FAQ public purchase and procurement

Direct awards

What are the conditions of making a direct award?

Firstly, direct awards are solely allowed if the value of the product or service is below 615 312 SEK. Another condition is that there must not be any existing frame agreement for that product or service. The total value of the product or service is calculated and based upon the total spending that would be made during one year. Moreover, the contract value is as well calculated based upon the time limit of the agreement. By following the public procurement regulations regarding documentation, direct awards above the value 100 000 SEK are to be notified to the purchase and procurement unit for approval. In order to make an award request, please find the direct award Excel file on the purchase and procurement’s webpage. After it has been filled in properly, send it to inkopupphandling@ki.se. The direct award request will be given a file number. After the process, a decision will be made whether or not the direct award is approved or if further information is necessary in order to make a decision.

What constitutes a prohibited direct award?

Any direct award which is not in line with the Public Procurement Act is regarded as a prohibited direct award. Examples of such are the following; Direct awards which are above the direct award limit, direct awards which occur during a certain time period - resulting in reaching above the direct award limit, direct awards made by different departments collectively - resulting in exceeding the limit, any direct award of a service or product where there is already an existing frame agreement. 

How do I know the exact spending collectively made by other departments at KI on a certain product or service

The purchase and procurement unit has controllers and also provides statistics. Therefore, when making a direct award, it is important to contact the unit in order to get information on the collective spending made by KI. By doing so, you avoid exceeding the direct award limit. Please contact the unit on the following e-mail address: inkopupphandling@ki.se.

I want to buy a service /product from a company which has a better price compared to the existing frame agreement. Am I allowed to go through with that direct procurement?

No, by doing so you would make prohibited direct award since there is already an existing frame agreement.

I have researched and found 5 different distributors for the service/ product I need. Is it possible for me to receive different offers from these five different distributors?

This could work depending on how low the cost is and that one has contacted the purchase and procurement unit in order to guarantee that there are not more departments who wish to purchase the service/ product, so that the total value is not exceeded for direct award.

Do the frame agreements include the specific distributor/company or is it just for the services and products that they sell?

The frame agreements are exclusively for certain products and services. Therefore, just because a company has a frame agreement with KI, it does not mean that all the products and services which that company offers, are included.

To whom and how can I give suggestions on companies which we at the different departments at KI frequently use, but are not in the frame agreement?

At the purchase and procurement unit we use statistics in order to observe the frequent use of certain services and products. However, it is important to point out that it is not possible for us at the unit in any way to force a company to be part of a frame agreement if it does not wish to do so. Nevertheless, we gladly receive any form of tips and information regarding companies that you wish to have a frame agreement with. In such way we can inform the company about upcoming ads. Please send your suggestions to inkopupphandling@ki.se.

Where can I find information about environmental requirements?

For more information please visit the National Agency for Public Procurement's website.

Lab

See document with answers on questions on the major framework agreements for lab.

Travels

Is it possible to purchase an Arlanda Express ticket at the travel agency which KI has a frame agreement with?

Unfortunately that is not possible at the moment.

Is it possible for me to book hotels abroad through the travel agency?

The travel agency has a specified set of services. To some extent it is possible to book hotels abroad as well. Therefore, it is always a good start to ask them about the possibilities they have of booking a hotel.

Can I book an airport taxi through the travel agency?

Yes, the travel agency has all the information in regards to the frame agreements from KI.

How do I order a taxi or a flight ticket for someone other than myself?

It is possible to order a taxi or a flight for someone who does not have their own traveler profile at the agency. Then it is important to give one’s ZZcode for invoices, where the confirmation should be sent, the name of the person who travels and the person’s phone number in case the taxi company needs to get hold of the traveler.

Conferences/venues

What do I do when the conference venue I need is not part of KI’s frame agreement?

Firstly, you should always in first hand turn to the conference venues which has a frame agreement with KI. If there is no frame agreement you can also visit the webpage avropa.se. This is the governmental webpage for all procurements.

Catering

Where can I find the KI frame agreements in regards to catering?

In the frame agreement catalog, you can find all the agreements, these are also categorized for you to easier find what you are looking for. The catalog can also be found by clicking on ”KI agreements” in “Digital tools” on the Staff Portal.