Awarded without open competition
Awarded without open competition. The buyer went directly to one or a few suppliers instead of advertising the contract. Procurement rules allow this only in specific cases, such as extreme urgency, when only one supplier can do the work, or for call-offs from an existing framework.
Key facts
- Buyer
- Scottish Police Authority · Body governed by public law
- Supplier
- Forensic Technology (Europe) Ltd. SME
- Value
- £229,500
- Procedure
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Sector
- Laboratory & precision equipment · Microscopes (CPV 38510000)
- Region
- Scotland
- Official notice
- 072343-2026 on Find a Tender
- Timeline
-
- Contract date9 Mar 2026
- Published30 Jul 2026Published 143 days after the contract date
Description
The Scottish Police Authority has awarded a contract to upgrade end-of-life Integrated Ballistics Intelligence System (IBIS) equipment at the Scottish Crime Campus. The procurement includes upgrading the outdated BRASSTRAX H4 cartridge imaging system, replacing a failing 10-year-old Data Concentrator server, and purchasing a Quantum 3D (Q3D) digital microscope for virtual bullet comparisons.This investment standardises technology across all UK National Ballistic Intelligence Service (NABIS) hubs, eliminates critical system downtime, and ensures operational compliance with NABIS MoU timeframes and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation standards.
About the supplier
Forensic Technology (Europe) Ltd.: every public contract they have won.