Supply and Install of a Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscope

Suppliers can find the complete tender document(s), at no cost, on: https://uwo.bonfirehub.ca.

Procuring Entity:
University of Western Ontario (Western)
Procurement Services
1151 Richmond Street
London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7

Contact:
Scott Roth sroth6@uwo.ca         

Procurement Method:
Open tender whereby all interested Suppliers may submit a Proposal.

Description:
The RFP is an invitation to submit offers for the Supply and Install of a Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscope.
The requested Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscope (LSFM) will be installed within the Western Advanced Microscopy Core (WAMC) at the Robarts Research Institute, where it will support high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of intact biological tissues for multidisciplinary biomedical research. The system will be integrated into an established tissue-clearing and imaging workflow and will be used by multiple research groups within the neurodegeneration research program and related fields.
The primary application of this equipment will be the rapid volumetric imaging of optically cleared mouse brains and other large tissue specimens labeled with fluorescent markers. This capability will allow investigators to visualize pathological proteins, neuronal populations, vasculature, and immune cell distributions throughout whole organs while preserving spatial relationships that are lost with conventional section-based microscopy. These analyses are essential for studying Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related neurodegenerative disorders, where understanding large-scale structural and cellular changes is critical for identifying disease mechanisms and evaluating therapeutic interventions.
Beyond neurodegeneration research, the LSFM will support a broad range of projects in neuroscience, regenerative medicine, and translational biomedical sciences by providing rapid, high-throughput imaging for large, cleared tissue samples. Demand for this capability is increasing substantially through the Mesoscopic Integrated Neuroimaging Data (MIND) Platform Support Grant funded by the Brain Canada Foundation, which has expanded institutional adoption of tissue-clearing pipelines for whole-organ imaging.
The addition of this instrument will significantly enhance imaging capacity within WAMC by reducing the current bottleneck between tissue preparation and image acquisition, improving access to advanced volumetric imaging technologies, and enabling efficient analysis of large sample cohorts. As a centrally housed shared resource, the LSFM will provide critical infrastructure for multiple investigators across disciplines, strengthening the institution’s ability to support cutting-edge preclinical research and accelerating discoveries in brain health, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic development.
Refer to the RFP document for further information.
Budget:
Not disclosed

Estimated Quantities:
Available within the tender document

Submission Details:
All tender submissions must be uploaded electronically at https://uwo.bonfirehub.ca

Submission Deadline:
July 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Public Opening:
Not Applicable

Conditions for Participation:
Available within the tender document(s)

Mandatory Submission Requirements:
 

1. Appendix B- Submission Form
2. Appendix C- Rate Bid Form
3. Appendix D- Reference Form
4. Appendix E- Deliverables and Technical Requirements Questionnaire
5. Appendix F- Western’s Commitment to Sustainability in Procurement and Supporting Documents
6. Appendix G- Proponents Checklist

Complete submission requirements are provided within the tender document(s).


Scored Submission Requirements:
 

1. Mandatory Requirements
2. Experience, Qualifications and References
3. Technical Requirements
4. Service and Support
5. Sustainability
6. Value- Added Ideas
7. Accessibility (AODA)
8. Pricing
9. In-kind

This procurement is covered by Chapter 5 of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).
This procurement is covered by Chapter 19 of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA)

Delivery Date:
December 2026

Duration of Agreement:
Upon receipt of equipment and satisfaction of obligations as set out in the Agreement.

Additional Options:
Available in the tender document(s)

Negotiation:
At the end of the evaluation process, Western may identify one or more Suppliers with whom it wishes to enter into negotiations, by written notification.  See tender document(s) for further detail.

Prequalification:
Not Applicable

Responses must be submitted in English.

Suppliers should note that information contained within this Tender Notice is subject to change.  Suppliers are encouraged to download the tender document(s) which contain the most current information.
 
If there is a conflict between the tender document(s) and this Tender Notice, the tender document(s) will take precedence.
 

Bidding and Documents are available on http://www.merx.com. Fees may apply; See https://www.merx.com/public/pricing for more information.