Karolinska Institutet performed an illegal direct award of contract

After the Swedish Competition Authority received a tip-off, an investigation was initiated of Karolinska Institutet's purchase of molecular biological products. Previously, such purchases have been covered by framework agreements. In spite of the expiry of the framework agreement, and without a new and correctly procured agreement in place, Karolinska Institutet has nevertheless purchased molecular biological products.

"If public purchases are not subject to competition through an open tendering procedure, the opportunity is lost to get the best contract at the best price," says Rikard Jermsten, Director General of the Swedish Competition Authority.

"There are strict requirements for the planning and organisation of a procuring authority. Shortcomings in this planning do not allow direct awards to be made in an illegal way.”

The value of the unlawful direct award is estimated at just over SEK 126,000,000.

"The purchases in this case have been made without transparency, which makes them difficult to detect. All forms of tip-offs and information about suspected violations of procurement rules are therefore important to us in our supervisory work,” says Rikard Jermsten.

The Swedish Competition Authority now demands that the Administrative Court of Stockholm orders Karolinska Institutet to pay SEK 8,000,000 by way of a procurement fine.

Read the application, dnr 512/2019 (in Swedish)