An Automatic Graphitization System for Radiocarbon Sample Preparation

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Procurement of an automatic graphitization system for radiocarbon sample preparation.

Introduction

Negotiated procedure without prior advertising according to Swedish Public Procurement ACT 6 Chapter 14-15 §, 10 Chapter 5§.

Background

The Tandem Laboratory at Uppsala University has a long tradition and has been pioneers in what is called Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) which is an ultra-sensitive method for trace element analysis. The main element analysed so far is radiocarbon (14C, half -life 5730 years) for dating in archaeology, geology and medicine. Other natural radionuclides on the analytical repertoire are 10Be (half-life 1.5 Myears) and 129I (half-life 15 Myers). In total the laboratory serves more than 200 collaborators annually with decisive contributions to research in archaeology, cultural heritage, medicine, etc.

Uppsala University, together with ETH in Zurich has in 2014 installed a new type of accelerator named MICADAS for radiocarbon analyses. The system is dedicated to this special application and has considerably improved radiometric dating and trace element analysis in pure and applied science in an interdisciplinary perspective. A crucial step in the analysis is the sample preparation where organic as well as inorganic material has to be converted to solid graphite for the accelerator system. The whole process of sample preparation has been highly automatized and is today performed in 2 parallel lines with coupled instrumentation, with the automatized graphitization system being an indispensable node linking process steps. In order to be more resistant to possible instrument failure as observed in the past and to meet the increasing demands from collaborators we urgently need a back/up spare system in order to fulfil our commitments within ongoing projects/contracts (VR, KAW, NAVF, RAÄ, SAU, etc.) at the Tandem Laboratory.

Förklaring:

Motivation for purchasing without previous advertisement

The only possible submitter of the specified graphitisation system that is compatible with both the MICADAS instrument and the coupled and automatized sample preparation lines is the Swiss company Ionplus. The AMS research community is limited world-wide and the number of established laboratories within the field well-known and thus no alternative optional manufacturer than Ionplus exists on the market. Since the AGE3 graphitisation system offered by Ionplus is developed specifically to suit the technical demands for the MICADAS and been demonstrated to fulfil the special demands related to the MICADAS installation, we do not see any alternative submitter of such a system compatible with the 2 process lines established in our laboratory. The requested graphitization equipment, to meet the approved experimental schedule, has to be delivered latest in late summer 2019. A decision is urgently needed within 4 weeks in order not to delay the delivery of an AGE3 system to Uppsala University by a longer period which will seriously affect the research activities coupled to the MICADAS accelerator.

Decision:

Decisions on the above circumstances are decided to procure an automatic graphitization system by negotiated procedure without prior advertising on the basis of technical reasons and particular urgent.

Contract valuet is estimated to be around 1.7 mnkr.

According to Chapter 12 Paragraph 12 and Chapter 19 Paragraph 29, of the Swedish Public Procurement Act (SFS 2016:1145) the contract can be signed at the earliest on 16.5.2019. Barrier in contracting is valid until 15.5.2019.