Public procurement – successful AV procurement

Public AV procurement must combine user needs, technical quality and the requirements of procurement law. AVITA provides information and practical tips on how to tender for AV equipment and systems in a fair, transparent and efficient way.

ABC of public AV procurement

The cornerstones of a successful AV procurement are a careful needs assessment, an open dialogue with the market, appropriate technical specifications and clear and objective benchmarks. This page describes the key principles that public purchasers can follow to promote fair competition and obtain an AV solution that meets users’ needs.

The cornerstones of a successful AV purchase

For example, you can raise these as raises / bullets right from the start:

Technical dialogue before the call for tenders

A technical dialogue with several AV operators before issuing a call for tenders is an excellent way to find out what solutions are available on the market and how they meet end-users’ needs.

Through discussions with the acquirer:

Technical requirements – enough but not too much

In the technical specifications of the AV equipment and systems to be purchased, it is important to refrain from overly detailed mandatory specifications. If there is no clear and justified need for a particular feature, it should be left out of the specifications.

Individual, well-defined characteristics or requirements referring to specific models of equipment may:

The aim is to define performance, purpose and quality of the end result – not a list of features of a single product.

Overall economic advantage and comparative criteria

The comparative criteria for overall economic advantage must be clear and objectively assessable. Tenderers have the right to know at the time of submitting their tenders how the tenders will be scored and how the different factors will be weighted.

Expressions that are too general and open to interpretation, such as “quality”, “suitability to needs” or “overall quality”, are not in themselves sufficient as criteria for comparison. Instead, it is worth describing in concrete terms, for example:

Precise and objectively assessable benchmarks:

Benefit from the expertise of an AV designer

Using the expertise of an independent AV designer to prepare a tender is often a sensible solution. Experienced designers can:

This gives the contracting authority access to market knowledge and technical expertise, while keeping the tendering process open and fair.

Read more about public AV procurement

Public procurement and technical solutions have been discussed in Jarkko Tuominen’s thesis, which examines the Procurement Act and technical procurement in municipal theatres and multi-purpose halls.