Published date: 21 May 2024

Last edited date: 21 May 2024

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 27 June 2024, 3pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) - 38000000

Location of contract

TW11 0LW

Value of contract

£0 to £650,000

Procurement reference

tender_439429/1357810

Published date

21 May 2024

Closing date

27 June 2024

Closing time

3pm

Contract start date

19 July 2024

Contract end date

31 July 2025

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (above threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

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

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The National Physical Laboratory's requirement is for a Continuous Wave (CW) or quasi-CW tuneable laser source. This laser source is to be used in conjunction with a geometric and radiometric calibration system designed for pre-flight satellite calibrations. The laser source will be fibre coupled into an integrating sphere to provide a relatively uniform source of monochromatic radiance. This uniform source will be applied in spectral response calibrations of satellite instruments, such as spectral imaging systems. The spectral response of the imaging systems require the laser source to be tuneable from a wavelength of at least 314 nm to 2412 nm and have a spectral linewidth smaller than 6 GHz.

The laser output should be continuous or pulsed with a pulse repetition rate of at least 1 MHz. The average optical power delivered by the laser source to the integrating sphere is dependent on the wavelength, but should provide at least the following optical powers (values in between are linearly interpolated as a function of wavelength):
Laser wavelength (nm) Minimum average output power available (mW)
320 40
400 80
450 100
500 100
1000 40
1500 20
2400 10

The laser system should enable hands-free operation over as much of the tuning range as possible. It must be computer controllable, supplied with standalone software as well as an application programming interface (API) compatible with Python programming language, which enable remote operation and monitoring of the laser system.

The laser system must confirm to all relevant standards, including (but not limited to) the latest version of BS EN 60825:1.

Where additional equipment is required to meet the full specification of the laser (for example, wavemeters for wavelength monitoring, or pump lasers for additional mixing modules), these must all be considered and included in the quotations.

This laser system will be used for several high-profile missions over the next six years, and the manufacturer/supplier must provide confidence that ongoing support will be available over this time frame.

More information

Links

Additional text

The Authority is using the LUPC Bravo e-tender portal to conduct the procurement process. All Bidders must register their company via the LUPC Bravo Portal. This can be done via the following link https://lupc.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.shtml

About the buyer

Address

Hampton Road
Teddington
TW11 0LW
England

Email

procurement@npl.co.uk

Website

https://www.npl.co.uk/