UK Research & Innovation: UKRI-4500 Novera System and Additional Chips

UK-Swindon: Super computer.

Section I: Contracting Authority

   I.1) Name, Addresses and Contact Point(s):
       UK Research & Innovation
       UK Research and Innovation, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom
       Tel. +44 1793298902, Email: STFCprocurement@ukri.org
       Contact: Lucy Lyon
       Main Address: www.ukri.org, Address of the buyer profile: www.ukri.org
       NUTS Code: UKJ14

   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

Section II: Object Of The Contract

   II.1) Scope of the procurement

      II.1.1) Title: UKRI-4500 Novera System and Additional Chips            
      Reference number: Not Provided

      II.1.2) Main CPV code:
         30211100 - Super computer.


      II.1.3) Type of contract: SUPPLIES

      II.1.4) Short description: Novera qubit system and additional qubit chips - an integrated system consisting of multiple sub-systems

      II.1.6) Information about lots
         This contract is divided into lots: No
                  
      II.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
          Value: 500,000
                  
         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: The equipment being purchased is the “Novera” - a packaged 9-qubit device plus mounting tower, and all wiring and components required below a dilution fridge base plate. This product is an integrated system consisting of multiple sub-systems:
-Qubit chips (QuICs) packaged in a custom PCB with SMPM connector interface.
-Cryogenic RF cables to interface the qubit package to the dilution fridge SMA coaxial wiring.
-RF components required for signal conditioning including low pass filters, circulators, isolators, directional couplers. These are specialist RF components compatible with cryogenic operation.
-Parametric amplifiers for qubit readout (TWPAs) – these are quantum limited amplifiers specified to be compatible with the qubit readout frequencies and fabricated by the supplier themselves.
-A tower with magnetic shields to mount the qubit package and RF components to the dilution fridge.
-The whole system supports interfacing up to 72 signals between the package and dilution fridge
Also included are packaged qubit chips with a variety of coupling types and layouts: a 5-qubit uncoupled test chip, a 2-qubit test chip a 9-qubit test chip, and an 8-qubit device.

      II.2.5) Award criteria:
      Quality criterion - Name: Criterion 1 / Weighting: 10
                  
      Price - Weighting: 10
            

      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: The term and conditions relating to this purchase are provided in the Contract, which matches the Contract number cited in the narrative to this Purchase Order and are specific to this Contract. Where the Contract number is not so cited, then our standard terms and conditions will apply which are available at :- https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/UKRI-090123-ProcurementContractData-2658-December2022.pdf


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: No

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: UKRI-4500    
   Lot Number: Not Provided    
   Title: UKRI-4500 Novera System and Additional Chips

   A contract/lot is awarded: Yes


   V.2) Award of contract

      V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract: 26/11/2024

      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)
             Rigetti & Co. Inc, 10513037
             775 Heinz Ave, Berkeley, 94710, United States
             NUTS Code: US
            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: Not Provided          
         Total value of the contract/lot: 500,000
         Currency: GBP

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

Award Of Contract (No.2)

   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: 26/11/2024

      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)
             Rigetti and Co LLC, N/A
             47430 Seabridge Dr, Fremont, 94538, United States
             NUTS Code: US
            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: 500,000          
         Total value of the contract/lot: 500,000
         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=905418160

   VI.4) Procedures for review

      VI.4.1) Review body
          UK Research & Innovation
          1ET Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL, United Kingdom
          Tel. +44 1793298902, Email: STFCprocurement@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: 29/11/2024




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: absence of competition for technical reasons

      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
          In alignment with Regulation 32, UKRI STFC have awarded a Single Source Action (SSA) due to absence of competition for technical reasons.