The social services in the city of Gothenburg were to once again procure IT services worth hundreds of millions of kronor. The then supplier, in a contract that was about to expire, was then given a special position, according to an email exchange that Sveriges Radio's Eco-editor has seen.
When a competitor wanted to know more about the technical systems, the then supplier was involved in deciding what response the competitor would receive. The company was also told that they had to turn to the existing supplier for further answers.
It is completely absurd that a supplier should have to go to a competitor to obtain information, says Andrea Sundstrand, associate professor of public law at Stockholm University, to Ekot.
Frida Johansson, head of HR and security at the Social Administration Northeast in Gothenburg, agrees that the arrangement was not correct.
The Swedish Competition Authority is now reviewing the deal.
