The Public Procurement of IS -- A Process View

This paper addresses a lack of research into public procurement of information systems, especially from a process focus. Three case studies from IS procurement in Norwegian municipalities are presented. By following one of the procurements in detail, the paper shows a process with a very strict phased division, an approach quite different from today´s agile system development methods. The cases show the importance of the requirement specification which is completed before talking to vendors. They also show the need for clarifying the content of the offer, through a dialogue with the vendor. A number of critical incidents are identified, involving the interests of different stakeholders. Continual management of stakeholders and of the procurement process through to implementation and acceptance testing are highlighted.