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Procurement support

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As a public agency, the university must purchase goods and services in a responsible manner. To obtain the best possible terms, the market must be competitive and this is regulated through Swedish Act on Public Procurement. Information about purchasing and procurement is available here.

Almost all purchasing at the university, including rental and leasing, is conducted as public procurement and is therefore subject to legislation on public procurement. This also applies to purchases that are paid for by research funding or EU projects. Under the legal definition, even a purchase worth 1 krona is a public procurement.

Which provisions in the Act on Public Procurement apply is dependent on what is to be procured and the value of the procurement.

Purchasing process

The following text describes the university’s purchasing process.

  1. The university’s existing agreements and e-purchasing
    Purchasing at the university can be done in different ways and via different systems. The purchasing page has compiled information about various areas in which purchases are made. The agreement catalogue External link. has information about, and links to, the university’s agreements.
  2. Statens inköpscentral
    In cases where the university’s agreements do not cover existing needs, the university must purchase goods and services via Statens inköpscentral, which is tasked with entering framework agreements for goods and services intended for public agencies.
  3. The university conducts its own procurement If there is no contract for what you wish to purchase in the agreement catalogue or via Statens inköpscentral, the university must procure it. See the documents below and read more about procurement further down the page.
    If the value of the entire university’s procurement needs is below SEK 700,000, a direct procurement must be carried out. If the estimated value is more than SEK 100,000, at least three suppliers must be asked to bid. Please refer to the guidelines for direct procurement (below) and contact upphandling@sh.se before making the purchase.

Documents (in Swedish)

What is public procurement?

Public procurement is the process that public organisations use to make purchases. There are rules on how this must be conducted. The rules must ensure that companies can participate in procurement on equal terms, so there is healthy competition in the public market.

How public procurement works

Procurement starts when a public organisation has a need that it cannot or does not want to solve itself.

  1. Is a purchase necessary?
    Procurement starts when a public organisation has a need that it cannot or does not want to solve itself. The organisation therefore decides to make a purchase – a public procurement.
  2. Needs are analysed
    The contracting organisation analyses its needs, so it can formulate requirements for what is to be purchased. These needs, combined with the value of the procurement, influence what requirements can be set and how the procurement should be organised.
  3. The requirements are summarised in the procurement (tender) documents
    The contracting organisation places its requirements in the tender documents. These documents contain all the relevant information that suppliers need for submitting a bid. People often talk about ‘shall’ requirements (mandatory requirements) and ‘should’ requirements (preferences) in a procurement.
  4. The procurement (tender) is advertised
    Procuring organisations must advertise all tenders that are not direct procurements in an advertising database registered with the Swedish Competition Authority (from 1 January 2021). If the value of the procurement exceeds the threshold value, it must also be advertised throughout the EU through the EU’s advertising database Tenders Electronic Daily (TED).
  5. Suppliers submit bids
    Suppliers interested in participating in the procurement will respond to the advert by submitting a bid. In their bid, the supplier describes how it meets the various requirements set out in the procurement documents.
  6. Bids are evaluated
    After the deadline for submitting a bid, the procuring organisation evaluates the bids received against the requirements in the procurement documents.
  7. Award decisions and agreements
    The procuring organisation decides on the winning supplier(s) and sends information on the decision to all bidders. Most procurements have a standstill period in which the procuring organisation cannot sign an agreement with the new supplier. During this period the unsuccessful suppliers can challenge the result of the agreement in court. Once the standstill period has expired, the agreement may be signed, provided that the procurement has not been challenged in court.

Procurement can contribute to sustainable societal development

Swedish public procurement’s annual turnover exceeds SEK 900 billion, which is equivalent to almost one sixth of Sweden’s GDP. This is why procurement is an important instrument in achieving the goals of societal policy.

Using sustainable procurement means we can ensure good business in the whole life cycle. We also contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of Sweden’s environmental quality objectives.

Sustainable procurement not only covers environmental impacts but refers to the broader definition of sustainability, which includes societal and economic dimensions. At the same time, sustainable procurement can also include health and policy aspects.

Strategic use of public procurement has great potential for:

  • driving progress towards a more sustainable society by demanding socially and environmentally sustainable products and services
  • using the innovation capacity of suppliers to develop new solutions.

Read the university’s sustainability policy.

What happens if the university does not conduct purchasing in accordance with the Act on Public Procurement?

It is very important that the university makes purchases according to the guidelines.

The Swedish Competition Authority is the supervisory authority for public procurement, which means that they must check whether public authorities comply with the legislation on public procurement. When an authority does not comply with the law, the Swedish Competition Authority can take enforcement decisions and may impose fines. A fine can be between SEK 10,000 and SEK 20 million.

Unauthorised direct procurement is a particularly serious breach of the law and therefore an important area of oversight, so it is vital that the university makes purchases in accordance with all relevant rules.

Contact and support

For questions or help with purchasing, please contact upphandling@sh.se.

Information

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Last updated: 2025-02-11 by Karolina Olofsson

Contact

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info@sh.se

08 - 608 40 00

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