Purchase of a Materials Tester

Official notice

Authority: University Of Edinburgh (Education)

GoodsAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competitionSME suitable

Sectors: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) (38) Delivery: Scotland (UKM75)

Awarded value£63,711published contract · exc. VAT

Awarded 2 Jul 2026no call for competition

Awarded to GDS Instruments2 awards

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The University of Edinburgh intents to award a contract for the purchase of a triaxial materials load tester. The University of Edinburgh believes that GDS Instruments is the only supplier capable of providing a solution that meets its requirements.

CPV: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1Awarded

Delivery: Scotland · University of Edinburgh

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached

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: 10 Apr 2026, 14:55 BST
Last source update: 15 Jul 2026, 15:04 BST
Authority reference: NCA21397
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-066852
Classification (CPV): Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
Delivery area: Scotland (UKM75)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-068028 Find a Tender

Why no open competition: The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
Published justification: From a comprehensive market analysis the University of Edinburgh thinks that there is a lack of competition due to technical reasons as specified in the notice.

Publisher note: (SC Ref:837530)

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 2

Awarded value £63,7111 contract exc. VAT · 1 repeated publication of the same award counted once

Bids received 11 from SMEs

Contracts signed 2latest 2 Jul 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
GDS InstrumentsSME	£63,711 †same award published again · counted once	—	Awarded
GDS InstrumentsSME	£63,711 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

Contract 066852-2026-NCA21397-1 · GDS InstrumentsSME
Signed
2 Jul 2026
Value
£63,711
Status
active
Contract 032892-2026-1 · GDS InstrumentsSME
Signed
10 Apr 2026
Value
£63,711
Status
active

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
1bids · 1 electronic · 1 from abroad	1	—	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

University Of Edinburgh

Contracting authorityEducationBody governed by public lawEducation Charles Stewart House, 9-16 Chambers Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 1HTContact email, phone

Dispute resolution & review bodies

Edinburgh Sherriff CourtReview body Edinburgh

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

GDS InstrumentsAwarded supplier Units 28-32 Murrell Green Business Park, London Road, Hook, South East, RG27 9GRContact phone

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.