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Public Procurement in Sweden

Public procurement in Sweden is a central mechanism for delivering public services, infrastructure, and welfare outcomes across national, regional, and municipal levels. As a high-income economy with a strong rule-of-law tradition, Sweden’s procurement system is highly regulated, transparent, and closely aligned with European Union public procurement directives. Procurement policy emphasizes competition, value for money, sustainability, and social responsibility.

The system is largely decentralized, with contracting authorities operating independently but within a harmonized legal and institutional framework. Several specialized agencies support procurement policy, oversight, framework agreements, and sustainability guidance.

Country & Economic Overview

International Memberships

• African Development Bank (AfDB)
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
• European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)

World Bank Country Page: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/sweden

Public Procurement Institutional Framework

• Ministry of Finance: Overall responsibility for public financial management and procurement policy
• National Agency for Public Procurement: Guidance, sustainability criteria, tools, and statistics
• Swedish Competition Agency: Oversight, enforcement, and compliance monitoring
• Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet): Central purchasing body

Official Websites:

• https://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/ministry-of-finance/
• https://www.upphandlingsmyndigheten.se/en
• http://www.konkurrensverket.se/en
• https://www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start

Central Purchasing Bodies (CPBs)

Legal & Regulatory Framework

Public procurement in Sweden is governed by national legislation implementing EU procurement directives.

• Swedish Public Procurement Act (Lag 2016:1145)

Key Legal Sources:

• https://www.upphandlingsmyndigheten.se/upphandla/om-upphandlingsreglerna/
• https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/

Procurement Procedures & Thresholds

• Direct Award Threshold: SEK 615,312 (higher threshold of SEK 2,156,469 for welfare services)
• EU Thresholds: As defined under Directive 2014/24/EU and national law SFS 2020:8
• Advertisement Periods: Vary depending on procurement procedure
• Direct Contracting: Chapter 19 §7 (3) and Chapter 19 §36

E-Procurement Environment

Sweden does not operate a single national eProcurement platform. Instead, multiple commercial platforms are used by contracting authorities.

• E-avrop - http://info.e-avrop.com/
• EU-Supply - http://www.eu-supply.com/
• Mercell - https://www.mercell.com
• Visma Opic - https://www.opic.com/
• Konstpool - https://www.konstpool.se

• Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) is used
• Electronic publication and tendering are standard practice

Transparency, Statistics & Reporting

• Judicial review and independent complaint mechanisms
• Extensive publication of procurement statistics
• Annual procurement reports publicly available

Key Resources:

• https://www.upphandlingsmyndigheten.se/globalassets/publikationer/rapporter/statistikrapport_2019_webb.pdf
• http://www.konkurrensverket.se/publikationer/

Sustainability & Green Public Procurement

• National sustainable public procurement strategy in place
• Green procurement practices are mandatory in certain areas
• Central guidance provided by the National Agency for Public Procurement

Official Portal: https://www.upphandlingsmyndigheten.se/en/sustainable-public-procurement/

Social & Ethical Considerations

• Integration of environmental, social, and labor standards
• Alignment with EU social and labor regulations
• No fixed statutory quotas for women-owned or disadvantaged businesses

Practical Considerations for Suppliers

• Strong familiarity with EU procurement rules is required
• Electronic tendering is widely used
• Framework agreements provide long-term market access
• Evaluation commonly prioritizes quality and sustainability over lowest price

Public Procurement in Sweden is widely regarded as one of the most transparent and sustainability-driven procurement systems globally. Its robust legal framework, advanced institutional support, and strong emphasis on value for money and green procurement make Sweden an attractive and competitive public procurement market.