Reply: Idermark avoids the issue of hidden purchases
We note that Thomas Idermark devotes a large part of his reply in Dagens Samhälle on April 22 to clarify the legal situation regarding whether SKL Kommentus Inköpscentral (SKI) is subject to the principle of public access to official records or not. However, this is not the focus of our argumentation. The factual issue we want to highlight is very simple, namely that the documents that were public when the procurements were carried out by the contracting authorities are no longer so when the purchases are carried out by SKI. This means that citizens and entrepreneurs have gained less insight into how business with the public sector is conducted.
The comparison that Idermark makes with trade union movements and consumer cooperatives is not relevant in this context. No one has claimed that SKL is not democratically governed. We believe, however, that the handling of documents in SKI's procurements undermines transparency and openness in the public sector with regard to its purchases. This is a democracy issue for Swedish administration, something that should be close to SKL's heart.
Above all, we are interested in how SKL's board views the issue of democracy and transparency. This issue is important for both citizens and entrepreneurs and aims to promote competition, strengthen legal certainty and counteract corruption. Is it really SKL's intention to hide documents from the public?
Therese Klaar, Head of Procurement, Ekerö Municipality
Niklas Fyhr, Business Policy Expert, IT&Telecom companies within Almega
Johan Almesjö, Director, Inköp Gävleborg
Birgitta Laurent, Expert on procurement and competition issues, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise
Ulrica Dyrke, Procurement Expert, Företagarna
The reply was published in its entirety on Dagens Samhälles website 2014-04-28, opens in new window.