New teams give Demand Acceleration national reach

Eight teams are participating in an initiative to give the Demand Acceleration methodology national reach. Helsingborg is also in the starting blocks for a live procurement, seeking innovative solutions that can radically reduce the city’s emissions.

The Demand Acceleration methodology has been developed within DigitalWell Arena. It combines public procurement with innovation. In concrete terms, an innovation process is procured – not finished products and services. So far, the methodology has been tested once in practice, when Karlstad Municipality procured a virtual training tool for care staff. Karlstad is now in the starting blocks for a further procurement.

Creating a training concept together

The current initiative (“Train the Trainer”) focuses on creating a training concept so that more actors within the innovation sphere can provide process facilitation for procurements. Marie-Louise Eriksson and Jakob Lindvall are leading two intensive training days in Stockholm. In total, around 30 people are participating, divided into eight teams, geographically spread from Jämtland to Skåne. The training places were booked quickly – despite minimal marketing.

Jakob Lindvall and Marie-Louise Eriksson led the training on behalf of DigitalWell Arena – and have also created an initial handbook to support Demand Acceleration procurements.

According to Jakob Lindvall, the aim is to “train the trainers,” where all participants bring specialist expertise that can further develop the Demand Acceleration methodology.

– The handbook you are receiving is a version 0.8. Together we can make it much better… before we ask ChatGPT to translate it into every language in the world, he said with a touch of humour during the opening address.

Karlstad serves as the model

The theoretical principles behind Demand Acceleration and the experiences from Karlstad’s procurement form the foundation of the training. At the same time, the “pilot process” created in close collaboration between Karlstad and DigitalWell Arena is now to be refined and shaped into a nationally scalable model.

– We expect adaptations to the methodology depending on the context. For example, there is an enormous difference between procuring products and system solutions, but the thinking and principles of Demand Acceleration still form the core. We also want to gain a deeper understanding of what is obvious, what is new, and what is important from a pedagogical perspective. There is a lot of “tacit knowledge” that needs to be made visible, says Marie-Louise Eriksson.

Niklas Tideklev brought Norrköping and Linköping Science Parks to build new innovation capacity in Östergötland.

Niklas Tideklev, Business and Innovation Strategist at Region Östergötland, had brought Norrköping and Linköping Science Parks to the training initiative. Their ambition is to build their own regional capacity to provide process facilitation for procurements.

– I believe there is interest in both the municipalities and the region, but the public sector will find it difficult to procure according to the Demand Acceleration methodology on its own. It is therefore essential that this knowledge is spread to more intermediaries, says Niklas Tideklev.

Several teams consist of established constellations with the capacity to carry out procurements together. There are also leads for potential procurements – for example, Borås Science Park has stakeholders who want to develop circular models for workwear. And Peak Innovation has ideas on how the methodology could be used to stimulate regional growth.

Live procurement in Helsingborg

Helsingborg is the only public actor participating in the training without the company of an intermediary. They will in parallel initiate a live procurement with the support of DigitalWell Arena. The ambition is to find innovative solutions that can radically reduce the climate footprint of the municipality’s public consumption – consumption that annually amounts to SEK 3.4 billion and 115,000 tonnes of CO₂e.

Ann-Sophie Gustafsson, Development Manager at Karlstad Municipality, played a leading role as the representative of the only municipality that has procured with the support of Demand Acceleration.

Despite the teams’ geographical spread, varying backgrounds, and differing conditions, it is still easy to find a common denominator, says Marie-Louise Eriksson:

– Everyone has a mandate to drive innovation from a regional perspective, and can see that public procurement is a tool that should be able to do just that. Now both they and we are curious about how this can happen through Demand Acceleration.

In addition to new knowledge, an expanded network, and stimulating discussions, participants also received a brand new handbook on the methodology. It is released under a Creative Commons licence, meaning the material can be freely developed further.

Teams participating in the initiative:

• Peak Innovation, Östersund Municipality, and Region Jämtland Härjedalen
• Linköping Science Park, Norrköping Science Park, and Region Östergötland
• Leap for Life, Region Halland, and Varberg Municipality
• Kista Science City
• All Age Hub and Sahlgrenska Science Park
• Borås Science Park and Smart Textiles
• World Wildlife Fund / WWF Sweden
• City of Helsingborg

Here you can find more information about Demand Acceleration