Supply, installation and support of an automated ultra-low temperature (-80°C) archive system for biological samples

Tender description

UK Biobank intends to conduct a procurement for an automated ultra-low temperature (-80°C) archive system for biological samples as part of a programme of infrastructure replacement, following a funding announcement by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (https://www.ukri.org/what-we-offer/creating-world-class-research-and-innovation-infrastructure/funded-infrastructure-projects/) and is issuing this PIN to seek market information to help develop and validate its proposed procurement strategy for its intended forthcoming procurement exercise. UK Biobank's existing archive, based in Stockport, Greater Manchester in the North West of England, holds 10 million samples and is now approaching 15 years old. It is experiencing more frequent maintenance issues, and its speed of retrieval is insufficient to support interest in accessing samples for scientific assays across a whole cohort (i.e. retrieval of batches of ca. 500,000 samples). Furthermore, it has insufficient capacity to accommodate ongoing and future collections, and is energy inefficient (relying on liquid nitrogen as a primary coolant, with an electrical backup). As part of the programme of infrastructure replacement, UK Biobank will be seeking to procure a new archive, to be installed in 2025 within a new facility being designed in the City of Manchester. The purpose of this PIN is to engage with the market to: • validate the current intended design of the facility (ensuring it is flexible enough to accommodate such archive systems); • validate the availability of suitable tube handling for UK Biobank legacy samples; • validate assumptions on energy consumption and efficiency within the draft business case for investment • test assumptions regarding the programme for installation; • identify any Health & Safety considerations; and • validate availability in the market of proposed solutions that might meet UK Biobank's requirements, and understand future technological innovations.