Paper info

PREPARING FOR COMPETITIVE TENDERING: LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC PROCURER

Anne Holma , Anne Söderman and Johanna Sammalmaa

The paper was published at the 32nd IMP-conference in Poznan, Poland in 2016.

The preparatory phase of public competitive tendering (actions taken before the contract is signed) lacks the same stringent regulations that restrict public procurement practices in general. However, the possibilities to develop this phase together with suppliers in order to find the best solutions to the end-customers’ needs may not be fully exploited. By applying inter-organizational learning theories, we set out to investigate the opportunities for learning that the preparatory phase provides. Our qualitative research is based on longitudinal case studies and action research approach. We explore and compare preparatory phases of six different competitive tenderings in three Finnish municipalities, and suggest joint activities that would promote learning.