London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) is undertaking this recurrent tendering process on behalf of the Inter University Purchasing Committee - Gases (IUPC Gases), which is a working group that oversees the procurement of laboratory gases and associated equipment for the Higher Education sector and associated public sector bodies throughout the UK. LUPC is seeking to establish framework agreements for the Participating Institutions with one or three or more suppliers for the purchase of a wide range of laboratory and workshop gases (including refrigerants) and associated equipment. It is envisaged that these arrangements will commence on 1.3.2013 and will continue for a period of three years with the facility to extend for a further one year subject to agreement between the parties. This requirement automatically covers Full or Associate Members within the higher education regional purchasing consortia as follows: LUPC (http://www.lupc.ac.uk/about/members-list.aspx), SUPC (http://supc.procureweb.ac.uk/aboutsupc/supc-members), APUC (http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/members.htm), HEPCW (http://hepcw.procureweb.ac.uk/1019), NEUPC (http://neupc.procureweb.ac.uk/members.php) and NWUPC (http://www.nwupc.ac.uk/members/index.php) including all future Members. Members of the consortia either already are or may be drawn from the Higher Education sector, Further Education sector, the Research Council and other Public and Third Sector bodies principally but not exclusively from the education, arts, sciences and cultural sectors.