Region Skåne hired an interim manager without following the procurement rules

In September 2021, the operative manager for one of the operative areas at the Central Hospital in Kristianstad resigned. This was the fourth operative manager to quit within three years.

In the view of Region Skåne, an internal recruitment was not appropriate due to the work environment problems that had existed between various professional groups for several years. Therefore, in January 2022, the region concluded a contract for a temporary operative manager with an undertaking that provides interim managers. The procurement, with a total value of SEK 2.9 million, was not published with a contract notice in accordance with the procurement rules.

Region Skåne justifies the lack of publication with extreme urgency. The Swedish Competition Authority underlines the fact that it was known that three managers had already quit. The region had also known that the operative manager in question had resigned for at least four months before the contract for the interim manager was concluded. Thus, the future need for a new manager was predictable.

‘The exemption in the procurement rules for extreme urgency can only be used in very exceptional circumstances. In order not to place themselves in extremely urgent situations, it is important that contracting authorities plan ahead and ensure that no illegal direct awards are made’, says Rikard Jermsten, Director-General of the Swedish Competition Authority.

The Swedish Competition Authority is now petitioning to the Administrative Court in Malmö that Region Skåne be issued a procurement fine of SEK 250,000 for having performed an illegal direct award.

Marie Strömberg Lindvall, Press Officer, +46 (0)76 542 15 92, marie.stromberglindvall@kkv.se
Maria Andersson Müller, Legal counsel, +46 (0)8 700 15 65, maria.anderssonmuller@kkv.se

Read the application, dnr 806/2022 (in Swedish)