Astronomical and optical instruments tenders in the UK
We track 57 awarded astronomical and optical instruments contracts (CPV 3863*) in the UK. 3 of them have a published end date between 7 Jan 2027 and 7 Apr 2028. The median published award value is £209k, and half of awards fall between £70k and £617k (57 awards with a value). 29 award notices in this category did not publish an end date.
Ending in 3-18 months3
Open tenders1
Median award£209k
Contracts tracked57
Contracts ending soonest (3 of 3)
| Contract | Buyer | Incumbent supplier(s) | Value | Ends | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sniper In-Line Low Light System (SILLS) Weapon Sight 1 (WS1) - Contract Award Notice
Contracts Finder · CPV 38633000 |
Ministry of Defence | Qioptiq Limited | £1.4m | 12 Mar 2027
re-tender may already be under way
|
South West |
| UKRI-5695 STFC CLF Post Compressor Diagnostics Telescope Chamber
Find a Tender · CPV 38630000 |
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) | Alca Technology Srl | £131k | 12 Apr 2027
re-tender likely from ~12 Oct 2026
|
South West |
| Contract for the Supply, delivery, commission, installation, consumables, & maintenance of a Femtosecond Laser Workstation
Find a Tender · CPV 38636100 |
Queen's University Belfast | Oxford Lasers Ltd | £712k | 20 Aug 2027
re-tender likely from ~20 Feb 2027
|
Northern Ireland |
See all 3 in the renewal radar
Open tenders (1 of 1)
| Opportunity | Buyer | Value | Deadline | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 715889472-Tender Notice
Find a Tender · CPV 38633000 |
Defence Equipment and Support | £4.2m | 13 Nov 2026, 23:59 UK time expression of interest |
South West |
All open tenders in this category
By region
| Region | Contracts | Ending in window |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 20 | 0 |
| South West | 7 | 2 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 3 | 0 |
| West Midlands | 3 | 0 |
| North West | 3 | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 |
| North East | 1 | 0 |
| London | 1 | 0 |
Top buyers
| Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|
| UK Research & Innovation | 23 | £10.8m |
| Ministry of Defence | 10 | £560.2m |
| University of Bristol | 3 | £760k |
| UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) | 3 | £481k |
| Defence Equipment and Support | 2 | £51.0m |
| UNIVERSITY OF YORK | 2 | £1.1m |
| University of Warwick | 2 | £603k |
| UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED | 2 | £71k |
| NPL Management Limited | 1 | £5.5m |
| University of Leeds | 1 | £735k |
Most frequent incumbents
| Supplier | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Ian Edgar (Liverpool) Ltd | 4 | £382.0m |
| Photonic Solutions Ltd | 4 | £6.0m |
| Toptica Photonics AG | 3 | £1.3m |
| University of Durham | 3 | £1.2m |
| Viking Arms Ltd | 2 | £20.0m |
| Newport Spectra-Physics Limited | 2 | £600k |
| PHOTONIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED | 2 | £444k |
| HÜBNER GmbH & Co. KG | 2 | £396k |
| CARL ZEISS LTD | 2 | £190k |
| Fastlite | 2 | £124k |
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data from Find a Tender and Contracts Finder; updated every 2 hours. Where a notice doesn't publish a contract end date we show "end date not published" - we never guess.