UK Research & Innovation: Manufacture of the C100 sensor

UK-Swindon: Sensors.

Section I: Contracting Authority

   I.1) Name, Addresses and Contact Point(s):
       UK Research & Innovation
       Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1793442000, Email: commercial@ukri.org
       Contact: Declan Ward
       Main Address: https://www.ukri.org
       NUTS Code: UKK14

   I.2) Joint procurement:
      The contract involves joint procurement: No          
      In the case of joint procurement involving different countries, state applicable national procurement law: Not Provided
      The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body: No

   I.4)Type of the contracting authority:
      Body governed by public law

   I.5) Main activity:
      Other activity: Research and innovation

Section II: Object Of The Contract

   II.1) Scope of the procurement

      II.1.1) Title: Manufacture of the C100 sensor            
      Reference number: UKRI-1639

      II.1.2) Main CPV code:
         35125100 - Sensors.


      II.1.3) Type of contract: SUPPLIES

      II.1.4) Short description: C100 is a CMOS sensor designed by STFC, in collaboration with Rosalind Franklin Institute (RFI) and the Laboratory of molecular biology (LMB) of the Medical Research Council (MRC)

The purpose is to deliver a wafer scales sensor optimised for cryo electron microscopy at 100keV

      II.1.6) Information about lots
         This contract is divided into lots: No
            
      II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
          Value: 244,000
                  
         Currency:GBP            

   II.2) Description

      II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s):
      Not Provided

      II.2.3) Place of performance
      Nuts code:
      UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
   
      Main site or place of performance:
      Oxfordshire
             

      II.2.4) Description of the procurement: C100 is a CMOS sensor designed by STFC, in collaboration with Rosalind Franklin Institute (RFI) and the Laboratory of molecular biology (LMB) of the Medical Research Council (MRC)

The purpose is to deliver a wafer scales sensor optimised for cryo electron microscopy at 100keV

      II.2.5) Award criteria:
                  
      Price - Weighting: 100
            

      II.2.11) Information about options
         Options: No
         

      II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
         The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
         

      II.2.14) Additional information: Not Provided


Section IV: Procedure

IV.1) Description

   IV.1.1)Type of procedure: Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the Official Journal of the European Union in the cases listed below (please complete Annex D1)


   IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
      The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement: No       
      

   IV.1.6) Information about electronic auction
      An electronic auction has been used: No

   IV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
      The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes

IV.2) Administrative information

   IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
       Not Provided
   

   IV.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
      The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice: No

Section V: Award of contract

Award Of Contract (No.1)

   Contract No: Not Provided    
   Lot Number: Not Provided    
   Title: Not Provided

   A contract/lot is awarded: Yes


   V.2) Award of contract

      V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract: 26/08/2021

      V.2.2) Information about tenders
         Number of tenders received: 1
         Number of tenders received from SMEs: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: Not Provided          
         Number of tenders received by electronic means: Not Provided

      V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

      The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
         
         Contractor (No.1)
             ETESIAN SEMICONDUCTOR LTD, 1315036
             Haoren 5, Yishai, 3004205, Israel
             NUTS Code: IL
            The contractor is an SME: No

      V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
         Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: 244,000          
         Total value of the contract/lot: 244,000
         Currency: GBP

      V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
         The contract is likely to be subcontracted: No
         
Section VI: Complementary information

   VI.3) Additional information: To view this notice, please click here:
https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=623120743

   VI.4) Procedures for review

      VI.4.1) Review body
          UK Research and Innovation
          Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom
          Email: commercial@ukri.org

      VI.4.3) Review procedure
         Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures: Not Provided

      VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
         Not Provided

   VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice: 13/09/2021




ANNEX D

   1. Justification for the choice of the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a call for competition in accordance with Article 32 of Directive 2014/24/EU

      No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to: Not Provided

      The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development under the conditions stated in the directive (for supplies only): No       
      
      The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights

      Extreme urgency brought about by events unforeseeable for the contracting authority and in accordance with the strict conditions stated in the directive: No

      Additional deliveries by the original supplier ordered under the strict conditions stated in the directive: No

      
      
      Procurement of supplies quoted and purchased on a commodity market: No

      Purchase of supplies or services on particularly advantageous terms: No


   3. Explanation
          The process to fabricate such pixel represents a piece of IP which is the property of Tower Semiconductor. This justifies an SSA under Section 32 the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 since Tower Semiconductor own the IP of the manufacturing process, and no one else can supply a pixel IP of this performance which is compatible with existing STFC IP that can only be manufactured in the Tower Semiconductor process.