The purpose of the Procurement Strategy is to support the City in successful service provision and the implementation of the City Strategy. Procurements can be utilised more efficiently in coordinating the City’s operations and services by considering the key forces driving change in society with particular emphasis on the special needs of Helsinki and the entire City Group. In order to succeed, the strategic goals of procurements must be updated to support the City Strategy.

The operating environment of Helsinki is changing rapidly and, consequently, so is the demand for public contracts. Sustainable development and responsibility, product and operational innovation, platform economy, digitalisation and the professional development of sellers and buyers in the market are key forces behind the change. The requirements related to changes in the City Group’s service structure and accessibility and data protection have a strong impact on the City’s operations. It is increasingly difficult to ensure the quality of services.

The aforementioned phenomena affect public procurement. Both at the national and international level, there is increasing pressure on public contracts to promote the goals tied to these phenomena. The requirements of knowledge-based management and the fragmentation of long supply chains also have an impact on public procurement. The way of doing procurements is changing, and impact-based procurements and alliances, among others, are examples of the new concepts used in public procurement.