ProcurFinland – Shaping the Future of Public Procurement
ProcurFinland’s focus is on boosting the effectiveness of public procurement. It is led by the Ministry of Finance, the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the Association of Finnish Entrepreneurs (Suomen Yrittäjät) and Hyvinvointialueyhtiö Hyvil Ltd, which is company that is jointly owned by Finland’s wellbeing services counties. Our shared objectives include maximising the impact of procurement, ensuring that taxpayer funds are used responsibly and improving the sustainability of public finances.
ProcurFinland brings together procurement professionals and development initiatives into a cohesive framework. It also serves as a dynamic meeting place for buyers and suppliers to collaborate on improving the quality and appeal of public procurement. We offer practical tools and expert knowledge to help procurement professionals boost efficiency. Collaboration is at the heart of all our development efforts, and we make our results freely available to the public.
ProcurFinland’s current term runs from 2024 to 2027 and builds on the success of the previous term (2019–2023). A major milestone of the earlier term was the launch of Finland’s first National Public Procurement Strategy in 2020.The strategy was developed through extensive cross-sector cooperation. It continues to guide our work in the current term, with an emphasis on the priorities set out in the current Government Programme.
National Public Procurement Strategy
ProcurFinland’s first term laid the foundation for the National Public Procurement Strategy, which was built around eight shared goals. The current term is focused on four goals:
- Enhancing the sustainability of public finances
- Promoting healthy competition
- Strengthening knowledge-based decision-making
- Fostering strategic thinking in procurement
ProcurFinland’s participants are working together to shape a smarter and more sustainable future for public procurement.
Measures and Tools
Across its two programme terms, ProcurFinland has developed and published more than 50 practical tools, reports and networking opportunities for procurement professionals. These resources are mainly in Finnish, but many are also available in Swedish and some have been translated into English.
Examples of our handbooks include:
- Best Practices for the Strategic Management of Public Procurement – 22 Steps to Success
- Path to Effective ICT Procurement – Playbook for Contracting Authorities and Tenderers
- Low-Carbon Procurement Playbook
One of ProcurFinland’s most successful initiatives has been the creation of ongoing networking opportunities. Several networks are active within ProcurFinland, providing procurement professionals with platforms to exchange knowledge and address current topics and challenges. Regular meetings are organised for networks that include Finland’s largest public buyers, procurement managers, procurement experts, wellbeing services counties, and procurement researchers.
ProcurFinland also hosts ICT Meeting Hub (ICT-kohtaamo), which is a dedicated collaboration forum for the ICT sector that facilitates dialogue between buyers and suppliers of ICT services.
ProcurFinland actively supports the professional growth of procurement experts. Our well-received mentoring programme is in its third consecutive year. ProcurFinland also offers learning clinics that combine preparatory assignments with in-depth instruction. The clinics focus on specific themes, such as handbooks developed within the programme.
We also host monthly webinars, each addressing a distinct topic such as artificial intelligence, general contract terms, or sustainability.
More information about ProcurFinland is available in Finnish.