National Public Procurement Strategy identifies concrete ways in which public procurement can help achieve wider goals in society

Finland's first National Public Procurement Strategy is being launched at the Kuntamarkkinat municipal fair today, 9 September 2020. The Strategy has been prepared by the Ministry of Finance and the Association of Local and Regional Authorities together with municipalities, central government, tenderers and expert organisations. 

The National Public Procurement Strategy will increase the level of ecological, social and economic responsibility in public procurement and promote the achievement of ecological, social and economic goals in society.

"The first National Public Procurement Strategy is an important step in the development of public procurement. Public procurement is at the heart of economic policy, as there are not only cost savings, impacts on wider goals in society and more jobs, but also emissions can be reduced, workers' rights violations prevented and opportunities created for innovative Finnish companies. I would like to ensure that by the end of the government term Finland is a frontrunner in responsible public procurement,” says Minister of Local Government Sirpa Paatero.

It is estimated that around EUR 35 billion is spent annually on public procurement in Finland. By means of the minimum requirements and contract terms established in the public procurement process, and through supervision and other procedures, it is possible not only to make financial savings but also, for example, to reduce emissions, promote workers’ rights and reduce corruption. To pro-mote these objectives, the strategy includes a set of indicators and a plan for concrete measures.

Strategic management and strengthening of procurement expertise are key themes of the strategy

“From the local government point of view, it is great that the strategy has been prepared in genuine cooperation with central government. In terms of practical action, it is important that strategic management and the development of procurement expertise have been highlighted among the key themes of the strategy. To ensure that the strategy is put into effect, we need long-term investment at national level into the future,” says Hanna Tainio, Deputy Managing Director at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.

The strategy focuses strongly on developing strategic management and promoting procurement expertise. To support the achievement of ecological, social and economic goals in society through pub-lic procurement it is important to develop a strong culture of knowledge-based management. 

Public procurement in Finland has previously been developed through individual short-term development projects. With the common National Public Procurement Strategy now published and through broad-based cooperation, public procurement can support the achievement of wider goals in society in the longer term. The scale of spending on public procurement is considerable in relation to the national economy, and a more strategic approach will enable the potential impact of public procurement to be utilised for the achievement of goals in society at large.

Strategy to be implemented through broad-based cooperation 

To ensure successful implementation and the achievement of strategy objectives, public procurement units will be supported by the following, as key partners: Motiva, Hansel Ltd, VTT Technical Re-search Centre of Finland, the Finnish Environment Institute, Business Finland and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, which are all members of the KEINO Competence Cen-tre for Sustainable and Innovative Public Procurement.

Inquiries: 

Ministry of Finance: 
Special Adviser Lauri Finér, tel. +358 41 501 2317, lauri.finer(at)vm.fi
Tarja Sinivuori-Boldt, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 2955 30433, tarja.sinivuori-boldt(at)vm.fi 

Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities:
Katariina Huikko, Senior Legal Counsel, tel. +358 50 566 4327, katariina.huikko(at)kuntaliitto.fi