Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-11-25
Buyer: Aarhus Universitet
Country: DK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 33000000 | 38000000
Estimated value: 372000 EUR
Award criteria: Lowest price

Technical requirements: Aarhus University wishes to buy a Raman spectrometer for studying mechanically exfoliated 2D materials under well-defined environment inside a glovebox. The aim of the research is to prepare hybrid systems of vertically stacked layers and explore their stability towards exposure to various gasses under controlled environment.
2D materials and their heterostructures have demonstrated potential for a wide variety of applications in the field of sensors, optoelectronics, thermoelectrics, flexible and printed electronics, to name a few. However, most of the current research development is still limited to laboratory-level experiments on mechanically exfoliated flakes with spatial dimensions of the order of few tens of micrometers (m). The ability to perform chemical analysis, such as Raman spectroscopy on the microscopic scale is crucial for the understanding and application of these materials. To avoid any unexpected contamination of the air-sensitive samples, the spectroscopic characterization will be performed inside a glovebox under a well-controlled environment. The required Raman system must thus provide easy-of-use and easy maintenance in order to perform high quality measurements with air-sensitive samples inside a glovebox.
The experiments we plan to perform require a specific combination of functionalities in the platform to be acquired as follows:
1) Raman spectrometer including laser(s) and detector(s) must be positioned outside the glovebox for easy maintenance of lasers and corresponding optics, but must include glovebox integrated microscope enabling analysis of samples inside a glovebox.
5) The system must include fully automated self-aligning system that covers the full visible and NIR range of laser wavelengths without the need for user.
7) Raman system must acquire both, Raman and photoluminescence spectra in extended mode without losing resolution and without any ‘stitching’ artefacts, pixel variations or quenching effects (SynchroscanTM).
8) The Raman microscope inside a glovebox must have spectral mapping capability with the lateral resolution below m.
9) Raman microscope must include motorised mapping stage with a fully encoded system that permits rapidly exchange samples and return to the same analysis point even when the sample is moved manually.
10) Possibility to upgrade the system with a technique maintaining the focus on the sample during Raman measurements using the same laser wavelength as the Raman excitation laser (LiveTrackTM). This is required for studies where we do not want to pre-scan (with different laser wavelength) sensitive samples prior to Raman analysis.
A few suppliers on the market offer Raman system that fulfils some portion of the requirements specified above, however Renishaw is the only commercial supplier that can deliver a fully automated Raman spectrometer (InVia ‘Reflex’) fulfilling all the necessary requirements for our research.
Following the notification, a standstill period of 10 calendar days will be held in accordance to paragraph 3 of Act No 593 of 2 June 2016 on the Danish Act on the Complaints Board for public Procurement. This implies that the contracting authority cannot sign the contract with the winning tenderer before the standstill period has expired.
In case of complaints about tenders or decisions, e.g. award of contracts covered by Section II or III in the Danish Public Procurement Act must be submitted to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement (Klagenævnet for udbud) within 45 calendar days from the day after the contractor published a notice in the Official Journal on the conclusion of a contract. At the latest concurrently with submission of an appeal to the Complaints Board for Public Procurement, the complainant must inform the contracting authority of the alleged infringement, and whether the appeal is to be referred to the board.


Winner: Renishaw UK Sales Ltd
Award value: 372000