Official UK procurement notice
Procurement of New Benchtop Genome Sequencer and all consumables and servicing for ten years
Authority: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAFBI is committed to modernising its veterinary microbiology capabilities in order to improve services to our sponsoring Government Department, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Expanding on use of microbial genomics has enhanced disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations and
pathogen phenotypic characterisation including antimicrobial resistance profiling. Demand for microbial genome sequencing within AFBI VSD has expanded by six-fold over the last
5-year period – a demand that our existing instruments cannot sustain for important in house sequencing with defined timelines.
AFBI therefore require, an instrument with increased sample capacity and data output to ensure demand can be met and continue to deliver high quality data and analyses. Approximately 5650 microbial genomes are expected to be processed per annum with an average size of approximately 5 megabase pairs (Mbps). Additionally, AFBI require consumables/reagents (e.g. Sequencing Chemistry, Oligonucleotide indexes to permit
multiplexing of samples for sequencing and DNA Library Preparation Chemistry) for the work detailed above and servicing for this replacement instrument for the duration of its useful life of ten years
CPV: Biomedical equipment · Checking and testing apparatus · Installation services (except software) · Installation services of special-purpose machinery and equipment · Laboratory reagents · Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) · Medical equipments · Repair and maintenance services · Repair and maintenance services of machinery · Repair and maintenance services of medical and precision equipment · Services provided by medical laboratories
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£2,500,000
- Technical & professional ability
As per Tender documentation
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- AC2 - Supply, Quality Control and Training: As per Tender Documentation - 28 per cent weighting
- AC3 - Service Management: As per Tender Documentation - 28 per cent weighting
- AC3 - Service Management: As per Tender Documentation - 28 per cent weighting
- AC4 - Social Value - Theme 3: Delivering Zero Carbon: As per Tender Documentation - 14 per cent weighting
- AC5 - Overall contract price: As per Tender Documentation - 30 per cent weighting
- Technical & professional ability
As per Tender documentation
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 23 Apr 2026, 11:15 BST
- Last source update
- 24 Jul 2026, 09:59 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 29 May 2026
- Authority reference
ID 6310512- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-036977- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-068960Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Neither CPD nor the contracting Authority can provide any guarantee as to the level of
business under this contract. The Contracting Authority does not bind itself to accept the
lowest or any tender. Suppliers remain responsible for all costs and expenses incurred by
them or by any third party acting under instructions from the Supplier in connection with
taking part in this procurement process regardless of whether such costs arise as a
consequence, directly or indirectly of any amendments made to the procurement
documents by the Contracting Authority at any time. No legally binding contract shall arise
(and a Supplier shall have no legitimate expectation that a contract will be entered into)
until such time as entry into the Contract has been confirmed by the Contracting Authority.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 19 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 8 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.
Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by the Contracting Authority / Buyer.
The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗
Timeline
23 Apr 2026 → 24 Jul 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published181 days ago23 Apr 2026, 11:15 BST
- Clarification questions by166 days ago8 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission deadline155 days ago19 May 2026, 15:00 BST
- Award decision expected by144 days ago29 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent103 days ago10 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Contract starts93 days ago20 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends90 days ago22 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published89 days ago24 Jul 2026, 09:59 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 Apr 2026- Tender notice published23 Apr 2026, 11:15 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published10 Jul 2026, 09:50 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete10 Jul 2026, 09:50 BST
- Contract details notice published24 Jul 2026, 09:59 BSTUK7
- Contract signature expected24 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illumina Cambridge LtdID 6310512 - DAERA - AFBI - PROCUREMENT OF NEW BENCHTOP GENOME SEQUENCER AND ALL CONSUMABLES AND SERVICING FOR TEN YEARS27 Jul 2026 – 26 Jul 2036 | £2,668,717 | 9 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
ID 6310512 - DAERA - AFBI - PROCUREMENT OF NEW BENCHTOP GENOME SEQUENCER AND ALL CONSUMABLES AND SERVICING FOR TEN YEARS · Illumina Cambridge Ltd
- Signed
- 24 Jul 2026
- Value
- £2,668,717
- Period
- 27 Jul 2026 – 26 Jul 2036
- Status
- active
No agreed KPIs: This contract is below the relevant threshold of £5m.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
3 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- CPDBeneficiary authority
- CPD - Supplies and Services DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland.
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Illumina Cambridge LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender