Competitive Dialogue in Practice.

Abstract: Public procurement is often regarded as rigid, which is why competitive dialogue was implemented. It was also believed to give rise to technical innovations and to create beneficial buying conditions for the public sector. However, many people are sceptic of it, arguing that it does not meet the principles of equal treatment of suppliers and transparency. This thesis seeks to investigate the potential of competitive dialogue and to identify its main challenges. A study of Sweden’s first large infrastructure contract, the Kvarnholmen link, procured with competitive dialogue was therefore undertaken, as well as an extensive literature review. The results show that competitive dialogue is beneficial in several ways: It involves contractors at an early stage and encourages them to find the best solutions to the lowest price. The suppliers get to adapt their tenders to their competence and to take benefit from it. This is a model that seems to have a great potential to improve both public procurement and urban planning.