The most important decisions in a demanding service or IT procurement are made before even a single line of the actual request for quotation has been written. During the preparation phase, the objectives of the procurement are defined and the overall approach to the procurement is decided.
The importance of preparation is highlighted right now. The changes made to procurement legislation this year will affect affiliated entity procurement and the implementation of procurements exceeding the EU threshold.
At the same time, IT procurement is facing new requirements regarding information security, artificial intelligence, cloud services and data management. The preparation should be able to reconcile the operational need, procurement legislation, market supply and risks of the contract period.
Has the goal of the acquisition been defined or are we replacing the old with the new?
Renewing an existing system or service is often the starting point for a procurement, and the next step is to define what the procurement should achieve.
Clear target setting in procurement documents directs the competition towards the real need, which may relate to the renewal of service production, responsibilities or operational processes, and not only to the existing operating model.
The preparation must assess the effects of the change:
- service production
- costs
- personnel duties
- to current agreements
- responsibilities and decision-making
Impact assessment is emphasised in structural arrangements and affiliated unit solutions, where a single solution can have a broad impact on the municipality's operations and finances.
Once the goal and impacts have been described with sufficient precision, an appropriate implementation method can be chosen for the procurement.
Find out what the market offers and the competitive situation
Market research helps to identify the types of solutions and suppliers available in the market, as well as the pricing models and delivery capabilities they offer. This allows the municipality to assess whether the planned procurement is realistic and competitive.
The findings obtained in the market dialogue can be used in planning the procurement target, schedule, contract structure, pricing and comparison criteria. Before the dialogue, the municipality should have a preliminary view of its own needs and the questions to which the market needs answers.
The dialogue must be conducted openly and fairly. Every supplier is given an equal opportunity to take part, and no supplier can gain an advantage in influencing the content of the procurement or preparing for future competitive bidding.
Design the procurement structure into a functional whole
A procurement exceeding the EU threshold is 1.10.2026 or subsequently in procurement procedures to be initiated, the contract must in principle be divided into lots. There must be a justified reason for not dividing it, related to the implementation of the procurement, which must be set out in the procurement documents.
Dividing the procurement into parts can enable various suppliers to participate in the tender and reduce dependence on a single service provider. At the same time, it must be ensured that the whole consisting of parts remains managed by the municipality throughout the entire contract period.
In IT procurement, this requires clear responsibilities and a plan for managing integrations, supplier collaboration and costs. The structure of the procurement directly affects who is responsible for the whole and how the various parts work together.
Create clear and well-founded requirements
The suitability requirements of the tenderer, the minimum requirements of the procurement object and the comparison criteria of the tenders serve various purposes. On the basis of them, suppliers must be able to prepare comparable tenders. It is advisable to limit the implementation method only to the extent required by the objective of the procurement. Overly detailed technical specifications can unnecessarily limit possible solutions.
Clear requirements reduce the scope for interpretation and support fair comparison of offers. The requirements also serve as the basis for monitoring the contract period: they allow the municipality to ensure that implementation is in line with the agreement throughout the contract.
Confirm the direction of your procurement with a quick analysis
A quick analysis of the procurement helps to assess whether the project objective is sufficiently clear and whether the planned approach is feasible.
Our procurement experts will review the initial situation based on preliminary materials. The end result will be a clear progress model, better conditions for competition, and concrete outputs to support decision-making.
Careful preparation and timely tendering can save an organisation many times the price of the service. A timely expert assessment helps to direct preparation resources correctly, strengthen the conditions for the tender process, and make documented procurement decisions.
