260101 - Contract for Supply, Delivery, Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance of a High Throughput Live-Cell Imaging System

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        "id": "1",
        "status": "planning",
        "hasRenewal": true,
        "description": null,
        "suitability": {
          "sme": true
        },
        "contractPeriod": {
          "endDate": "2029-06-28T23:59:59+01:00",
          "startDate": "2026-06-29T00:00:00+01:00",
          "maxExtentDate": "2036-06-27T23:59:59+01:00"
        }
      }
    ],
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1",
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UKN06",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          }
        ],
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "38430000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Detection and analysis apparatus"
          },
          {
            "id": "38510000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Microscopes"
          },
          {
            "id": "33110000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Imaging equipment for medical, dental and veterinary use"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "260101 -  Contract for Supply, Delivery, Installation & Commissioning and Maintenance of a High Throughput Live-Cell Imaging System",
    "status": "planning",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "2023/54",
      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
      "scheme": "UKPGA"
    },
    "description": "The Future Medicines Institute (FMI) requires a high throughput live-cell imaging system\nto enable FMI scientists and collaborators to monitor live cell imaging in real time under\noptimal conditions of cell growth in a properly maintained carbon dioxide and humidity\nenvironment to enable the efficient capture of cellular changes as they happen in the\nincubator. \nThe objective of procuring a live cell imaging system is to enhance FMI’s capacity to\nmonitor cells in real time, in an optimally controlled environment, to support and\nstrengthen its drug discovery capabilities.\nThe proposed system must:\n• Be capable of multiplate/vessel imaging, up to a capacity of 6 plates/vessels and\nincluding capacity to image 6  384 well plates, to meet the volume of analysis that the\ncentre is undertaking and support high throughput drug screening projects.\n• Enable high resolution fluorescence and bright field images to be captured and recorded\nin real time over hours, days, or weeks. \n• Offer flexibility to enable users to observe and quantify complex biological changes over\ntime in cells and 3d structures such as spheroids and organoid models.\n• Include a fully integrated image acquisition system to capture real-time insight into\nmorphological and phenotypic changes and allow multiple users the opportunity to\nperform complex cellular assays.\n• Offer versatile assay configurations, supporting various experimental formats such as 2d\ncell systems and 3d spheroid, and organoid models.\nThe procurement of this live cell imaging system directly supports FMI’s broader goals of:\n• Accelerating drug discovery through rapid identification and characterisation of\ntherapeutic candidates\n• Providing screening capabilities in high-throughput format\n• Facilitating translational research by bridging fundamental cellular studies with\ntherapeutic applications.\nThe procurement of a live cell imaging system will provide direct benefit to research\nscientists within FMI, and wider stakeholders such as partner organisations and the wider\nacademic community in Queens University Belfast (QUB) by:\n• Significantly enhance its cellular screening capabilities.\n• Enhancing live cell imaging capabilities and data acquisition throughput in optimised\ncellular conditions.\n• Reducing time in setting up multiple vessels for multiple time point experiments.\n• Reducing plasticware consumables and expensive reagents currently used in setting up\nmultiple time point experiments. \nIf funding becomes available to address future expansion needs the University reserves\nthe right to purchase additional Live-Cell Imaging Systems during the life of the contract.\nSubject to the availability of funding, the University may optionally purchase additional\nLive Cell Imaging Systems during the term of the contract. Any such additional purchases\nshall be non guaranteed, limited to the optional items and maximum quantities and/or\nvalues set out in the Pricing Schedule, and shall have been included in the estimated\ncontract value for the purposes of this procurement.",
    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2026-04-19T23:59:59+01:00"
    },
    "mainProcurementCategory": "goods"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-NIC-101788",
      "name": "Queen's University Belfast",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UKN06",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "Belfast",
        "postalCode": "BT7 1NN",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "University Rd"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
          },
          {
            "id": "GB-NIR",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS",
            "description": "Northern Irish devolved regulations apply"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "id": "101788",
        "scheme": "GB-NIC"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "procurement@qub.ac.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "035418-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035418-2026",
        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-04-18T23:06:26+01:00"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "met",
        "dateMet": "2026-03-13T00:00:00+00:00",
        "description": "Queen’s has conducted Preliminary Market Engagement with a number of suppliers in\norder to:\n• develop the understanding of our requirements and the proposed approach to the\nprocurement;\n• gain a better understanding of what the market can offer and if the market was capable\nof responding to a tender in relation to this requirement;\n• identify potential suppliers for the requirement;\n• understand potential lead times;\n• gain an understanding of the commercial profile for the requirement;\n• communicate sustainability targets and minimum requirements to confirm the market\nhas the capability to deliver on these.\n• identify opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of the requirement.\nThe information gathered from PME will be used to shape any forthcoming procurement\nstrategy to ensure that requirements can be subject to reasonable competitive tension.\nParticipation in preliminary market engagement is not a prerequisite for any future tender\nexercise"
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}