Ilmoitustyyppi: Ennakkoilmoitus suorahankinnasta

Aalborg University (AAU) plans to renew its NMR facility. The current facility consists of a magnet, the radiofrequency and signal handling part (“the console”), a number of probes and a sample changer. The upgrade/renewal will encompass the magnet, the console, cryogenic probes and a flow-NMR system. In addition, already available software will be upgraded. Based on a completed market analysis, Aalborg University assesses that, due to the technical reasons mentioned above, only one supplier can meet the total delivery. There are several reasons, why the supplier (the tenderer) is the only commercial actor that can fulfil the contract:
1. The suppliers new EVO magnet has superior helium consumption and field stability while featuring a minimal footprint and weight.
2. The supplier has a sample changer capable of holding almost 500 samples while cooling them, which is necessary for the biological samples we are working with. The sample changer is not part of the purchase, but we will reuse our existing sample changer, and that is only possible with a setup from the supplier.
3. We purchase a pre-owned cryogenically cooled triple-resonance probe, which only works together with the suppliers hardware.
4. We own a number of room-temperature probes which can only work together with the suppliers hardware.
5. The supplier offers unique metabolomics functionalities through their IVDr suite, e.g. lipoprotein profiling, which requires specific hardware, only available from the supplier.
6. We purchase a cryogenically cooled (He-cooled) broad-band tunable X-observe probe allowing NMR epxeriments on a wide range of nuclei thus providing versatility for future research. Furthermore, the probe comes with H&F capability on the outer coil, providing unique functionality for research into PFAS and other fluorinated organic compounds. In addition, the probe has excellent water suppression, which is important for working with biological samples.
7. The supplier offers a number of software suites like Dynamic Center, CMC structure elucidator, AMIX and the BBIOREFCODE, a large database with high-quality NMR spectra of 890 compounds. These different types of software are necessary for the diverse research projects at AAU.
8. The suppliers Topspin acquisition software comes with a range of workflows and built-in tools, that allow efficient experimental workflows, e.g. Non uniform sampling, projection-reconstruction spectroscopy, WaveMaker, BioTop and BioTools, in addition to a vast library of pulse programs and parameter sets.
9. We purchase an InsightMR flow-NMR setup that is unique, for following chemical reactions online in a standard 5mm tube with the full volume. Uniquely, the InsightCell modification allows for following the metabolism of live cells online by NMR spectroscopy. Only the supplier offers this functionality.
For the above reasons, we conclude that only one supplier can fulfil all the necessary functionalities for our future research work. Based on a completed market analysis, Aalborg University therefore assesses that, due to the technical reasons mentioned above, only one supplier can meet the total delivery.
For those technical reasons, the contract will be awarded without prior publication of a tender announcement in accordance with the section §80(3)(2) of the Danish Public Procurement Act. The contract will not be concluded until after expiry of standstill period of 10 calendar days, calculated from the day on which this Direct award preannouncement is Published.

DTU needs to purchase 2 separate amplifiers with power supply units, each suited for driving a uniaxial head insert gradient coil (60-70 micro-Henry) for animal and human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly for strongly accelerated hydrogen and hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI. We aim for 3D mapping of brain metabolites with a time resolution of around a second for calculation of metabolic rates. To compensate for the low gyromagnetic ratio of carbon-13, for a 10 kHz sinusoidal gradient, the amplifiers must sustain peak voltages >1000 V and peak currents >260 A (at 20 kHz: >1000 V and >130 A). Arbitrary waveforms up to 20 kHz must be suited for normal high-performance MRI. The maximum duty cycle needs to be high (preferably 100% at 10 kHz) during the lifetime of the carbon MRI signal, i.e., 2 minutes. At least one of the amplifiers needs to be designed, built and equipped with safety measures so it can be approved for clinical use, even though CE labelling is not a requirement. Market research has shown that the only supplier of suitable gradient amplifiers that can fulfill the requirements above is IECO. Therefore, DTU intends to issue a purchase order to the company.