Scope
In 1998 the Swedish government established a co-ordination function for government procurement. The objective was to increase efficiency in public spending and thus acheive more value for money by co-ordinating the central government`s purchasing and procurement. Behind this objective lies a reasoning that together, government authorities should be able to buy supplies or services at better terms than each authority could separately.
The system for co-ordination of government procurement is regulated in a government regulation (1998:796) and applies to government agencies directly under the government, which includes about 252 central agencies. Other government related organisations can, under certain conditions, be included in the system. The scope of activities for the co-ordination function is to develop, co-ordinate and follow up procurement activities within the central government, as defined above. This includes the establishment, development and deployment of a framework agreement, but also includes methods and support for increased procurement competence and practise. The co-ordination function is a strategic function consisting of a small group (three-four persons) residing in the Swedish National Financial Management Authority which is the authority responsible for the system for co-ordination of government procurement. The co-ordination function is assisted by eleven government authorities which do the operational procurement by procuring different framework agreements for supplies and services needed within the government.
Framework purchasing
A system for co-ordinating the needs of the central government authorities by using framework agreements, has been in force for decades even though it was reinforced in 1998 by the establishment of the co-ordination function. The system is based on the principle that whichever authority has the best pre-requisites to perform a procurement, common for other central agencies, is asked to procure a framework agreement for all central government agencies. Today eleven authorities responsible for government procurement are working together with the co-ordination function in the system for framework purchasing.
The system includes some 50 product areas with 90 sub areas, e g for stationery, cars, IT supplies and services, furniture, flight services. The annual turn-over is around 684 million euro. This corresponds to about 8 % of the total expenditure for the central government from external suppliers. Information regarding the different framework agreements can be found in a special database together with other information about the system for co-ordination of government procurement at the website (www.avropa.se).