Tender: Supply, Installation and Commissioning of Automated Liquid Handlers for UK Biobank Manchester Site

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UK Biobank is seeking a supplier for automated liquid handlers to supply, deliver, install and commission systems and to be responsible for design, implementation, testing, commissioning, training and service support as set out in the Specification. UK Biobank preserves over 17 million Samples (approximately 11 million stored at -80°C across an Automated Storage System and manual freezers at its Stockport headquarters, and about 6 million stored in vapour phase liquid nitrogen at a Backup Site) and requires new systems with the capacity, flexibility and resilience to meet planned growth over the next 10 years. The required Solution must support high-throughput reformatting and vacutainer processing, enable an increase in Sample supply to external laboratories to at least 1 million Samples per year, support new large-scale Sample collections and whole-cohort destination sample creation, and accommodate possible changes to labware and selective reformatting. The System will be installed to support UK Biobank’s move to a New Site at Manchester Science Park with practical completion planned for July 2026 (early access from May 2026); 2026 activities include transfer of 11 million Samples, installation and commissioning of new equipment, and implementation of a new LIMS. The estimated contract value is in the range of £1.2m–£3.2m and award questions include mandatory pass/fail and weighted-scored elements as detailed in Volume 1.