Norway

Issue: Gaps in procurement regulations and need for improved strategic procurement policies

• While Norway's procurement system complies with EU regulations, concerns exist over the impact of recent regulatory changes, such as increased procurement thresholds, which may reduce transparency and SME participation.
• The legal framework allows for strategic procurement, but implementation remains inconsistent across contracting authorities.

Recommendations:

• Monitor the impact of increased procurement thresholds to assess effects on transparency and SME participation.
• Strengthen guidance and support for contracting authorities to encourage consistent application of strategic procurement policies.
• Ensure continued alignment with EU procurement directives while adapting regulations to Norway’s specific needs.

Issue: Need for enhanced professionalization and capacity-building in procurement

• Decentralized procurement places significant responsibility on procurement officials, but training and professionalization efforts are inconsistent.
• Smaller municipalities and decentralized entities struggle with capacity constraints and lack of procurement expertise.

Recommendations:

• Develop a national strategy for procurement professionalization to ensure minimum competency levels across all government levels.
• Expand training and certification programs for procurement officials, especially in municipalities and smaller contracting entities.
• Enhance the role of the central purchasing body (Statens innkjøpssenter) in supporting smaller entities and streamlining procurement processes.

Issue: Limited use of procurement data and lack of performance monitoring

• While Norway has a functional e-procurement system, data collection on procurement performance is inadequate.
• SMEs face barriers in accessing public procurement opportunities due to complex procedures and lack of targeted support.

Recommendations:

• Improve procurement data collection and analysis by developing a performance monitoring framework using e-procurement data.
• Enhance access to procurement opportunities for SMEs through simplified procedures and better outreach efforts.
• Encourage interoperability of e-procurement systems to cover the full procurement cycle and ensure consistency across all government levels.

Issue: Gaps in procurement oversight and whistleblower protection

• The complaints and appeals system functions well, but the Norwegian Complaints Board for Public Procurement (KOFA) lacks binding authority in most cases.
• Whistleblower protection laws exist but require further strengthening to ensure procurement-related concerns can be safely reported.

Recommendations:

• Strengthen KOFA’s authority by enabling it to issue binding decisions in a broader range of procurement disputes.
• Enhance procurement integrity training for officials at all levels of government, particularly in decentralized entities.
• Develop more robust whistleblower protection mechanisms to encourage the reporting of procurement-related misconduct.