State buyers must justify bypassing joint deals from 1 January

State authorities face rewritten coordination duties from 1 JanuarySvenskforfattningssamling 2027Svenskforfattningssamling. SFS 2026:1855, issued on 5 November and published on 10 November 2026, gives §§2–4 of förordningen (1998:796) om statlig inköpssamordning new wordingSvenskforfattningssamling. The ordinance governs how state myndigheter buy goods and services, and the amended sections take effect at the turn of the yearSvenskforfattningssamling with no transition period stated.

The starting point is joint coverage. For goods and services that authorities procure frequently, in large volumes or for large values, framework agreements or other joint agreements that make the procurements more efficient must existSvenskforfattningssamling. When those agreements are set up, the scope for small and medium-sized enterprises to take part in the procurements must be taken into accountSvenskforfattningssamling. The SME consideration is part of the section itself, so authorities and the coordinating bodies cannot treat it as an optional add-on when designing the joint coverSvenskforfattningssamling.

Use of the joint cover becomes the default. An authority must use the agreements referred to in §2 unless it finds that another form of agreement is altogether betterSvenskforfattningssamling. The comparison is aggregate — a different arrangement must be better overall, not merely cheaper on one line or more convenient in one caseSvenskforfattningssamling — and the authority itself makes that assessmentSvenskforfattningssamling. Anything short of an altogether better alternative leaves the duty to use the joint agreements in place.

The coordination role is assigned explicitly. Upphandlingsmyndigheten must work to ensure that agreements of the kind described in §2 are concluded. And where an authority intends to procure without using them, it must notify Upphandlingsmyndigheten of its reasonsSvenskforfattningssamling. The notification duty bites at the intention stage, before the off-framework procurement goes aheadSvenskforfattningssamling, and it calls for reasons, so a bare statement that the authority prefers another route does not satisfy it.

In practice, state buyers should map their 2027 pipelines now against the frequency, volume and value triggers, check which joint agreements will cover them, document any altogether-better assessment contemporaneously, and build the reasons-notification to Upphandlingsmyndigheten into the procurement timetableSvenskforfattningssamling. Suppliers — particularly small and medium-sized enterprises — gain a stated foothold: their scope to participate must be weighed when the joint agreements are shapedSvenskforfattningssamling.

Legal basis is SFS 2026:1855 amending 2–4 §§ förordningen (1998:796) om statlig inköpssamordning, issued 5 November 2026 with entry into force 1 January 2027Svenskforfattningssamling.