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 Nodwell lab is located in new, state of the art, collaborative space on the 16th floor of the MaRS Discovery district. This floor houses researchers from two departments (Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics), all of whom are focused on aspects of microbiology and infectious diseases. Nodwell collaborators including Karen Maxwell, Leah Cowen, Trevor Moraes and Alan Davidson are also housed on this floor.
The Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) system (“System”) is vital for our work, both in-lab and with our collaborators. For example, we use LC-MS for all of our work on the detection, purification and characterization of novel antibiotics from the bacterial genus Streptomyces, starting with the characterization of crude extracts exploring the masses in the partially purified active fractions and tracking candidate masses through to purity. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) provides clues to compound structure, which can then be elucidated or confirmed using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NM). We used this approach to identify siamycin I, pulvomycin, oxohygrolidin and several other antibiotics. In addition, we use LC-MS to characterize and quantify key intermediates in peptidoglycan biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus.
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 Monday, January 26, 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 is five (5) years, consisting of a one-year manufacturer’s warranty followed by four (4) years of extended warranty services.
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 System Overview and Functionality 7
B.2.2 Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC)
B.2.2.1 Pump and Column Management 10
B.2.2.2 Autosampler 5
B.2.2.3 Startup Consumables & Column Usage Tracking 5
B.2.3 Mass Spectrometer 18
B.2.4 Computer Workstation 1
B.2.5 Software 6
B.2.6 Sustainability and Energy Efficiency 1
B.2.7 Infrastructure and Power Protection 1
B.2.8 Regulatory and Industry Standards Compliance 1
B.3 Delivery, Installation and Testing 5
B.4 Training Requirements 5
B.5 Warranty and Extended Warranty Services 10
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.
