Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-02-10
Buyer: Havforskningsinstituttet
Country: NO
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 32260000 | 38434000 | 38434510 | 38651000 | 42997300
Estimated value: 5000000 NOK

Technical requirements: The Institute of Marine Research will, in an assignment from the ministry of trade, industry and fisheries, increase monitoring and warnings on harmful algae in Norwegian waters. An improved monitoring system is to be prepared. The project has been asked to assess a new alternative methodology for improving monitoring and, at the same time, increasing the geographical coverage. A decision has been made in the project to go for a submersible picture analysis system and data transfer in real time, and the subsequent machine learning. The system will be placed in the field for long periods throughout the year. The Institute for Marine Research plans to procure 3 complete systems, model IFCB, manufactured by McLane Research Laboratories Inc.
— it must be possible to submerge the system in the sea and take continual samples over long periods of time,
— the system must be able to catch small cells of micro algae, down to 8-10 μm, as well as larger cells (500μm),
— the system must be able to send data continually to a centralised laboratory/database in real time. As the pictures will be used for quantification and qualitative analyses, the picture quality is vital. The system must be built up around the 'flow cytometry' system in order to ensure an optimum focus point for the pictures. One of the current challenges is the identification of small cells through the use of IFC. As a minimum, the system must trigger pictures based on scatter (light). Lasers with a defined wavelength for triggering the camera system, for example, chlorophyll, will be advantageous as it will make the work of separating algae from organic material easier.
As the system is intended to be placed in coastal waters over a long period of time, it is important that there is a system for dealing with any blockages due to large algae. This ought to be an automatic system, or one that can be activated, in order to reduce maintenance work on equipment out in the field.
The manufacturer of the system must be able to show that the system is used for continual monitoring in coastal areas.
As machine learning is an important aspect of this methodology, it will be advantageous if the manufacturer can show that they have software that is suitable for this purpose.
The contract will be signed in accordance with the public procurement regulations §13-4 letter b No 2 'competition is impossible due to technical reasons.'
The Institute of Marine Research has carried out thorough market surveys in order to map what systems are available in the market, and to what degree they can deliver the results we need.
Based on a review of different IFC systems, there are basically only 2 alternatives that are suitable for our purpose. Essential criteria for our planned use are that they are submersible, can be out in the field for long periods of time, minimal plugging of the instrument, good picture quality for small cells, and identification and quantification of micro algae. Both systems have a submersible variety and can analyse and report in real time.
— the instrument is designed around the use of pictures for identification and quantification of micro algae and as a submersible system,
— IFCB has a system to reduce the danger of blockages in the instrument with a form of 'pre-screening' and an option to reverse the water flow,
— IFCB has a better general system for long term placement with an in-built self-cleaning function, and they can refer to several operative systems,
— an important additional condition is that it appears that IFCB has come further with machine learning (based on a literature search).


Winner: McLane Research Laboratoiries Inc
Award value: 5000000