Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting

Tender description

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through its component Research Council the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), requires the design, manufacture, supply and delivery of Fermi Choppers for three beamlines for the ISIS Facility over the next 5 years. A Supplier engagement event is to be held in September 2018. The objective of the Supplier engagement event will be to provide further information about the opportunity, and also hear from suppliers about what the current market and latest technologies can support in terms of solutions. See below for further information. Introduction: The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) has thirty two separate beamlines which use neutrons and muons to give a unique insight into the properties of a wide range of items and materials. ISIS needs new Fermi chopper systems, or equivalent, for its beamlines which require a narrow band of neutrons for their scientific programmes. The current system used within these beamlines is ageing and requires a replacement system. ISIS would like to learn what the market may be able to deliver when compared to the desired design and operational requirements. Furthermore, ISIS is looking to work closely with a supplier to nsure that a solution is found that is suitable for all parties. Description and impetus: ISIS operates spectrometers which are used to study a range of materials. In these spectrometers, a narrow beam of neutrons is mechanically selected, using choppers, from the wide neutron beam emitted by the ISIS source. Fermi choppers are crucial to these spectrometers, as they are uniquely able to select the required narrow beam. Design requirements: Any system would ideally fit in with some existing aspects of the ISIS facility and the spectrometers which require the Fermi chopper system. In particular: — the new system must allow for narrow neutron pulse widths, — it must synchronise with the existing ISIS timing master pulse, — mechanical space within the beamlines is limited; it would be helpful if a new system were able to fit into the existing space, — it must be robust to radiation environments and large temperature fluctuations, — the system must have built-in safety function which protect against external faults, — if the mechanical package were altered, it must be able to operate in a vacuum environment, — parameters set during commissioning of the chopper system must be retained. Key parameters changed during operation need to be saveable. Operational requirements: The new system would preferably meet the following operational requirements: — it will operate continuously, — where switching components is necessary for the varied scientific programme, the switchover time would be brief, — in case of breakdowns or maintenance, spares need to be available. An agreed support contract with the supplier is also desired; support is time-critical given the continuous nature of the system operation, — any software must be supportable on normal operating systems (such as Windows); the software must keep up-to-date with operating system upgrades. All firmware must have reliable security. Remote debugging and fault finding is required, — it must be possible to operate and monitor the system remotely, and it must be resilient to problems with the remote interface. The system needs to be able to tolerate communication issues without affecting the system operation, — problems or anomalies are identifiable and reportable to a trained operator before system failure. This Prior Information Notice is being issued in order to undertake a market consultation exercise with regards to the requirements detailed above. UKRI will be holding a supplier engagement event in order to assess the market's appetite, and view on the approach to procuring the supplies. If this is of interest, please register your interest by emailing majorprojects@uksbs.co.uk providing supplier name, contact details and a brief overview of your business. Your email should have the subject heading “PR18099 UKRI Fermi Choppers UKRI PIN EOI”. Expressions of Interest to attend must be received at the above email address by no later than 14:00 on 14.9.2018. The Supplier engagement event will be held in mid-to-late September 2018 (exact day TBC). UKRI may consider information and responses received as part of the preliminary market consultation to help inform UKRI specification and further decision making in relation to the planning and conduct of the proposed procurement.