The police's previous agreement on so-called scale clothing expired in January 2021. A new procurement was announced two years later. It was then interrupted in September 2023. To avoid risking being without rain gear, the authority therefore turned directly to the supplier with a purchase order.
"The main rule is that procurements must be announced so that all interested suppliers are given the same opportunities to submit bids. Exceptions to the announcement obligation may only be used under very exceptional circumstances," says the Director-General of the Competition Authority, Marie Östman, in a press release.
The value of the purchases amounts to approximately 47 million kronor, according to the Authority.
The Police Authority believes that it was not possible to put the agreement out to tender because it would take too long for a new supplier to start production on such a large scale as the police needed.
According to the Competition Authority, however, the authority should have had better foresight and already in January 2021 realized that there would be a need for rain gear and thus been able to conduct an announced procurement.
The Police Authority must therefore pay four million kronor in procurement damages for conducting an unauthorized direct procurement.
The Competition Authority's decision can be appealed to the Administrative Court in Stockholm.
