Official UK procurement notice
Purchase of an Electrophysiology System
Authority: University Of Edinburgh (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionPurchase of an Electrophysiology System
CPV: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1This system is being procured to accelerate research already underway and complements…Awarded
This system is being procured to accelerate research already underway and complements existing systems used by the research group and their partners. Any risks to the consistency of this research based on altering established workflows and by introducing system interfaces between differing manufacturers needs to be removed. Specifically, matching the parts on this electrophysiology rig with those on an existing microscope systems used by the researchers means experiments that require to combine information from both high-resolution microscopy and electrophysiology can be conducted in the same environment, using an identical set up and key components which is crucial for enabling accuracy and translatability between the two systems. In addition, the research group collaborates in their work and associated experiments with another research body who also use this system. Continuity is a key issue given switching between manufacturers would introduce too much variability in the data as such experiments are highly sensitive to even small changes in protocol and would require experimental protocols to be re-designed and optimised from scratch. Therefore, the procurement of this instrument has been awarded directly with Scientifica via an NCA.
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
- 22 Apr 2026, 09:56 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Apr 2026, 09:56 BST
- Authority reference
NCA21372- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-036423- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06881bFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons
- Published justification
Due to reasons listed in the contract details, the University of Edinburgh is awarding this contract without prior publication due to a lack of competition on technical grounds.
Publisher note: (SC Ref:830018)
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientifica LTDSME | £128,734 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 036423-2026-NCA21372-1 · Scientifica LTDSME
- Signed
- 12 Dec 2025
- Value
- £128,734
- 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
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sherriff CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Scientifica LTDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.