A 60-month contract for comprehensive eProcurement platform replacement signals Norway’s second-largest city’s commitment to modern, cloud-based purchasing infrastructure serving municipal operations.

Create a free account and see the full public tender details here: https://app.hermix.com/opportunities/00025283-2026

Bergen Municipality Launches Cloud Procurement System Replacement Tender

A 60-month contract for comprehensive eProcurement platform replacement signals Norway’s second-largest city’s commitment to modern, cloud-based purchasing infrastructure serving municipal operations.
Bergen Kommune, Norway’s second-largest municipality, has published a qualification-phase tender for a new cloud-based procurement system to replace its current UNIT4 ERP ordering platform. With a February 16, 2026 deadline and a five-year contract term, this procurement represents a strategic shift toward independent, integrated eProcurement infrastructure serving Bergen’s extensive municipal operations across Vestland county.
The tender seeks a complete procurement-to-pay solution covering requisitioning, ordering, goods receipt, and reporting—delivered as a cloud service with comprehensive implementation, training, ongoing support, and integration services. Bergen Kommune’s procurement history of 837 contracts worth €2 billion, combined with 1,100 upcoming renewals valued at €3.3 billion, positions this within a sophisticated municipal IT procurement operation where vendor relationships and proven cloud platform expertise drive long-term partnerships.

Opportunity Overview

Contracting Authority: Bergen Kommune (City of Bergen)
Reference Number: 2025/271119
Tender Title: Qualification phase – IK-EEA 2026-010 Procurement of a new Procurement System
Service Scope:
Bergen Kommune requires a comprehensive cloud-based procurement system (eCommerce/ordering platform) replacing the current UNIT4 ERP UBW Economy/e-Procurement system implemented in 2022.
Current System Context:
The existing UNIT4 ERP ordering module is integrated within Bergen’s financial system. The new procurement seeks an independent procurement platform with data exchange managed through integrations, allowing greater flexibility and specialized functionality beyond embedded ERP ordering modules.

Core System Requirements:

Requisitioning and Procurement Lists:

• Registration of procurement needs
• Use of procurement lists and catalogs
• Requirement approval workflows

Order Management:

• Order creation, modification, follow-up, and approval
• Automatic order generation from approved requisitions
• Order tracking and status management

Goods Receipt:

• Registration of received goods and services
• Matching goods receipts against purchase orders
• Returns management and processing

Reporting and Analysis:

• Procurement analytics and dashboards
• Spending analysis by category, supplier, department
• Compliance and exception reporting

EHF Format Support (Norwegian Electronic Invoicing Standard):

• EHF Catalogue integration
• EHF Orders transmission
• EHF Invoice reception
• EHF Punchout for supplier catalogs
• EHF Order Confirmation
• EHF Pakkseddel (delivery notes)

Technical Requirements:

• Mobile device support (smartphones, tablets)
• Role-based user interfaces tailored to different user groups
• Integration capabilities with Bergen’s financial system and other municipal systems
• Data exchange and information synchronization across platforms

Scope Boundaries:

The procurement system covers need-to-receipt processes. Invoice processing, invoice matching, and payment execution remain within Bergen Kommune’s existing financial system.

Contract Inclusions:

• Implementation and system setup
• Training for municipal staff across departments
• Integration development and maintenance
• Ongoing operation and management
• Continuous development and enhancement
• User support services
• Optional: Additional consultancy services and expanded support

Estimated Contract Value: Not disclosed
Contract Duration: 60 months (5 years)
Procedure Type: Negotiated with prior publication of call for competition
Award Criteria: Quality and Price (weightings not disclosed)

Key Dates:

• Publication: January 14, 2026
• Submission Deadline: February 16, 2026 (33 days from publication)

Location: Vestland, Norway (Bergen municipality)
Language Requirements: Norwegian only
EU Funding: No
Contact Details:
Contact Person: Kevin Tobin
Email: kevin.tobin@bergen.kommune.no
Phone: +47 05556
Submission Portal: https://permalink.mercell.com/261120912.aspx

Ready to win Norwegian public sector IT contracts?

Create your free Hermix account at https://hermix.com/sign-up/ and access AI-powered tender analysis, automated monitoring of Norwegian procurement portals, and competitive intelligence across Scandinavia’s public procurement market.

Authority Profile: Bergen Kommune’s Digital Transformation

Bergen Kommune serves Norway’s second-largest city with approximately 285,000 residents across Vestland county. As a body governed by public law responsible for extensive general public services, the municipality operates complex procurement infrastructure supporting education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure, and administrative operations.

The decision to replace a recently implemented UNIT4 ERP ordering system (deployed in 2022) signals Bergen’s recognition that embedded ERP procurement modules, while functional, lack the specialized capabilities required for modern, efficient municipal purchasing operations. This strategic move toward best-of-breed procurement platforms reflects broader Scandinavian public sector trends prioritizing user experience, mobile accessibility, and advanced analytics.

Overall Procurement Activity:

• Total Contract Awards: 837 contracts worth €2 billion
• Active Tender Pipeline: 31 open tenders valued at €104 million
• Renewal Forecast: 1,100 potential renewals worth €3.3 billion

IT Services and Software Procurement:

• Similar Contract Awards: 131 contracts totaling €247 million (average: €2.2M per contract)
• Similar Open Tenders: 8 current opportunities worth €9.8 million
• Similar Renewals: 132 upcoming renewals worth €340 million

Bergen Kommune operates within Norway’s sophisticated municipal IT procurement ecosystem where 2,300 similar authorities collectively represent €10 billion in software and IT services procurement. Success with Bergen positions vendors for relationships across Norwegian kommuner (municipalities) and potentially broader Nordic public sector opportunities.

Competitive Landscape: IT Services Giants and Nordic Specialists

Historical contract awards for similar software and IT services reveal a competitive market dominated by established IT services providers with strong Norwegian public sector presence.

Top Contract Winners (Similar Services):

1. ATEA – €42M across 12 contracts (€3.5M average)
2. SOPRA – €25M across 6 contracts (€4.2M average)
3. CAPGEMINI – €18M across 4 contracts (€5.9M average)
4. KPMG – €18M across 3 contracts (€5.9M average)
5. CRAYON – €8M across 3 contracts (€2.7M average)
6. TELIA – €6.5M across 3 contracts (€2.2M average)
7. MULTICONSULT – €4.7M across 5 contracts (€1.2M average)
8. BDO HOVEDENHET – €3.3M across 4 contracts (€821K average)
9. NORCONSULT HOVEDENHET – €904K across 7 contracts (€151K average)
10. SWECO NORGE HOVEDENHET – €685K across 4 contracts (€228K average)

Key Competitive Observations:

Norwegian Market Dominance: Of 119 similar contracts totaling €247M, all but one (€157K to an Italian contractor) went to Norwegian companies. This overwhelming domestic preference suggests either explicit language and local presence requirements, practical necessities around on-site implementation support in Norwegian, or deep relationships between Norwegian IT providers and municipal procurement teams.

ATEA’s Repeat Business Leadership: With 12 contracts worth €42M (€3.5M average), ATEA demonstrates sustained relationships with Bergen Kommune across multiple IT procurement cycles. This repeat business indicates proven municipal IT capability and likely positions them as a strong contender for this procurement platform replacement.

Software Implementation Specialists: SOPRA’s €25M across 6 contracts (€4.2M average) suggests substantial software implementation projects, potentially including ERP, procurement, or other enterprise systems—directly relevant experience for this tender.

Consultancy Firm Presence: KPMG (€18M), BDO (€3.3M), and multiple Norwegian consultancies indicate Bergen’s willingness to engage advisory firms for IT strategy, implementation oversight, and change management—relevant for bidders considering partnership approaches.

Average Contract Scale: The €2.2M average for similar contracts provides context for likely contract value expectations, though this specific tender’s value remains undisclosed during the qualification phase.

Commercial and Procedural Signals

Qualification Phase Structure:
This tender uses a two-stage procedure beginning with qualification, allowing Bergen Kommune to pre-qualify capable bidders before inviting detailed proposals. Only qualified suppliers will proceed to the negotiated dialogue phase, reducing evaluation workload while ensuring only serious, capable providers compete.

Negotiated Procedure:
The competitive negotiation approach enables Bergen to engage in dialogue with qualified bidders to refine technical solutions, integration approaches, implementation methodologies, and commercial terms—particularly important for complex cloud platform procurement requiring tailored approaches.

Norwegian Language Requirement:
Submissions must be in Norwegian, creating significant barriers for non-Nordic providers. This extends beyond proposal language to encompass product user interfaces, documentation, training materials, and ongoing support—all requiring Norwegian language capability.

Undisclosed Contract Value:
Bergen has not published estimated contract value during qualification phase, likely to avoid anchoring bids and enable flexible negotiation during dialogue stage. Based on similar contracts averaging €2.2M, realistic expectations likely range from €3-8M over five years depending on scope and user count.

Quality and Price Evaluation:
Without disclosed weightings, bidders should balance competitive pricing with strong quality demonstration across functionality, user experience, implementation methodology, integration capability, and ongoing support models.

Strategic Context: Municipal Procurement Modernization

This tender reflects Bergen Kommune’s recognition that efficient procurement processes directly impact municipal operational effectiveness and budget optimization across all departments.

The Replacement Decision:
Bergen’s choice to replace a system implemented just four years ago (2022) signals either significant functional gaps in the UNIT4 ERP embedded procurement module, user adoption challenges, or strategic vision for best-of-breed procurement capabilities unavailable in integrated ERP platforms.

Cloud-First Approach:
Mandating cloud service delivery aligns with Norwegian public sector digital strategies prioritizing operational flexibility, automatic updates, reduced IT infrastructure burden, and disaster recovery resilience through geographically distributed cloud architectures.

Integration Over Integration:
By seeking an independent procurement system integrated with the financial system rather than embedded functionality, Bergen gains specialized procurement capabilities while maintaining financial system investment—a pragmatic approach increasingly common in European municipalities.

Hermix users analyzing Norwegian public tenders gain decisive advantages. The platform delivers instant competitive intelligence on all 10 historical contractors, automated Norwegian-language tender monitoring, and procurement pattern analysis across Bergen’s €2B contract history. Rather than manually navigating Norwegian procurement portals and translating technical specifications, Hermix provides AI-powered insights that help international providers consistently qualify opportunities and win Nordic public sector contracts.

Practical Takeaways for Bidders

Who This Tender Suits:

• Procurement software vendors with cloud-native eProcurement platforms
• Norwegian IT service providers with municipal sector experience
• European providers with Norwegian language capabilities and Nordic presence
• Companies with proven EHF format integration expertise
• Vendors offering comprehensive implementation and change management services

Critical Attention Points:
Norwegian Language Imperative: Beyond proposal translation, success requires Norwegian-language user interfaces, documentation, training materials, help desk support, and implementation consultants. Partner with Norwegian firms if lacking native capabilities.

EHF Format Integration: Norway’s electronic invoicing standards (EHF) are non-negotiable requirements. Demonstrate proven EHF catalogue, order, invoice, punchout, confirmation, and delivery note integrations with Norwegian suppliers and systems.

UNIT4 ERP Migration Experience: Understanding why Bergen is replacing UNIT4 and demonstrating smooth migration from embedded ERP procurement to independent platforms will strengthen your position. Emphasize data migration, user transition, and change management capabilities.

Financial System Integration: Bergen’s financial system handles invoice processing and payment. Detail your integration architecture, data synchronization approaches, and proven connectors to common Norwegian municipal financial platforms.

Municipal Sector References: Norwegian public sector buyers value domestic references. Prioritize showcasing successful implementations for Norwegian kommuner, particularly those of comparable size or complexity to Bergen.

SSA-Cloud Compliance: Familiarize yourself with Norway’s standard cloud services agreement terms, security requirements, and data residency expectations. Demonstrate compliance and willingness to operate under these frameworks.

Mobile-First Design: Norwegian municipal workforces increasingly work remotely or on mobile devices. Emphasize responsive design, native mobile apps, offline capabilities, and user experiences optimized for smartphones and tablets.

Create your free Hermix account today at https://hermix.com/sign-up/ and transform Norwegian public sector tender analysis from days of manual work into minutes of AI-powered competitive intelligence that wins more Nordic contracts.