CEFAS24-83 Contract for onsite pipette clinic for Maintenance, Calibration & Repair

1. Background

The Cefas Weymouth laboratory has some 250+ pipettes that require annual and/or two yearly preventative maintenance, service, calibration, and repair. We have various brands, including:- Eppendorf, Gilson, Sartorius, Rainin (Mettler Toledo), Biohit, HTL, Thermo Electron, Labsystems and Fisherbrand.

As an example, in molecular, virology and tissue culture areas, pipettes are used for the detection, isolation, and identification of aquatic diseases. This ranges from handling tissue homogenates, extracted DNA/RNA, to simply aliquoting out reagents precisely. There is similar usage in our other laboratory areas.

The Cefas labs currently undertake testing work to ISO/IEC 17025. Therefore, the supplier must also be accredited to ISO17025 to undertake the calibration work.

1. Requirements

2.1. Pipette Clinic

Cefas require the Supplier to:

2.1.1. Provide the services via an annual onsite clinic at the Weymouth laboratory. To be run over 3 to 4 weeks, Ideally in the January of each year, with preferred start dates for January 2025 being week of 6th or week of 13th.

2.2. Training / Support for Cefas Laboratory Staff

In addition to the pipette services, Cefas require the Supplier to:

2.2.1. provide onsite workshops/training in calibration requirements, including how to identify the different types, the limitations of the workings of pipettes and how to select correct calibration and service levels needed. Also to explain difference between manufacturers and standard ISO level calibration and how it relates to usage.