Swindon: super computer
Contract notice
Supplies
Directive 2004/18/EC
Section I: Contracting authority
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
RCUK Shared Services Centre Ltd
North Star House, North Star Avenue
Contact point(s): Major Projects Procurement
For the attention of: Allan Evett
SN2 1FF Swindon
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 1793867298
E-mail: allan.evett@ssc.rcuk.ac.uk
Internet address(es):
General address of the contracting authority: www.ssc.rcuk.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: www.ssc.rcuk.ac.uk/procure/pages/default.aspx
Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)
Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: The above mentioned contact point(s)
I.2)Type of the contracting authority
I.3)Main activity
I.4)Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority:
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Purchase
NUTS code UKD2
II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
Further to the initial investment in ICE-CSE for which we are running a separate tender for 10 000 000 GBP, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced additional funding in October 2011. 21 500 000 GBP of this additional funding is being used to enhance the ICE-CSE. http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=421452&NewsAreaID=2provides context and background information.Description of system and collaboration.
STFC is looking to procure a collaboration with a vendor of HPC Systems which has research and development capability on the roadmap to exascale computing and into data-intensive computing.
As part of this collaboration we will procure:
— a base HPC system: which consist of a minimum of 2048 x86 cores for the purpose of applying current codes to industrial relevant applications,
— an advance HPC system: capability computing platform of at least 450Tflops/s with the potential of scaling a single job across the whole system,
— access to future technologies on the roadmap of exascale computing during the lifetime of the collaboration.
The preceding two systems for a total of 10 000 000 GBP including taxes.
— a system for research and development in data-intensive computing, comprising a computer system and a data storage subsystem.
The budget for the data-intensive computing system is 5 500 000 and 6 000 000 GBP for the data storage subsystem, again inclusive of all taxes such as VAT.
— A partnership in a collaboration to build software relevant to industry and commercial applications with particular emphasis on data-intensive computing and delivers step changes in the use of HPC and to develop a business plan for a possible extension of the term and a variation to the contract to widen the scope of the collaboration (to continue to advance STFCs ability to do so, in particular by adding additional hardware and/or software to maintain STFCs cutting edge HPC capability, and to advance the acceptance and use of HPC).
STFC is looking for proposals that meet these criteria and is expecting to make an investment of 21 500 000 GBP including VAT. The initial collaboration will cover a 3 year period with the intent of delivery, commissioning and payment by the end of March 2012.
It is possible that the collaboration may be extended for a further 2 years at STFCs option to carry out the business plan referred to above which is developed during the initial term. Any contract for such further collaboration would in any event be conditional upon a commitment to STFC of further government or other external funding (including capital allocation) for the collaboration set out in the business plan of up to 5 000 000 GBP per annum becoming available during the initial term, particularly to fund the purchase of additional hardware and/or software. (Such further collaboration may involve STFC contracting directly with some or all of the successful bidders sub-contractors (if any) under the initial collaboration, in addition to the successful bidder).
Further information and tender documentation is available via the following URL: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
30211100, 30211300, 72200000, 72611000, 73120000, 73300000, 48980000, 30233100, 30238000
II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
II.1.8)Lots
II.1.9)Information about variants
II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:
II.2.2)Information about options
Description of these options: The option may exist to widen the scope of the collaboration with additional capital funding (at the level of 5 000 000 GBP per annum) and additional project recurrent funding (for STFC staff). This could result in extension of the term of the collaboration beyond the initial 3 year period and the purchase of additional hardware/software to underpin the collaboration.
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:
See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:
See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.1.4)Other particular conditions
III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.2.2)Economic and financial ability
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.2.3)Technical capacity
See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required:
1. Prime contractor has a track record of supply of HPC Systems to the UK academic market.
2. Prime contractor has own HPC product R&D facilities.
3. Prime contractor can identify at least two examples of successful, mutually beneficial collaboration with customers.
Also see tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
III.3.1)Information about a particular profession
III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
IV.1.3)Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
IV.2.1)Award criteria
IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction
IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting authority:
IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Payable documents: no
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
IV.3.6)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
IV.3.7)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
IV.3.8)Conditions for opening tenders
Place:RCUK Shared Services Centre Ltd, Swindon.Persons authorised to be present at the opening of tenders: no
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1)Information about recurrence
VI.2)Information about European Union funds
VI.3)Additional information
See tender documentation available at: http://www.cse.scitech.ac.uk/events/ICE-CSE_Tender2/
It is possible that the initial period may be extended for a further 2 years. In addition, it is possible that additional capital allocations may become available during the contract term.
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:3.11.2011