Procurement, IT and data protection
Buying from Openers - the route through public procurement
Openers is bought under public procurement law. Here are the routes to contract, where a demo and written RFI belong, and how to make data control evaluable. Start with a bounded pilot when the estimated value allows it.
Routes to a contract
The path depends on where you start
For a broad rollout you advertise your own procedure. Above the thresholds the directive procedures apply; below them the national rules. Requirements come from your needs analysis.
A bounded pilot can be awarded directly if the estimated value - under the rules for calculating value - sits below the direct-award threshold. The pilot becomes input to a wider procedure. We do not replace your procurement lawyer.
Openers is not on a national dynamic purchasing system or the central licensing framework today. Until that changes, the route is your own procedure or a bounded first wave. We will say so when a framework route actually exists.
Process
Steps in your order
Demo and the first assignment sit in the middle. A full contract comes after you have evidence.
Step 1: Needs analysis and RFI
Map needs and the market. Written questions give you fileable input to the pre-study.
Step 2: Demo
See the offerings that match your requirements. Not a generic tour, not a purchase.
Step 3: Pre-study or pilot
Try it in real work. A bounded pilot gives verified requirements instead of assumptions.
Step 4: Advertisement or call-off
Requirements from the pre-study become the tender documents in the procedure you chose.
Step 5: Evaluation and contract
Tenders are tested against the stated requirements. Then implementation with knowledge transfer and a documented exit.
Demo
What you leave a demo with
A demo is part of market analysis. It is not a purchase.
A shared picture of needs, goals and requirements
The Openers offerings that matter to you - not a generic product tour
Written answers to written questions, which you can file
A proposed next step: pre-study, bounded pilot or a deeper session
Before you buy
Dialogue on equal terms
Ask in writing. You get answers you can use in the pre-study and tender. Equal treatment and transparency apply.
The law does not bar supplier dialogue before advertisement when it is open and equal. The demo is market analysis, not award.
Evaluation
Make the need measurable
Ask every supplier the same thing. The wording is about your need, not a product name.
| Need to state | How it becomes evaluable |
|---|---|
| Ask for hosting location, operating model and applicable law per information class. | Swedish or EU hosting. No routine third-country transfer. The model can be chosen per class. |
| Where relevant, require SDK according to DIGG’s framework, and ask how the chain is built. | A client in the workspace plus an approved message service and access point. Nextcloud is the core - not the DIGG listing. |
| State which eIDs and assurance levels must be supported. | BankID, Freja eID or SITHS against your IdP. Not a foreign cloud account as the only door. |
| Ask for source access and what happens at the end of the contract. | Open source in the core, documented export and an exit you can rehearse. |
Beyond the tool
Commitments you can write into a contract
We stay until the first wave is in use. Scope is contracted and can be followed up.
Export formats and timeline sit in the contract. You should be able to leave without buying your way out of a format.
Materials and knowledge transfer are part of the first assignment so you are not dependent on us to continue.
References
References are built in first assignments
We do not borrow other vendors’ customer lists. An approved first assignment can, after your written yes, be given as a verifiable reference in a later tender. Until then you evaluate us on delivery in the pilot, not on logos on a website.
FAQ
Questions we hear before a first assignment
Can we require open source without risking a challenge?
Requirements must be linked to the need and proportionate. Write verifiable needs - inspection, further development, less lock-in - rather than a product name. Have your procurement lawyer review the wording before advertisement.
We already called off Microsoft 365. Can we still start?
Yes. An existing contract does not block needs analysis, a demo or a bounded pilot. New tools can coexist during a transition. It is not a hard stop on day one.
How do we assess a tender that looks abnormally low because it uses open source?
Ask for an explanation and a cost structure by line: operations, support, implementation, upkeep. Do not compare only against a per-user licence.
Why are there no prices on the website?
A public price list could be used by competitors. Prices are given in quotes and tenders. In the tender file they are complete. You decide secrecy if someone asks for the documents.
Can we try before we run a procedure?
Yes. A demo is supplier dialogue. A bounded pilot can be directly awarded if the value sits under the threshold. That is the path we recommend when you want a first reference together.
Next step: a first assignment you can evaluate
A demo and a written RFI cost nothing. A pilot, trial or first project is how we earn a reference you approve.