Notice for the supply, installation and maintenance of a demonstration unit for short fibre flax extraction and processing

OJEU Open procedure - ref 2008/S 10-011205 and/or 2008/S 11-012725

Tender reference 439

The Textiles Engineering and Materials research group is based within De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. This research group has a key research focus in the production, extraction, use and evaluation of bast fibres, such as short-fibre flax, for use in textiles. The group now requires the use of facilities to demonstrate technology for the conversion of retted-flax straw to fibre.

This contract (s) is for the provision of short-fibre flax straw and fibre processing machinery to extract, clean and separate flax fibre from straw produced on farms in the East Midlands region of the UK. The contract requires the successful applicant or applicants to supply and install fully operating processing machinery, and maintain and service the machinery for a period of 12 months from installation.

The contract (s) may be separated into 4 lots representing the 4 main required stages (straw bale opening, flax straw material decortication, flax fibre cleaning and flax fibre separation) of the processing unit.  New and fully refurbished machinery would be suitable.

The lots are:
439 (a) 1 x Retted-flax fibre cleaning system to remove residual non-fibrous material after decortication.
439 (b) 1 x A flax fibre opening machine to process the decorticated flax fibre as the first step in the fibre separation process.
439 (c) 1 x Retted flax straw bale opening system to open agricultural bales (round and/or rectangular, without manual handling prior to processing.
439 (d) 1 x Retted flax straw decorticator that opens the agricultural bales and separates the fibrous bast from the woody core.

If you would like your company to be considered for this contract please down load the invitation to tender documents, complete and return your bid on or before noon, 13 February 2008.

Invitation to tender covering letter              Questions and answers                          

Specification of requirments  

Form of tender  

Certificate of Bona Fine Tender  

De Montfort University Conditions of Contract  

Supplier appraisal form  

Format for tender return label  

For all technical enquiries, contact either:

Dr Matthew Horne, 3.32 Gateway House, De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH. Tel: +44 (0) 116 257 7550, mhorne@dmu.ac.uk, or
Prof. Ray Harwood, 3.32 Gateway House, De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9BH. Tel: +44 (0) 116 257 7558, rjh@dmu.ac.uk

Please refer all commercial enquires to Mrs Jyoti Mistry, Deputy Procurement Manager, De Montfort University, e-mail: purchasing@dmu.ac.uk, telephone number: +44 (0)116 2506338, fax number:  + 44 (0)116 2506069.

De Montfort University has a legal duty to comply with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Accordingly, information in relation to this contract and any prior related tender may be mad available on demand in accordance with the legislation. You should state if any of the information supplied by you as part of the contract is either confidential or commercially sensitive, or should not be disclosed to third parties in response to a request for information under the Act. The reason for such sensitivity must be specified. In such cases, the relevant material will be examined in the light of the exemptions provided in the Freedom of information Act or Environmental Information Regulations, although the University cannot guarantee that an exemption will apply.

Notice publication date:  4 January 2008