Acquisition of a GC-QTOF-MS with PAL3

1.1.

Buyer

Official name : Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU

Email : aasst@dtu.dk

Legal type of the buyer : Body governed by public law

Activity of the contracting authority : Education

2.1.

Procedure

Title : Acquisition of a GC-QTOF-MS with PAL3

Description : Our laboratory requires the capacity for gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF) to support advanced untargeted metabolomics of microbial systems, with a central objective of building a curated, high-confidence database of microbial strain-specific metabolic and volatile profiles that can be systematically mined as new biological questions arise. Achieving this goal requires an analytical platform capable of comprehensive, reproducible, and informationrich data acquisition that extends beyond the limitations of conventional GC-MS approaches. Microbial metabolomes are chemically diverse and highly strain dependent, encompassing volatile, semi-volatile, and derivatized metabolites produced across a wide dynamic range. Analyses of microbial extracts frequently yield complex chromatograms with extensive co-elution, while SPME headspace sampling of cultures captures transient and low-abundance microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) that are central to microbial communication, competition, and environmental adaptation. High-resolution MS coupled to GC separation is uniquely suited to resolve this complexity. A GC-QTOF provides accurate-mass full-spectrum acquisition across the entire GC-elutable mass range, enabling elemental composition assignment and confident differentiation of isobaric compounds via fragmentation. This level of mass accuracy and resolving power is essential for untargeted metabolomics and is a prerequisite for generating strain profiles that remain interoperable over time, even as databases expand and analytical questions evolve. In order to combine our existing datasets of secondary metabolites and strain extracts, we require a system that can produce high abundances of molecular ions in the source. This will allow us to investigate the fragmentation of specific ions in very complex samples without the need for baseline separation. This is needed for higher throughput analysis of strains, and integrating our current fragmentation libraries into the new system. Unlike typical single-quadrupole GC-MS systems, which rely primarily on nominal-mass spectra, a QTOF enables precursor-specific, accurate-mass fragmentation experiments. Incorporating MS/MS information directly into strain profiles significantly increases their long-term value for downstream data mining, comparative analyses, and cross-study validation. The system’s ability to acquire complete, untargeted datasets with stable mass accuracy and wide dynamic range is critical for database-driven research. Full-spectrum acquisition ensures that all detectable metabolites are recorded in each analysis, allowing retrospective interrogation of historical data as new microbial metabolites are discovered or as additional strains are introduced into the database. This capability eliminates the need for re-analysis of archived samples and maximizes the scientific return from each experiment. Equally important is the platform’s compatibility with advanced spectral deconvolution, retention index alignment, and metabolomics software workflows, which enables consistent feature extraction and annotation across large sample sets. These capabilities are essential for constructing a robust, searchable strain metabolomics database that supports longitudinal studies, comparative strain analysis, and hypothesis-driven data mining. In summary, acquisition of a high-resolution GC-QTOF with accurate-mass MS/MS functionality is essential for establishing a scalable, reusable microbial metabolomics infrastructure. This instrument will enable our laboratory to gener-ate durable, high-confidence strain profiles that support discovery-driven research today while serving as a foundational resource for future data mining and systems-level microbial analysis. Capabilities Required for Building a Searchable Microbial Strain Database and incorporation of current data: • Accurate-mass, full-spectrum acquisition of GC-eluting metabolites, ensuring long-term interpretability of un-targeted datasets • High-resolution MS/MS fragmentation, enabling confident structural annotation and validation of strain-specific metabolites • Fast acquisition rates that are independent of resolution, compatible with SPME headspace and narrow GC peaks, preserving reproducibility across strains • Wide dynamic range and high sensitivity, capturing both dominant metabolic features and low-abundance strain markers • Retrospective data mining of archived datasets, allowing new metabolites or patterns to be identified without re-analysis • A robust data acquisition technique creating data the is interoperable with public and in-house datasets • High abundance molecular ion spectra from an EI source to allow CID fragmentation for in-house spectral library comparisons

Procedure identifier : 89d06ab7-3503-4bf7-b6fd-fbb5202463aa

Internal identifier : 10446

Type of procedure : Negotiated without prior call for competition

2.1.1.

Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Supplies

Main classification ( cpv ): 38433100 Mass spectrometer

2.1.2.

Place of performance

Postal address : Søltofts Plads Bygning 221

Town : Kongens Lyngby

Postcode : 2800

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Københavns omegn ( DK012 )

Country : Denmark

2.1.4.

General information

Legal basis :

Directive 2014/24/EU

5.1.

Lot : LOT-0000

Title : Acquisition of a GC-QTOF-MS with PAL3

Description : Our laboratory requires the capacity for gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF) to support advanced untargeted metabolomics of microbial systems, with a central objective of building a curated, high-confidence database of microbial strain-specific metabolic and volatile profiles that can be systematically mined as new biological questions arise. Achieving this goal requires an analytical platform capable of comprehensive, reproducible, and informationrich data acquisition that extends beyond the limitations of conventional GC-MS approaches. Microbial metabolomes are chemically diverse and highly strain dependent, encompassing volatile, semi-volatile, and derivatized metabolites produced across a wide dynamic range. Analyses of microbial extracts frequently yield complex chromatograms with extensive co-elution, while SPME headspace sampling of cultures captures transient and low-abundance microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) that are central to microbial communication, competition, and environmental adaptation. High-resolution MS coupled to GC separation is uniquely suited to resolve this complexity. A GC-QTOF provides accurate-mass full-spectrum acquisition across the entire GC-elutable mass range, enabling elemental composition assignment and confident differentiation of isobaric compounds via fragmentation. This level of mass accuracy and resolving power is essential for untargeted metabolomics and is a prerequisite for generating strain profiles that remain interoperable over time, even as databases expand and analytical questions evolve. In order to combine our existing datasets of secondary metabolites and strain extracts, we require a system that can produce high abundances of molecular ions in the source. This will allow us to investigate the fragmentation of specific ions in very complex samples without the need for baseline separation. This is needed for higher throughput analysis of strains, and integrating our current fragmentation libraries into the new system. Unlike typical single-quadrupole GC-MS systems, which rely primarily on nominal-mass spectra, a QTOF enables precursor-specific, accurate-mass fragmentation experiments. Incorporating MS/MS information directly into strain profiles significantly increases their long-term value for downstream data mining, comparative analyses, and cross-study validation. The system’s ability to acquire complete, untargeted datasets with stable mass accuracy and wide dynamic range is critical for database-driven research. Full-spectrum acquisition ensures that all detectable metabolites are recorded in each analysis, allowing retrospective interrogation of historical data as new microbial metabolites are discovered or as additional strains are introduced into the database. This capability eliminates the need for re-analysis of archived samples and maximizes the scientific return from each experiment. Equally important is the platform’s compatibility with advanced spectral deconvolution, retention index alignment, and metabolomics software workflows, which enables consistent feature extraction and annotation across large sample sets. These capabilities are essential for constructing a robust, searchable strain metabolomics database that supports longitudinal studies, comparative strain analysis, and hypothesis-driven data mining. In summary, acquisition of a high-resolution GC-QTOF with accurate-mass MS/MS functionality is essential for establishing a scalable, reusable microbial metabolomics infrastructure. This instrument will enable our laboratory to gener-ate durable, high-confidence strain profiles that support discovery-driven research today while serving as a foundational resource for future data mining and systems-level microbial analysis. Capabilities Required for Building a Searchable Microbial Strain Database and incorporation of current data: • Accurate-mass, full-spectrum acquisition of GC-eluting metabolites, ensuring long-term interpretability of un-targeted datasets • High-resolution MS/MS fragmentation, enabling confident structural annotation and validation of strain-specific metabolites • Fast acquisition rates that are independent of resolution, compatible with SPME headspace and narrow GC peaks, preserving reproducibility across strains • Wide dynamic range and high sensitivity, capturing both dominant metabolic features and low-abundance strain markers • Retrospective data mining of archived datasets, allowing new metabolites or patterns to be identified without re-analysis • A robust data acquisition technique creating data the is interoperable with public and in-house datasets • High abundance molecular ion spectra from an EI source to allow CID fragmentation for in-house spectral library comparisons

Internal identifier : 10446

5.1.1.

Purpose

Main nature of the contract : Supplies

Main classification ( cpv ): 38433100 Mass spectrometer

5.1.2.

Place of performance

Postal address : Søltofts Plads Bygning 221

Town : Kongens Lyngby

Postcode : 2800

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Københavns omegn ( DK012 )

Country : Denmark

5.1.3.

Estimated duration

Duration : 1 Year

5.1.6.

General information

Procurement Project fully or partially financed with EU Funds.

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) : yes

5.1.10.

Award criteria

Criterion :

Type: Quality

Name : Quality

Description : Quality

Category of award weight criterion: Weight (percentage, exact)

Award criterion number : 100,00

5.1.15.

Techniques

Framework agreement :

No framework agreement

Information about the dynamic purchasing system :

No dynamic purchase system

5.1.16.

Further information, mediation and review

Review organisation : Klagenævnet for Udbud

Information about review deadlines : Complaint that the Contracting Authority, contrary to the Public Procurement Act, has concluded a contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the European Union Official Journal must be submitted no later than 30 calendar days from the date after a contract award notice has been published by the Contracting Authority in the European Union Official Journal and that contract award notice includes the grounds for the decision to award the contract directly, cf. lov om Klagenævnet for Udbud (Complaints Board for Tenders) § 7, section 3. The agreement will not be concluded before the expiry of 10 calendar days from the day after the day on which this notice is published, cf. section 4(1)(2) of the Complaints Board Act.

Organisation providing more information on the review procedures : Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen

Organisation signing the contract : Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU

Direct award :

Justification for direct award : The contract can be provided only by a particular economic operator because of an absence of competition for technical reasons

Other justification : Agilent Technologies was the only supplier to fulfill DTU's requirements. Based on a comprehensive market survey, it was demonstrated that only Agilent can provide a single, fully integrated GC-QTOF platform that meets all required technical specifications necessary to support our untargeted microbial metabolomics program and long-term strain profiling objectives. These requirements are driven by the need to analyse complex microbial extracts and SPME headspace samples with high confidence, reproducibility, and long-term data usability and interoperability. The market survey included evaluation of vendor technical documentation, application notes, peer-reviewed literature, and direct comparison of commercially available GC-MS platforms. Vendors assessed included suppliers of single-quadrupole GC-MS systems, triple-quadrupole GC-MS systems, and alternative high-resolution GC-MS platforms. These systems were unable to meet one or more mandatory requirements related to mass accuracy, MS/MS capability, acquisition performance, inlet flexibility, automation, or data interoperability with our in-house datasets. Only Agilent Technologies, through the 7250A GC-Q-TOF, met all required criteria simultaneously. The system uniquely provides high-resolution accurate-mass GC-MS analysis with <2 ppm mass accuracy, combined with true high-resolution MS/MS capability, which is essential for confident structural confirmation of microbial metabolites and discrimination of closely related or isobaric compounds. This capability directly supports our goal of building a searchable, reusable strain metabolomics database that can be retrospectively mined as new biological questions emerge. The system is equipped with an electron ionization (EI) source capable of operation at reduced EI energies, enabling enhanced molecular ion preservation while maintaining sufficient sensitivity. This feature is critical for microbial metabolomics, where targeted fragmentation molecular ions is required in very complex microbial extracts, or samples associated with in situ studies, and will allow integration with our in-house database. EI also allows for interoperability with existing public spectral libraries. The use of a quadrupole as the first mass filter ensures robust MS/MS precursor selection while minimizing contamination and maintaining long-term stability. This is essential for extended analytical sequences and large cohort studies, where data consistency across strains and time points is required for meaningful comparative analysis. The system further provides a mass range and mass resolution that are independent of acquisition rate. This combination is critical for untargeted analysis, as it ensures consistent mass accuracy, resolution, and spectral quality across narrow GC peaks typical of SPME and complex microbial samples, without trade-offs between speed and data quality. Automation requirements were also a determining factor. The system includes an advanced automatic sampler capable of liquid injection, headspace injection, and SPME with automatic tool-change functionality, supported by a large tool rail to accommodate additional sample preparation modules such as vortex mixers, high-volume syringes, and cooling/heating modules. This level of automation is essential for high-throughput, reproducible strain profiling and long-term database generation. No other supplier surveyed could provide this complete and integrated combination of analytical performance, inlet flexibility, MS/MS capability, acquisition characteristics, automation, and detector configuration within a single supported platform. Procuring multiple systems or compromising on these requirements would negatively impact data quality, re-producibility, and long-term usability of the strain metabolomics database. Based on the market survey and technical evaluation, awarding the contract directly to Agilent Technologies for the 7250A GC/Q-TOF meets the criteria for a sole-source procurement, as it is the only system capable of fulfilling the laboratory’s defined scientific and operational requirements.

6.1.

Result lot identifier : LOT-0000

6.1.2.

Information about winners

Winner :

Official name : Agilent Technologies ApS

Tender :

Tender identifier : Offer - GC-QTOF-MS with PAL3

Identifier of lot or group of lots : LOT-0000

Value of the tender : 2 919 411,64 DKK

Subcontracting : No

Contract information :

Identifier of the contract : Contract

Date on which the winner was chosen : 05/02/2026

Information about European Union funds :

Organisation signing the contract : Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU

8.1.

ORG-0001

Official name : Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU

Registration number : 30060946

Postal address : Anker Engelunds Vej 1

Town : Kgs. Lyngby

Postcode : 2800

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Københavns omegn ( DK012 )

Country : Denmark

Contact point : Anna Storch

Email : aasst@dtu.dk

Telephone : +45 999999

Internet address : https://www.dtu.dk

Buyer profile : https://eu.eu-supply.com/ctm/company/companyinformation/index/165863

Roles of this organisation :

Buyer

Organisation signing the contract

8.1.

ORG-0002

Official name : Klagenævnet for Udbud

Registration number : 37795526

Postal address : Nævnenes hus, Toldboden 2

Town : Viborg

Postcode : 8800

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Østjylland ( DK042 )

Country : Denmark

Email : klfu@naeveneshus.dk

Telephone : +45 35291000

Internet address : http://www.klfu.dk

Roles of this organisation :

Review organisation

8.1.

ORG-0003

Official name : Konkurrence- og Forbrugerstyrelsen

Registration number : 10294819

Postal address : Carl Jacobsens Vej 35

Town : Valby

Postcode : 2500

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Byen København ( DK011 )

Country : Denmark

Email : kfst@kfst.dk

Telephone : +45 41715000

Internet address : http://www.kfst.dk

Roles of this organisation :

Organisation providing more information on the review procedures

8.1.

ORG-0004

Official name : Agilent Technologies ApS

Town : Glostrup

Postcode : 2600

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Københavns omegn ( DK012 )

Country : Denmark

Roles of this organisation :

Tenderer

Winner of these lots : LOT-0000

8.1.

ORG-0005

Official name : Mercell Holding ASA

Registration number : 980921565

Postal address : Askekroken 11

Town : Oslo

Postcode : 0277

Country subdivision (NUTS) : Oslo ( NO081 )

Country : Norway

Contact point : eSender

Email : publication@mercell.com

Telephone : +47 21018800

Fax : +47 21018801

Internet address : http://mercell.com/

Roles of this organisation :

TED eSender

Notice identifier/version : 52d73f5b-4694-4309-bda5-3cd0a5b524e3 - 01

Form type : Direct award preannouncement

Notice type : Voluntary ex-ante transparency notice

Notice subtype : 25

Notice dispatch date : 11/02/2026 08:15:18 (UTC+00:00) Western European Time, GMT

Notice dispatch date (eSender) : 11/02/2026 14:01:13 (UTC+00:00) Western European Time, GMT

Languages in which this notice is officially available : English

Notice publication number : 104195-2026

OJ S issue number : 31/2026

Publication date : 13/02/2026

Fakta om udbudet

Acquisition of a GC-QTOF-MS with PAL3

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet - DTU