Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

Tender description

MOONS (Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph for the VLT) is a new concept for an astronomical spectrograph. It has been selected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in response to a call for proposals for the study of new instruments. This requirement is for the design, manufacture and assembly of 1,001 Fibre Positioning Units (FPUs), a sub system of the MOONS Rotating Front End. UK Shared Business Services Ltd as the Contracting Authority is putting in place a contract on behalf of the Science & Technology Facilities Council. The duration of this Contract will be 2 years with an option to extend for a further period of 1 year. The estimated contract commencement date is 10.7.2017. See Section I.3 for access to procurement documentation. The UK Astronomy Technology Centre is part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). STFC is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation, whose goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people — and more broadly to the world. MOONS (Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph for the VLT) is a new concept for an astronomical spectrograph. It has been selected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in response to a call for proposals for the study of new instruments. This requirement is for 1,001 Fibre Positioning Units (FPU), a sub system of the MOONS Rotating Front End (RFE). The FPUs are precision mechanisms used to position an optical fibre within a patrol zone, such that the light from a single astronomical target is collected by the fibre and transferred to the MOONS Spectrograph for analysis. The RFE will have 1001 FPUs, tightly packed onto a focal plane, making MOONS a highly efficient survey instrument. This requirement is for the design, manufacture and assembly of the FPU mechanism only. The scope of the procurement does not include provision of electronics or the optical fibre. UK ATC will assemble the FPUs onto a baseplate mounted within the RFE on site in Edinburgh, prior to shipping for integration with the VLT in Chile. The procurement specification reflects an advanced understanding of the space envelope, tolerances, interfaces and motor and sensor requirements derived via a prototyping programme carried out by the UKATC. UK Shared Business Services Ltd as the Contracting Authority is putting in place a contract on behalf of the Science & Technology Facilities Council.The requirement is for the purchase of One thousand (1,001) Fibre Positioning Units (FPUs) with an option to purchase up to a further 200 FPUs by July 2020. Division into lots is not appropriate for this requirement. All of the FPUs are required to conform with the uniform technical and operating parameters required for the instrument. The duration of this Contract will be 2 years with an option to extend for a period of 1 year. The estimated commencement date of the contract is July 2017. See Section I.3 for access to procurement documentation.