Notice of Intended Procurement
NAME OF PROCURING ENTITY
The Governing Council of the University of Toronto (the “University”)
CONTACT PERSON AND CONTRACT PERSON COORDINATES
Renee Cheng
150 College Street, 3rd Floor, Room 350,
Toronto ON M5S 1A2
reneeke.cheng@utoronto.ca
PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS
The procurement documents are available at www.merx.com.
Note that obtaining access to the procurement documents will require prospective suppliers to register and pay a registration fee. Pricing and Payment Terms are available on the MERX website.
DESCRIPTION OF PROCUREMENT
The Department of Cell and Systems Biology (CSB) comprises of over 30 labs and 200 scientists of all levels with diverse research topics and courses. Several of the major research foci include developmental biology and cell morphogenesis, genomics and plant biology. Most labs use high-resolution imaging as part of their experimental workplan. At the Ramsay Wright Building that houses more than half of the labs, the CSB Department is supported by the core Imaging Facility that has two dedicated staff members and houses several confocal and electron microscopes.
The Confocal Microscope (“System”) to be purchased will be jointly used by members of the CSB Department and maintained by the CSB Imaging Facility. The core goal of the System is to allow for single-cell, high-resolution imaging of cells during development. Of particular interest, the System will be used to image developing cardiovascular cells in zebrafish at single-cell and subcellular levels (focus of the Gunawan lab). The System should also be equipped with super-resolution imaging capabilities to equip two-photon modalities that will allow for precise cell ablation and photoconversion.
The System should also come equipped with software for the processing and analysis of the acquired images.
The procurement is anticipated to involve negotiation. An electronic auction is not anticipated.
ADDRESS AND FINAL DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS
Submissions must be submitted electronically at https://utoronto.bonfirehub.ca/ on or before Wednesday, February 25, 2026 (2:00 PM local time). The submissions will not be opened publicly.
CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
The procurement is subject to the following conditions for participation: Please see Schedule A to the RFP Data Sheet, Section 6.2.(2).
APPLICABLE TRADE AGREEMENTS
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreement(s):
- The Canadian Free Trade Agreement, Chapter Five
- The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, Chapter 19
- The Ontario-Quebec Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Chapter 9
CONTRACT DETAILS
The term of Agreement is intended to be for a period of one year with optional four years extension
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The University will base its selection of qualified suppliers on the following criteria:
Schedule D Part 1
Technical Submission Requirements Weight
B.1 Experience and Qualifications 5
B.2 Technical Requirements
B.2.1 Optical & Microscope Platform 8
B.2.2 Detection & Laser Systems 14
B.2.3 Imaging Performance 14
B.2.4 Vibration Isolation 3
B.2.5 Acquisition Workstation 3
B.2.6 Software Capabilities 9
B.2.7 Regulatory and Industry Standards Compliance 1
B.3 Delivery, Installation and Testing 9
B.4 Training Requirements 5
B.5 Warranty and Extended Warranty Services 9
Schedule D Part 2 Financial Submission 20
Total 100
Optional Demonstration 15
Total incl. Optional Demonstration 115
NOTES
Suppliers should note that information contained within this notice is subject to change. Suppliers are encouraged to obtain the procurement documents which contain the most current information. If there is a conflict between the procurement documents and this notice, the procurement documents will take precedence.
