Acquisitions in the Imatra region taken over - HIH
Taking control of procurement in the Imatra region - HIH project was a project implemented in 2018-2020, funded by the Häme ELY center (business environment development assistance, ERDF funding), the province and the city of Imatra. The total budget was around 125 euros, of which the ELY Center was responsible for around 000 euros. The share of the city of Imatra was around 90 euros.
The project was carried out in close cooperation with the entrepreneurs' association, Etelä-Karjala Yrittäjie, and the corresponding HEH project in Lappeenranta - Procurement in Etelä-Karjala haltuulu. The projects employed four new employees, three of them in Lappeenranta and one in Imatra.
The main goals of the HIH project were to develop the procurement operating models of the city of Imatra in a direction more like business cooperation, where already when defining the need for procurement, the up-to-date and expert view of the field obtained from companies and opportunities to solve the need of the procurement unit in a possible new way are utilized. In addition, the goal was to support companies' interests in developing and developing their own operations by improving their ability to respond to public requests for tenders at a provincial level, and thereby also nationally.
The goal of the project, from the point of view of the area's business life, was to improve the operating environment of the province's companies and develop their capabilities to respond to public requests for tenders. The aim of the project was to increase the provincial vitality and to increase the area's procurement know-how among public actors as well as entrepreneurs in the area.
Measures to achieve the goals include the development of procurement planning, so that they are known and predictable early enough for the companies in the region. The aim is to develop market dialogue with business life, the purpose is to find new ways to define the needs of public procurement units and to get them to better respond to current developments in different industries. The material collected in the project was made available to other municipalities and procurement units in the province to help them develop their operations.
In the project, an extensive survey was carried out for small and medium-sized companies in the area, with more than 100 respondents. Based on the survey, the city of Imatra gained more information about the area's supply and procurement potential, and at the same time, the supplier register was expanded. In addition, procurement processes were developed using research data, e.g. still easier for entrepreneurs.
All in all, the project was successful in its goals and the city of Imatra will continue to strive to increase dialogue in the direction of the regional business life.