‍Picture Editing: Alexander Agelou

DigitalTolk has had the privilege of interviewing Josefin Hägg, a procurement officer in Laholms Municipality, about her experiences of procurement with a focus on quality. Her insights provide insight into the procurement process and the emphasis on quality in the public sector.

In Laholm Municipality, goods and services are procured according to the Public Procurement Act. This is a process that varies depending on the specific goods or services that need to be procured. Josefin Hägg, public procurement officer in the municipality, shares her insights from the procurement process and how it has changed in terms of interpreter services.

User Involvement and Follow-up

As the contract for interpreter mediation services approached its closing date, Josefin took the initiative to consult the users of the contract, such as school, social services and care, to evaluate what worked well and less well during the contract period. This is a way of working that the procurement unit always follows when previous contracts are about to be renewed, which involves understanding the needs of users and adapting the procurement base and evaluation criteria accordingly.

This is a course of action I always follow when we have previous agreements. It usually helps us who work with procurement to understand what needs to be changed in the data base and whether we need to adjust our evaluation method.

Josefin explains that in areas such as social services, school and care, where time is a scarce resource, the goal is to have an ordering system that is simple and easy to use. She mentions that her own experiences as a former nurse have given her perspective on how smoothly simple systems for interpreter orders could be and how valuable it is for users.

I myself have previously worked as a nurse and have used interpreter services to some extent. Even if it was many years ago now, it would have been much more efficient with a simple system for booking interpreters.

A quality-oriented procurement process

In the previous interpreter procurement process, many users thought that they would ideally like to call and order an interpreter, but over time digitization has taken over. With the new procurement, Josefin saw that development has moved forward, not least through the smart solutions currently available on the market.

The Procurement Unit in Laholm tries to focus on supplier dialogue where possible. For example, meetings are held with potential suppliers instead of the process being based on how well they can articulate themselves in text. The entire procurement process was thus, in the procurement of interpreting services, focused on quality and scoring. Bidders were asked to describe how they would increase the availability of interpreters and deal with discrepancies. The supplier who was able to demonstrate the best quality work won the procurement, which highlights the importance of quality in public procurement.

Challenges and successes

Josefin mentions that one of the challenges during the procurement process was that the users of the services, such as school, care and care, had a lot to do and it was difficult to find time for consultations. Nevertheless, she is grateful for the commitment shown by the Reference Group and their efforts, which enabled the establishment of a well-functioning agreement.

This procurement has proved to be one of the most rewarding in Josefin's career, mainly due to its clear focus on quality and the cooperation with suppliers. The process provided an opportunity for deeper interaction with suppliers as well as a greater understanding of their work and how they can improve services.

This procurement is one of the most rewarding I have been in, perhaps because we focused entirely on quality.

Advice to other public authorities

Josefin shares his advice to other public authorities seeking to improve their procurement process. She urges active communication with suppliers and a curious attitude. Since Laholms Municipality procures a wide variety of categories, from waste collection to flower arrangements, they are constantly learning and adopting appropriate working methods to ensure efficient and quality procurements.

My advice to other public authorities, who want to improve their procurement process, is to actively communicate with suppliers and have a curious attitude.

In Josefin Häggs' story, we clearly see the importance of user involvement, the emphasis on quality and adaptation to digital platforms in the ever-changing world of public procurement. Laholms Kommun has successfully navigated this challenging journey, and their experiences can be a role model for other municipalities striving to improve their procurement processes.