“We immediately recognised that this was not just a solution for Hammarö – but something that could meet a common need in many municipalities.”
– Carolin Maule, Innovation Manager, Compare Foundation

Background

Hammarö Municipality wanted to create a better digital service experience for its residents. The municipality’s contact centre handled a large volume of recurring enquiries, and there was a clear need to reduce the workload while improving accessibility — particularly for groups with different native languages or greater need for guidance.

No existing solution on the market met the municipality’s requirements for a personalised, coherent, and scalable digital service. A procurement-friendly innovation process was therefore initiated using the Demand Acceleration framework.

Challenge

How can a municipality offer residents more personalised and efficient digital communication — available anytime, to anyone?

The starting point was to create a common platform where residents, with a single login, can access information and services from across the municipality — customised to individual needs and preferences.

Process

1. Mobilisation and needs analysis
The project started in 2023 after Hammarö Municipality was inspired by a previous case in Karlstad. The work began with a half-day workshop where representatives from the municipality and the Compare Foundation jointly identified needs, objectives, and feasibility.

2. Market dialogue through RFI
An RFI was published in September 2023 to explore market solutions and capabilities. Five companies responded. The RFI was followed up with an innovation forum where potential suppliers participated in dialogue.

3. Demand Acceleration procurement in two phases
Following the market analysis, the municipality proceeded to procure development work using the Demand Acceleration model.

4. Implementation and further development
LowCodi AB became the municipality’s long-term development partner and was responsible for developing the Hammarö Citizen Portal and Volunteer Portal. The work was conducted in an agile manner, with regular coordination between the supplier, the municipality’s IT function, communications staff, and process support from the Compare Foundation.

The result: A personalised, scalable citizen and volunteer portal

The Hammarö Citizen Portal was implemented in phases starting in 2025 and includes the following main features:

• “My pages” – a personalised view linked to the resident’s affairs and interests, such as school and after-school care
• Volunteer portal – matching the needs of the municipality with the engagement of residents

The platform has been designed from the outset to be adaptable and scalable to other municipalities.