TenderPal provides independent, vendor-neutral advice for the procurement of complex, high-value scientific instrumentation.

It was founded to address a recurring challenge across research institutions and shared facilities: critical technical decisions are often made under time pressure, with incomplete information, and become very difficult to change once formal procurement begins.

TenderPal exists to bring technical clarity, realism, and defensibility to those decisions — before risks are locked in.

In practice, this means helping research organisations define realistic requirements, compare technically complex offers, and make procurement decisions that remain defensible well beyond contract award.

Background and perspective

My professional background spans academic research and industrial system development.

I began my career with doctoral and postdoctoral research, involving extensive hands-on work with electron microscopy and advanced experimental workflows, which enabled me to gain a practical understanding of how scientific requirements translate into everyday instrument use.

I later spent nearly two decades inside a major scientific instrument manufacturer, defining system requirements, performance criteria, and delivery processes for advanced research instruments while working closely with engineering, applications, service, and manufacturing teams.

Having worked on both sides of procurement, I have been directly involved in complex processes across the full lifecycle — advising research organisations on how to align scientific objectives with instrumentation choices, infrastructure constraints, and long-term operational considerations; responding to formal procurement requirements as a manufacturer; and supporting delivery through installation, project coordination, and instrument acceptance testing.

This end-to-end experience provides practical insight into how specifications are interpreted, how they are implemented in real systems, and how final performance is verified against agreed requirements.

Independence

TenderPal operates exclusively on the purchaser’s side.

I do not represent equipment suppliers, do not receive commissions, and do not participate in sales or proposal writing for vendors. All advice is focused on supporting technically sound, fair, and defensible procurement outcomes aligned with institutional and scientific objectives.

Let’s talk

If you are planning a major scientific instrument acquisition, preparing a tender, or need independent technical input at an early decision stage — including support through installation and acceptance — I’m happy to discuss how TenderPal can help.