Optical instruments: UK Tenders, Buyers & Competition
CPV 38600000·Supplies · class·in Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
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Tenders you can still bid for.
Notices at tender stage whose deadline has not passed, counted the way the search counts them: a notice shows under every code and region it names.
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Notices published in the last 12 months.
Counted per tender, not per lot, against the 12 months before where shown.
Codes and neighbouring classes
The 8-digit CPV codes notices in this class actually use, and the other classes of the same division
38600000 Optical instruments14 notices · 58%- Detection and analysis apparatus 181 · 12m
- Machines and apparatus for testing and measuring 54 · 12m
- Astronomical and optical instruments 53 · 12m
- Photographic equipment 51 · 12m
- Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances 44 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring quantities 41 · 12m
- Microscopes 34 · 12m
- Instruments for measuring flow, level and pressure of liquids and gases 24 · 12m
- Meteorological instruments 19 · 12m
- Measuring instruments 19 · 12m
- All of Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) →
Who buysi
Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
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Which buyers publish the most notices here.
Buyers ranked by the number of notices, duplicate names merged.
All notices carrying this code · official UK_CA_TYPE where published (NHS bodies are central government authorities), else derived from the authority name
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What kinds of public bodies buy here.
Notices by the buyer’s type as published, otherwise by its name.
Central government83%(20 notices)
20 of 24 notices are Central government (83%).Education & universities4%(1 notices)
1 of 24 notices are Education & universities (4%).Not classified13%(3 notices)
3 of 24 notices are Not classified (13%).
| Contracting authority | Type | Notices | Last 12 months | Open now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | Central government | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| Ministry of Defence | Central government | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority | not classified | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| AWE PLC | not classified | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DIAMOND LIGHT SOURCE LIMITED | Central government | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs | Central government | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Central government | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| University of Sheffield | Education & universities | 1 | 0 | 0 |
8 distinct authorities in total · the ten most active shown.
Where the work is deliveredi
Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
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Where the work on these notices is delivered.
Delivery regions published on the notices. A notice with several regions counts in each.
Where the work is, not where the buyer is based.
Delivery regions (ITL1) published on 13 of 24 notices · a notice covering several regions counts in each · competition columns: contracts awarded in the last 36 months, lots delivered in the region
| Region | Notices | Bids / lot | SME wins | Local wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South East England | — | — | — | |
| West Midlands | — | — | — | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | — | — | — | |
| East of England | — | — | — | |
| Greater London | — | — | — | |
| South West England | — | — | — | |
| Northern Ireland | — | — | — | |
| North East England | — | — | — | |
| North West England | — | — | — | |
| East Midlands | — | — | — |
Local wins = the winner’s registered region is the delivery region. Dashes: fewer than ten observations.
How it is boughti
How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Commercial tool, procedure route and threshold as published on the notice, not a legal-regime claim
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How work here is packaged.
Notices by commercial tool: a single contract, a framework, or a dynamic purchasing system.
Contract92%(22 notices)
22 of 24 notices are Contract (92%).Framework8%(2 notices)
2 of 24 notices are Framework (8%).
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Which procedures buyers here use.
Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.
Open42%(10 notices)
10 of 24 notices are Open (42%).Limited / restricted33%(8 notices)
8 of 24 notices are Limited / restricted (33%).Direct award21%(5 notices)
5 of 24 notices are Direct award (21%).Selective4%(1 notices)
1 of 24 notices are Selective (4%).
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How much of this market is above the legal threshold.
Notices by whether the buyer marked them above or below the threshold that triggers the full rules.
Above threshold100%(1 notices)
1 of 1 notices are Above threshold (100%).
Who winsi
Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
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Which suppliers win the most here.
Suppliers ranked by the number of tenders won, not by money. A supplier on one big framework with many call-offs does not outrank one that won many separate competitions.
Ranked by distinct procedures won on notices carrying this code, then award records · 19 awards to 17 suppliers
| Supplier | Procedures | Awards | Last 12 months | Buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hall and Watts Defence Optics Ltd | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Laser Components UK Ltd | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| BOAT ELECTRICS ELECTRONICS LIMITED | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| CASIX Inc | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cycle GmbH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ECKERT & ZIEGLER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LIMITED | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Exail SAS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| General Atomics | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Where to submiti
Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
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Where bids for this work are submitted.
Notices by the portal in their submission link, where one is published.
E-sourcing portals named in the submission address · 2 of 24 notices name one · each portal page explains registration
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- What counts here. Every notice with a CPV code starting 3860. A notice with several codes counts in each sector it names. Notices from 2021 to 11 Aug 2026.
- Competition. Bids and winners cover the last three years and count each lot as its own contest; frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems are shown apart from ordinary contracts.
- Why no total spend. Notice estimates often repeat a framework’s ceiling, so adding them up would overstate the market. Typical contract values are shown instead.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.