1

European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN)

QUACO PCP

Lessons Learned…so far.

Christophe Veys

PCP expert

CERN Procurement Service

EAFIP-Prague 14 November 2017

7 PCP’s and 5

PPI’s

BIG BANG

L'Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN)

Accélérateur de science

Accelerator (LHC) Detectors High Computing

Upgrade of the

Large Hadron Collider to

HL-LHC

Goal:

the development of two

first-of-a-kind

superconductive

quadrupole magnets

valid for use in the frame

of the Hi-Lumi project,

the Q4

NbTi Quaco MQYY Nb3Sn Quadrupole Resistive Quadrupole

CERN is coordinating the project (M.

Losasso);

Quaco Consortium has committed >1.9

M€ for innovative superconductive

magnets;

The pilot magnets will be made available

to end-users accelerator community for

the needs of Hi-LUMI project;

Co-funded via H2020 (March ’16-Feb

’20) under Grant Agreement 689359;

Total QUACO budget 6.5M€

Total procurement budget 4.6M€

Market

consultation

Pre-commercial

Procurement

7

Commercial

TenderPreparation

Phase

1. Method

8

2. Preparation Phase

Needs

assessment

Check the needs towards the state-of-the-art

(IP scan, scientific journals, web search, ....)

Innovation potential from a user perspective

– focus on the needs not the outcome –

detect common high pritority needs

9

Inform the

market and

create

collaboration

Academia

UsersIndustry

Public

Authorities

Can the innovation

expectation be

developed within the

boundaries of known

harmonized

standards and

directives?

CERN Procurement Rules and legal framework

CERN as International organization has a

specific legal framework inclusive

procurement rules due to a specific

environment;

Waiver to launch a PCP;

Check the legal framework of partnering

institutes;

Identify legal obstacles;

Determine the overall management of the

PCP (Lead Partner vs buyers group -

Preferred partners):• Decisional level

• Operational level

• Quality and technical level

• Legal level

Market

consultation

3. Market Consultation Sessions with representative stakeholders -

Active participation – Concrete technological

questions and challenges – Profile of the

participants

0 No worries, of-the-shelf standard solutions

exist.

2-3 A frequent problem, potentially some

hazardous cases, but certainly solvable.

13 Absolutely not a standard problem. A

solution requires important choices, thorough

elaboration, and specific expert effort. Success

can be achieved with significant time and effort.

100 Impossible, requires physical laws

breakthroughs .

? Don’t know, no experience with this subject.

Market

consultation

Challenging exercise: major combined effort

Functional Specs: high marketknowledge and

technical expertise at CERN;

Specification Committee;

Tooling for the manufacturing of the Q4

(Collaring Press, Curing press and Winding

machine);

Specific CERN Safety requirements;

Consistency between tender documents.

Tender Documents

Winding machine and

collaring press

(Elytt)

4. Pre-commercial Procurement Pre-

commercial

Procurement

Pre-

commercial

Procurement

28 participants

71 questions related

to the tender docs

Innovation gap vs. commercialisation plan and

exploitation of the results;

IPR: Virtual vs Actual Price

Sub-contracting (excl. winding, curing and assembly);

Maximum 20 % deviation of the price submitted in

Phase 1 for Phase 2 and 3;

50% R&D services (construction of a magnet, costly

materials);

Ownership of the tooling.

• Conceptual designs of the tooling and the magnet

including:

• A preliminary magnetic design;

• A conceptual design of the support structure consisting of finite

element analysis and CAD models;

• Conceptual designs of the coil fabrication tooling and of the

magnet assembly and support tooling.

• A preliminary top level manufacturing and inspection plan.

Phase 1: Solution Design

Magnetic field in return

side head of the coil

(Elytt)

Phase 1:Evaluation of the offers in 4 Steps

Phase 2: Detailed Engineering Design

• Final coupled magnetic and mechanical design;

• Final CAD models of the magnet and its components and

of all the related tooling;

• A final manufacturing and inspection plan including

assembly and fabrication procedures;

• Mock-ups and associated tooling.

Bladder and Keys

Mock-up (ANTEC)Mechanical Design

(Sigmaphi)

• CERN is an adequate enviroment to launch PCP and PPI:

innovation combined with high level of technical expertise;

• Procurement Directives and legal framework was new for CERN.

EU regulation allow less flexible procurement approach;

• CERN members states versus EU member states;

• The tendering in Phases is well-appreciated by suppliers;

• PCP allowed to reduce the risks as several suppliers are

competing simultaneously in Phases;

• In Quaco smaller SMEs were attracted (get tooling and

infrastructure) for the developments of MQYY magnets (vs. usual

suspects);

• Trigger innovation from SMEs through an early engagement in the

tendering process;

• The OMC and bidders conference are important in the whole PCP

process (create credibility and trust between both the supplier and

the Buyers Group, risk valuation through input of SMEs);

•

Lessons Learned from QUACO and HNSciCloud General on PCP

General on PCP

Lessons Learned from QUACO and HNSciCloud

• The obligation to publish the max. budget for each Phase and for each

contractor reduces the competion (small variation in the financial offers). The

effect of price criterion is reduced to almost 0, except in Phase 1);

• No technical negotiations permitted is a burden for R&D-developments;

• Framework agreement and Work Order, no crucial legal point were raised until

the award and the signature;

• IPR remain a critical aspect of PCP (Contractors have their own internal rules);

• 50% of R&D-services is a difficult threshold to reach considering the expensive

equipment and tooling to develop magnets;

• Building versus R&D-Service requirement;

• PCP increase “the team up together” beween Research Centers;

• After the PCP: an increased competition from SMEs can be expected (non-

usuals suspects).

• Bi-weekly meetings with the Buyers Group to discuss the way forward;

• Non expected innovative solutions were proposed: Bladder and Keys

solution, robotic winding

• The use of pre-established templates to be submitted by the Tenderers ease

their work;

Lessons Learned

Phase 1

Robitic winding

(ANTEC)

• Appointment of a team of technical experts (3) led by a supervisor to follow-

up the developments of each contractor/consortium.

• A draft version of the tender documents was sent to the Contractors well in

advance to get their feed-back;

• Change of subcontractors;

• Support required to cope with the 50% R&D pre-requisite;

• Testing in laboratory conditions are available at Contracting authority

premises;

Lessons Learned

Phase 2

Christophe Veys

CERN-Procurement Service

christophe.veys@cern.ch

Tel: +41/ 22.766.35.16