or more0%(0)
0 of 18 lots fall in 7 or more (0%).
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The usual range of contract values here.
The middle half of published award values, VAT excluded, with the middle value marked. Framework ceilings are left out.
Published values, not actual spend.
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How many companies usually bid for a lot here.
The middle value of the bid counts that award notices publish, one per lot. Only real competitions count: direct awards and framework places are left out.
Based on 18 lots from 18 competitions run by 13 buyers, last 36 months. A buyer with many similar contests counts only up to a limit. 4 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2.5) and 14 from older notices (bids received, middle 2).
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How much of this market is actually put out to competition.
Notices run as an open or selective procedure, out of all notices that say which procedure was used. Direct awards count as not competed.
31 of 82 notices that state a procedure, last 36 months. 3 more give no procedure and are left out.
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What share of bids come from small and medium firms.
SME bids divided by all bids, on lots where the buyer published the split.
21 SME bids out of 29, on 14 lots where the buyer published the split.
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What share of contracts go to small and medium firms.
Awards to a single supplier that declared its size. SME divided by all.
16 of 35 awards where the winner declared its size.
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How much work here goes to companies based in the region.
Contract awards where the winner’s registered address is in this region, out of awards where the address is known.
Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.
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How often a tender ends with no award.
Notices cancelled, withdrawn or marked unsuccessful, plus terminated ones that never got an award.
1 of 85 notices, last 36 months.
Only what buyers published. Tenders that quietly went nowhere are not counted.
Who winsi
Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
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Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
Ranked by distinct procedures won on notices carrying this code, then award records · 149 awards to 79 suppliers · the five most frequent winners hold 28% of contract awards in the last 36 months
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd | 11 | 11 | 2 | 8 |
| Carl Zeiss Ltd | 10 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| FEI UK Limited | 10 | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| TESCAN-UK Ltd | 6 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| JEOL (UK) Ltd | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Oxford Nanoimaging Limited | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| BRUKER UK LIMITED | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Andor Technology Ltd | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Where to submiti
Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
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Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 54 of 182 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
Open tenders in microscopes
4 open for bids now · soonest deadline first
| Notice | Authority | Deadline | Days left | Published value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply, Delivery, Installation and Commissioning of an Advanced Fluorescence Microscope System with Widefield, Confocal and Super-Resolution Imaging Capabilities | Heriot-Watt University | 16 Nov 2026 | 13d | £600,000 |
| Low-Temperature STM/qPlus-AFM with Optical Access | University of Bath | 20 Nov 2026 | 17d | £400,000 |
| Cross Scaling Imaging Platform | University of Warwick | 25 Nov 2026 | 22d | — |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- What counts here. Every notice with a CPV code starting 3851. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 27 Oct 2026.
- Competition. Bids and winners cover the last three years and count each lot as its own contest; frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are shown apart from ordinary contracts.
- Why no total spend. Notice estimates often repeat a framework’s ceiling, so adding them up would overstate the market. Typical contract values are shown instead.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.