Wins tender at the Ministry of Taxation

Three of the consulting industry's hard-hitting Danish intermediaries have just won a tender in the billions by joining forces in a consortium. The David vs. Goliath victory comes at a time when many public tenders and IT projects have been criticized for a high degree of, among other things, inefficiencies and delays. This new consortium must be the answer to these issues, and results must be achieved through interaction both inside and outside the consortium for the benefit of the Ministry of Taxation, taxpayers and the IT project. Because even though you used to fight against each other, you have to lay down your swords and work together, says the consortium.

A-2, Epico and Sopra Steria. If the names do not ring a bell in the general public, it is legally understandable. Nevertheless, the three Danish consulting firms have just won a billion-kroner tender from the Danish Agency for Development and Simplification (UFST). In addition to the fact that it gives enormous joy to the consortium's participants, it is called a clear signal of new times in the public sector, where the focus will be on the ability to collaborate – both internally and externally as well as with competitors. For the good of all.

"Results are best created in interaction. And that is exactly what this consortium stands for. All parties to the framework agreement have an active interest in us being a success in collaboration and in unity – both within and outside the consortium. This should clearly be an integral part of the future success model for procurement, because it means efficiency and may even mean that the quality of the entire consulting industry is raised. We believe that this is certainly to the benefit of both the taxpayers and the Ministry of Taxation and of course also the individual project parties," says the consortium in a joint statement.

The procurement model of the future is to the advantage of the public sector

The consortium gives great praise to UFST for having chosen to try its hand at an alternative constellation on the projects, which will run from 2024-2028. Most often, large tender projects have gone to one of the large consulting firms, which has aroused criticism of the state's favouritism of "the big ones". But with the new consortium models, two or more players can join forces to jointly be responsible for the delivery of projects.

The winning bid comes in the wake of UFST choosing to change its sourcing strategy, so there will be more focus on results instead of the number of hours spent on the projects. This is a development that means that IT suppliers will have a greater profit obligation and will be held accountable on the delivery to the public sector. This is a development that the consortium welcomes, and the consortium expects significant results and significantly strengthened processes through the interaction of the three actors for the benefit of the public sector – both now and in the future.

"Right now we feel like when you are allowed to come on the football field from the bench, then you also have to show what you are capable of, and we are sure we will do that. We come with security of supply in the form of a constellation of several players who provide advice, execution assistance, interim management and delivery from several parties. The big difference we make here is by each being specialized in our area and offering input from several angles. Then the public sector will also have a more direct way out to those who are involved in the project. When you are in a large organization, you often have to go through a large number of intermediaries. We believe this model is cheaper, more efficient and we are not afraid to take responsibility for the delivery," the consortium concludes.

About the consortium partners

A-2 A/S - Management consultancy A-2 was founded in 2001 and provides independent, specialized consulting services to the public and private sectors in Denmark. A-2 has 40 consultants distributed in Aarhus and Copenhagen and has been named by MyImage as the consultancy with the best customer satisfaction.

Epico-IT A/S - Epico is one of Denmark's largest IT consulting firms. Epico's core business consists of identifying, qualifying, and delivering IT consultants. Every year, Epico provides over 600 consultants to its customers, and the company has developed its own delivery model with a focus on quality in onboarding, qualification, and knowledge sharing for the benefit of its customers.

Sopra Steria A/S - Sopra Steria is one of the Nordic region's leading consultancies in consulting, digitalisation and innovation. We are part of the Sopra Steria Group with over 60,000 employees in almost 30 countries. Sopra Steria is also an existing supplier to the Ministry of Taxation, including the Danish Agency for Development and Simplification, and has provided consultancy, development and projects since the company's foundation in 1961.