AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
University of Aberdeen published an award and contract notice for a specialised high-pressure freezer for biological-specimen vitrification and subsequent electron microscopy analysis. The notice records a £550,000 GBP contract signed on 8 October 2026 with LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED.
Published outcomeOne active award is recorded for LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED. The related contract is marked active and includes an explicit signature date.
Market significanceThis is a specialised scientific-equipment procurement conducted without prior competition, citing technical compatibility and absence of competition for technical reasons. The published contract value is £550,000 GBP.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED
99% confidenceAward 095245-2026-AU26/07-1 · Lots 1 · 550000 GBP · Active award; associated contract active and signed
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Verified company name: LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED (company number 00476611). Award names Leica Microsystems (UK) Ltd as supplier and links to lot 1. Linked contract value: GBP 550,000; contract status active; dateSigned 2026-10-08.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceAward and contract notice
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Release history tags: award, contract.
Published
99% confidence8 October 2026
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published_at: 2026-10-08T14:09:15+01:00.
Award status
98% confidenceActive
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Award 095245-2026-AU26/07-1 has status active.
Contract status
99% confidenceActive; signed 8 October 2026
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Contract 095245-2026-AU26/07-1 has status active and dateSigned 2026-10-08T00:00:00+01:00.
Lot status inconsistency
99% confidenceLot 1 is marked cancelled despite the active award and active signed contract linked to it
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Tender lot 1 status: cancelled; award relatedLots: 1 and status: active; contract awardID links to that award and status: active.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published contract value
99% confidence£550,000 GBP
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Contract 095245-2026-AU26/07-1 value.amount: 550000; currency: GBP.
Value attribution
95% confidenceValue is recorded on the single contract linked to the single active award
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The contract links to award 095245-2026-AU26/07-1, which lists one supplier.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Contract signature date
99% confidence8 October 2026
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contracts[0].dateSigned: 2026-10-08T00:00:00+01:00.
Notice publication date
99% confidence8 October 2026
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published_at: 2026-10-08T14:09:15+01:00.
Contract start date
99% confidenceUnknown
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contract_start_at is null and no contract commencement date is supplied.
Contract end date
99% confidenceUnknown
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contract_end_at is null and no end date is supplied.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceSpecialised high-pressure freezer
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Process title and tender description.
Intended use
99% confidenceVitrification of biological specimens under extreme pressure to preserve ultrastructure for subsequent electron microscopy analysis
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Tender and lot 1 descriptions.
Category
99% confidenceGoods
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main_category and mainProcurementCategory: goods.
CPV classification
99% confidence39711120 — Freezers
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Tender classification and item additional classification.
Delivery region
95% confidenceUKM50
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Tender item deliveryAddresses region: UKM50.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
99% confidenceLimited
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procurementMethod: limited.
Procedure
99% confidenceAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
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procurementMethodDetails.
Published rationale
99% confidenceAbsence of competition for technical reasons and compatibility requirements
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Rationale classification D_TECHNICAL and procurementMethodRationale.
Compatibility rationale
99% confidenceThe buyer states that alternative systems would require significant changes to existing equipment configurations, operating procedures and laboratory infrastructure
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procurementMethodRationale.
Evaluation criterion shown
94% confidencePrice
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Lot 1 awardCriteria lists one criterion of type price.
Bidder and bid-count information
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Contract status
99% confidenceActive
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contracts[0].status: active.
Signature
99% confidenceSigned on 8 October 2026
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contracts[0].dateSigned is explicitly supplied.
Options
98% confidenceNo options recorded for lot 1
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lots[0].hasOptions: false.
Duration
99% confidenceUnknown
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No contract start or end date is supplied.
Extension terms
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Procurement positioning
94% confidenceThe requirement appears tied to an existing technical environment, based on the buyer's stated compatibility rationale.
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The buyer states alternatives would require significant changes to existing equipment configurations, operating procedures and laboratory infrastructure.
Market access signal
98% confidenceThe notice indicates a direct, technically justified route rather than an openly competed call for competition.
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Procedure is without prior publication and rationale cites absence of competition for technical reasons.
Value visibility
99% confidenceA total contract value is published, but no itemised pricing or separate lot value is provided.
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Contract value is GBP 550,000; no pricing breakdown or lot value is supplied.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Lot and award lifecycle conflict
99% confidenceLot 1 is marked cancelled while the linked award and signed contract are both active; the notice does not explain the discrepancy.
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Lot 1 status is cancelled; related award and contract statuses are active.
Award date
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice.
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Award record award_date is null.
Term and commencement
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice.
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Contract start and end fields are null.
Commercial detail
98% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice on price breakdown, payment terms, performance measures and extension provisions.
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No such fields are present in the supplied data.
Supplier identity quality
99% confidenceSupplier identity is verified by exact-name match to company number 00476611.
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supplierVerification status verified; matchMethod exact_name; verifiedCompanyName LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- Lot 1 is marked cancelled although the linked award and signed contract are active; the supplied notice does not explain this lifecycle inconsistency.
- No award decision date is supplied.
- No contract commencement date, end date or duration is supplied.
- No bid count, bidder list, scoring, evaluation narrative or award-decision comparison is supplied.
- No lot-level value, pricing schedule, payment terms, performance measures or extension provisions are supplied.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
University of AberdeenLEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITEDhigh-pressure freezerelectron microscopyscientific equipment contract£550,000 contract awardlimited procurement
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the University of Aberdeen high-pressure freezer contract?
The active award names LEICA MICROSYSTEMS (UK) LIMITED, verified to company number 00476611.
What is the published contract value?
The linked contract value is £550,000 GBP.
Was the contract signed?
Yes. The contract record explicitly gives a signature date of 8 October 2026.
Why was there no prior call for competition?
The buyer cited technical reasons and compatibility requirements, stating alternatives would require significant changes to existing equipment, procedures and laboratory infrastructure.
When does the contract end?
The published notice does not provide a contract end date.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.