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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cryo-EM Talos Arctica Service Contract

NPL Management Limited · Contract award notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 25 Sept 2026, 06:26.

Opportunity overview

Provision of a 3-year original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service agreement for the Thermo Fisher Scientific (FEI UK Ltd.) Talos Arctica Cryogenic Electron Microscope (Serial Number 09950877, commissioned Sept/2020) and associated cryogenic electron microscopy equipment. The agreement provides comprehensive manufacturer-backed support, including remote diagnostics and technical support as the first stage of fault assessment (same day within hours), followed where required by escalation to on-site physical inspection (48-hour response), troubleshooting, emergency repair support and corrective maintenance by manufacturer-certified service engineers. The contract includes a targeted response time of 48 hours during normal business hours, emergency breakdown assistance, remote service capability, scheduled preventive maintenance, performance verification, software licences, software maintenance and updates, replacement parts and components (excluding consumables), and access to proprietary service tools, firmware, calibration procedures and technical documentation. Service delivery is provided through the manufacturer's UK organisation and authorised UK-based service infrastructure, ensuring timely support and compliance with applicable UK operational requirements. The equipment and supporting systems comply with applicable UKCA and CE marking requirements. The agreement ensures continued reliability, performance, software compatibility and operational availability of a nationally significant research infrastructure asset. Thermo Fisher Scientific (FEI UK Ltd.) is the original equipment manufacturer of the Talos Arctica Cryogenic Electron Microscope (Serial Number 09950877, commissioned 09/2020) and associated integrated cryogenic electron microscopy equipment. The manufacturer is the only supplier with access to proprietary software, firmware, service documentation, diagnostic tools, calibration procedures, certified replacement parts, software licences and manufacturer-trained service engineers required to maintain the system to the original manufacturer's specification. Support is delivered through a combination of remote diagnostics and technical assessment, followed when necessary by on-site intervention by certified field service engineers. No alternative supplier can provide the complete package of OEM-supported maintenance, software updates, performance verification, spare parts provision and manufacturer-backed service coverage. Competition is therefore absent for technical reasons, and the contract must be awarded directly to the OEM to ensure continued operation, reliability and performance of this nationally important research infrastructure asset.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

FEI UK LIMITED

Matched by number
Published award value
£567.2k
Awarded
22 Sept 2026
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-COH 02380120
Location
Altrincham, UKD34, WA14 2DT, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-077847
Status
complete
Procurement Method
direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
NPL Management Limited
Id
GB-COH-02937881

Identifier

Scheme
GB-COH
Id
02937881

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PYDB-8862-JBYM

Address

Street Address
National Physical Laboratory
Locality
Teddington
Postal Code
TW11 0LW
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI75

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicUndertaking
Description
Public undertaking
Organisation 2
Name
FEI UK LIMITED
Id
GB-COH-02380120

Identifier

Scheme
GB-COH
Id
02380120

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PYDP-8259-CHMZ

Address

Street Address
3rd Floor 1 Ashley Road
Locality
Altrincham
Postal Code
WA14 2DT
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKD34

Contact

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
large
Vcse
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No
Sheltered Workshop
No

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Title
Cryo-EM Talos Arctica Service Contract
Status
active
Date
23 Sept 2026, 00:00
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
50324200
Description
Preventive maintenance services
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
50421000
Description
Repair and maintenance services of medical equipment

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKI6
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Value

Including VAT
680,643
Amount
567,203
Currency
GBP

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-COH-02380120
Name
FEI UK LIMITED

Contract period

Starts
7 Oct 2026, 00:00
Ends
7 Oct 2029, 23:59

Related lots

1

Documents

Entry 1
Id
090759-2026
Document Type
awardNotice
Notice Type
UK6
Description
Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Published
24 Sept 2026, 17:26
Format
text/html

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
1
Type
futureSignatureDate
Due
7 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Teddington · UKI75 · TW11 0LW · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS
  1. 089971-2026Transparency notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 090759-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender ·