Improved competences, better acquisitions

The skills needed in procurement change and the number of skills increase along with developments in legislation and digitalisation. Hansel’s role as a provider of expert services has broadened year by year, and its role as a developer of expertise has also strengthened.

In 2017, Hansel’s experts provided training and gave lectures at over 20 events or organisations, including the Finnish Patent and Registration Office, Alma Talent, the Association of Finnish Lawyers, Aalto University, Edita, and the Federation of Finnish Enterprises. In addition, Hansel experts are regular trainers in programmes provided by the HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd.

Topics covered include the new Act on Public Contracts, ICT contracts, and other topics related to procurement and its development.

Impact and responsibility included in the revised purchasing guide

A new version of the government purchasing guide (Valtion hankintakäsikirja) was published in June 2017, and its primary author was Liisa Lehtomäki, Development Manager at Hansel. The guide is based on the new Act on Public Contracts, which necessitated changes to the guide published in 2010.

The purpose of the purchasing guide is to harmonise purchasing practices in the government, as well as support the development of procurement and the preparation of purchasing guidelines. It illustrates the key stages in the tendering processes for various types of public acquisitions.

The guide provides support in the organisation of procurement and planning of acquisitions, as well as the agreement stage and post-acquisition activities. As a new addition, the revised purchasing guide also includes a section on corporate responsibility, innovation, and the impact of public acquisitions.

Development and new perspectives highlighted at Hansel events

Hansel events gather together people interested in and working with procurement, providing them opportunities to share and receive information, exchange experiences, and engage in networking. These events are planned heeding customers’ wishes, and they vary from workshops for a few dozen people to online seminars to events for hundreds of people.

Experts often expect events to offer versatile and topical content in a concise form. The purpose of the ICT theme day held in October 2017 was to promote cooperation between customers and suppliers. Held in Wanha Satama, the fair-like, fact-packed ICT day also offered customers an opportunity to acquaint themselves with suppliers’ products and services in person and to forge relationships that might lead to cooperation. Organised jointly by Hansel and the government ICT centre Valtori, the event attracted nearly 250 customers. The framework agreements for the IT sector were well represented by more than 30 exhibitioners.

Besides organising conventional events, it has also been requested that Hansel function as a party that brings together various procurement operators. The Hansel Networks, utilising inclusive methods, and the Yammer channel, focusing on electronic tendering processes, for example, have received a lot of positive feedback.