Automated super resolution live cell high content imaging system

AI-generated analysis of the documents. Check the official notice and any amendments for current submission details.

1. At a glance

2. Scope of Work

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland_362 ran this procurement for “Automated super resolution live cell high content imaging system” as an operational contract requiring implementation and sustained service execution. The extracted pack showed qualification-stage material with references to later ITT technical depth; practical activity therefore centred on building, integrating, and operating the specified service stack with compliant reporting and handover obligations where stated. Constituent activities and named work elements in the supplied extracts:

• Title: Automated super resolution live cell high content imaging system
• The system should include a minimum of a 12 month warranty
• Description The tenderer must provide a minimum of one-year full warranty that fully supports all parts
• The tenderer must provide a minimum of one-year full warranty that fully supports all parts
• Please list the number and location of the service engineers who will provide service and support for th
• rer shall be required to supply its Tax Clearance Access Number and Tax Reference Number to facilitate online verification of their tax status by
• [RCSI_Microscope_High Content Confocal _CFT_final.docx] any actual or potential conflict of interest, the Contracting Authority may invite Tenderers to propose means by which the conflict of interest might be removed and in circumstances where there are links between Tenderers, the Contracting Authority may seek further information to confirm the Tenders have been prepared independently. The Contracting Authority will, at its absolute discretion, decide on the appropriate course of action, which may in appropriate circumstances include eliminating a Tenderer from this Competition or any Mini-Competition or terminating any Framework Agreement or Services Contract entered into by a Tenderer.
• Automated super resolution live cell high content imaging system suitable for medium throughput multi well plate imaging
• The product should be suitable for fast high content imaging from different wells of multiwall plates which contains brain organoids, brain slices (3D imaging) or cells in culture (2D imaging). Synchronisation with drug application systems must be possible via TTL.
• The system should include two high sensitivity monochrome cameras for simultaneous dual channel imaging
• The system MUST include stage top incubation with temperature control for live cell measurements at 37°C with CO2 control. Please confirm and detail.
• The system MUST comprise of 2 or more detectors covering emission spectra of dyes excited by the lasers. Please outline and detail. Non-binding monetary references in the source were treated as context only and were not used as qualification thresholds.

3. Background & buyer context

The buyer context reflected a formal Irish public-procurement route, with pre-qualification used to control entry into the tender stage.

• Motorised inverted microscope with software controlled motorised objective turret, reflector turret and Z-drive (focus)
• High sensitivity monochrome camera with a quantum efficiency in excess of 75% and sufficient pixel size to offer Nyquist pixel sampling across all of the offered objectives. - Camera must have a full resolution frame rate speed in excess of 70 frames per second
• Objectives: includes a 5x air, 10x air, 20x air or water, 40x multi immersion, 60/63x oil immersion. All suitable for imaging beyond the diffraction limit. Silicone immersion will also be considered. Please detail.
• 40x multi immersion objective should be long working distance for imaging a range of larger live specimens and should be compatible with a water auto immersion feature for long term time lapse live cell studies

4. Eligibility & selection criteria

• Turnover requirement — not specified for this tender
• Insurance — not specified for this tender
• Certifications — not specified for this tender
• Past experience — not specified for this tender
• Personnel — not specified for this tender
• Geographic / facility constraints — not specified for this tender

5. Award criteria & scoring

6. Submission requirements

• Method statement / response document (template/page limits) — Appendix 1 questionnaire/PQQ response was required.
• CVs (page count, named roles) — not specified in extract.
• Pricing schedule (format/template) — expected at ITT stage.
• Case studies (number/value range) — client references/comparable project evidence was referenced.
• Declarations (ESPD/Bona Fides/Tax/COI) — ESPD/declaration/statement-of-confirmation language was present.
• Mandatory site visit — not specified in extract.
• Submission portal and formatting — eTenders portal and PDF electronic copies were referenced. Submission-related source lines:
• Value: not disclosed (eTenders placeholder)
• Each Tenderer is required to accept the provisions of this RFT. ALL TENDERERS MUST RETURN, with their Tender, a scanned signed copy of the Tenderer’s Statement, as set out in Appendix 3, printed on the Tenderer’s letterhead. The Contracting Authority must be able to read the scanned signature of the Tenderer. If possible, please sign documents using blue ink. If the Contracting Authority cannot read the scanned signature, Tenderers may be requested to re-submit. Tenderers may not amend the Tenderer’s Statement.
• Where a group of undertakings (in whatever form and regardless of the legal relationship between them) come together to submit a Tender in response to this RFT, the Contracting Authority will deal with all matters relating to this Competition through a single nominated entity authorised to represent all members of the group of undertakings. The Tenderer must provide details of all members of the group of undertakings and their role in the Tender and clearly and comprehensively set out the contact details including name, title, telephone number, postal address, facsimile number and email address of the nominated entity authorised to represent the Tenderer and to whom all communications shall be directed and accepted until this Competition has been completed or terminated. Correspondence from any other person will NOT be accepted, acknowledged or responded to.
• Tenderers are required to notify the Contracting Authority immediately, via the e-tenders website, if at any stage they decide to withdraw from this Competition.
• Appendix 1: Requirements and Specifications
• Tenderers must address each of the issues and requirements in this part of the RFT and submit a detailed description in each case which demonstrates how these issues and requirements will be dealt with / met and their approach to the proposed delivery of the Goods. A mere affirmative statement by the Tenderer that it can / will do so or a reiteration of the tender requirements is NOT sufficient in this regard.

7. Key dates & process

8. Contract terms that matter

Contract duration in the extract: 12 month. Payment cycle, SLA/KPI schedule, and penalty regime were not fully disclosed in the snippets unless listed below.

• Sector: Scientific Equipment & Laboratory
• VERIFIED PHRASES (deterministic regex extract from the documents — treat as authoritative for numerical claims)
• Description The tenderer must provide a minimum of one-year full warranty that fully supports all parts
• Warranty arrangements: minimum warranty/guarantee period of 12 months on any defects arising from everyday us
• e right to extend the Term for a period or periods of up to 1 month with a maximum of 6 such extension or e
• [insert number] calendar days either Party may terminate at 14 days notice
• breach(es) (if the breach(es) are capable of remedy) within 30 days after receipt of a request in writing f
• For the Term and for a period of 12 months thereafter (and save in respect of publ

9. Risks, red flags & unusuals

• Numeric qualification gates were only partially visible, so eligibility certainty required full pack review.
• Contract value was not disclosed in metadata, creating uncertainty on margin, resourcing, and financing assumptions.
• The two-step process (PQQ then ITT) shifted effort to compliance evidence early, with competitive scoring detail potentially deferred.
• Technical and contractual granularity appeared ITT-dependent, increasing ambiguity at qualification stage for non-incumbent bidders.

10. SME fit assessment

This competition looked most accessible to firms with established public-sector tender capability, documented financial capacity, and direct operational experience in the relevant service category.

• Credible bidder profile — specialist operator with compliant procurement governance and evidencable experience.
• Consortium / sub-contracting — allowed or addressed in the extracts (Appendix references and reliance provisions).
• Indicative bid-prep effort — 6 to 12 working days for evidence collation, form completion, and review cycles at PQQ level.
• Pwin signal — strongest for bidders with reusable qualification artefacts, comparable references, and low-friction mobilisation capability.

11. Where to dig deeper

• Source RFT/PQQ filenames: RCSI_Microscope_High Content Confocal _CFT_final.docx, RFT Requirements, RFT. ALL TENDERERS MUST RETURN, with their Tender, a scanned signed copy of the Ten.
• eTenders CFT / notice reference: not specified in extract.
• Clarification contact / portal: eTenders message portal (email not surfaced in extract).
• Key attachments to prioritise: Appendix 3, printed on the Tenderer’s letterhead. The Contracting Authority must be able, RFT, the Contracting Authority will deal with all matters relating to this Competit, Schedule 7 of the Regulations..