Published date: 1 April 2025

Awarded contract - This means that the contract has been awarded to a supplier.


Closing: 5 February 2025, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Microscopes - 38510000

Location of contract

TW9 3AE

Value of contract

£83,000

Procurement reference

RBGKEW1366 Ergonomic Microscopes

Published date

1 April 2025

Closing date

5 February 2025

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

6 February 2025

Contract end date

5 March 2025

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Single tender action (below threshold)

A direct contract with a single supplier, without competition.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

Yes

Description

Trust Millennium Seed Bank is home to one of the largest ex situ repositories of wild seeds in the world, with collections of more than 40,000 species from across the globe. Kew requires replacement ergonomic stereoscopes to support the routine maintenance and research of these collections, including tasks such as germination scoring, seed counting, and morphological studies, which often require extended periods of stereoscope use. These stereoscopes are critical to both research and education.
We require stereoscopes with a variable zoom range between 4x and 60x, providing sufficient working distance to allow the use of dissection tools on samples without obstruction. The stereoscopes should feature powerful LED illumination from above to ensure clear visibility of samples. They must be comfortable for users wearing glasses and designed for ease of operation to minimize discomfort during extended periods of use. Additionally, the stereoscopes should allow samples to be observable even when the user's eyes are not perfectly aligned with the viewing lens, providing freedom of head movement.

Award information

Awarded date

5 February 2025

Contract start date

6 February 2025

Contract end date

5 March 2025

Total value of contract

£83,000

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Vision Engineering Ltd

Address

The Freeman Building, Galileo Drive,
Send,
Woking,
Surrey.
GU23 7ER England

Reference

Companies House number: 599506

Supplier is SME?

Yes

Supplier is VCSE?

No

About the buyer

Address

Kew, The Herbarium
RICHMOND
TW93AE
England

Email

procurement@kew.org