Official UK procurement notice
Particle accelerator system for the production of standard neutron fields to replace existing Van de Graff accelerator
Authority: National Physical Laboratory
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionA particle accelerator capable of accelerating protons and deuterons to any energy between 200 keV and 4 MeV. The system will produce a DC ion beam with a maximum beam current of at least 300 µA. The system will include ion source(s), accelerator, beamlines, switching magnet, ion optics/monitoring and control systems. The system will interface with building utilities and safety systems. The accelerator will be used primarily for producing neutron standards, but also opens up options for charged particle irradiations for materials analysis and nuclear physics experiments.
CPV: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1The accelerator system will be capable of delivering accelerated ion beams to neutron…
The accelerator system will be capable of delivering accelerated ion beams to neutron producing targets (targets not included in procurement). The system will include:
- 2 multicusp ions sources to produce protons, deuterons and helium ions
- Pulser/buncher system to produce pulses approximately 2 ns wide at frequencies up to 4 MHz
- 2 MV Tandetron accelerator to accelerate protons and deuterons from 200 keV to 4 MeV and helium ions up to 8 MeV
- Switching/analysing magnet
- 2 beamlines (approx. 14 m and 7 m long) with associated ion optics (electrostatic quadrupoles) and monitoring (faraday cups and profile monitors)
- Computer control system and software
The ion sources, pulser/buncher, accelerator and switching/analysing magnet will fit in the existing accelerator room (approx. 11 x 8.5 m) and the beamlines will extend into the neighbouring experimental area. The procurement will include transportation, on-site acceptance testing, training of personnel and equipment warranty.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 28 Feb 2023, 11:27 GMT
- Last source update
- 28 Feb 2023, 11:27 GMT
- FTS notice number
2023/S 000-005794- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-03acb3Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
- Published justification
The technological solution required by this project is an electrostatic accelerator and there is only 1 company globally that produce electrostatic accelerators with the required specifications, High Voltage Engineering (HVE).
The unique features of the HVE solution are as follows:
- The high voltage generation equipment is based on a Cockcroft-Walton generator and has no moving parts. This results in a highly stable terminal voltage and low electronic noise and voltage ripple. This results in a better beam energy resolution when compared to other similar accelerators. It also simplifies the machine operation, increases the machine reliability, dramatically reducing maintenance burden.
- The accelerator is able to produce higher beam currents than similar machines. Higher beam current means the production of higher neutron fluences which are required for planned research and new measurement services.
- The manufacturer is based in Europe and regulatory alignment to the UK is beneficial. Additional benefits, such as a proximity and similar time zone make the project and ongoing logistics easier (i.e. factory visits, future maintenance).
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V.Subcontracting: declared | £4,000,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 005794-2023-1 · High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V.
- Signed
- 28 Feb 2023
- Value
- £4,000,000
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- NPL Management LtdMediation bodyReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V.Awarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.