Boden’s experienced procurement officer, Inger Lundberg, has been nominated for the “Handslaget” award for her work with the unique PPP procurement of infrastructure for Boden Industrial Park – a project already described as one of Sweden’s fastest railway constructions.
När Stegra beslutade att etablera världens första storskaliga gröna stålverk i Boden stod det klart att infrastrukturen behövde byggas ut i samma takt som industrin. För att möta behoven av hållbara godstransporter mellan Boden Industrial Park och Malmbanan tog Bodens kommun ett avgörande initiativ: att genomföra en offentlig-privat samverkan (OPS).
After a complex procurement process, it was clear that Polar Structure won the assignment. The solution means that the company is responsible for the investment, construction, and development, while the municipality retains strategic influence and ensures long-term ownership as a minority owner in the company. An arrangement designed to minimize the risk for taxpayers. Six kilometers of railway and ten bridges are now being built on site, ready for traffic as early as 2026. The railway is being built for 1,000-meter-long trains in line with the EU’s TEN-T standard, which provides new opportunities for the entire region’s industrial development.
In parallel, a road is also being built, which the municipality is financing, further increasing the project’s difficulty.
A Team Effort
Inger Lundberg’s nomination for “Handslaget” is due to her ability to lead a complex and unusual procurement. But she herself highlights the collaboration behind the success:
– I may be the responsible procurement officer, but I am part of a project group that has worked hard on this. They all have an equal part in this nomination as I do.
Inger Lundberg, procurement officer in Boden Municipality.
The work with the PPP model involved both new ways of working and a need to develop completely different perspectives, where the interaction between the municipality, contractor, and operator became crucial. In addition, there was not much guidance to lean on, as this had never been tested at the municipal level before.
– It has been very exciting to work with it, as it was a completely new way of working towards a collaborative contract. Really fun to be a part of it.
– As I see it, we have done a fantastic job in a short time. We may not have been so many, but those who have worked in the project group have really worked hard to succeed. And despite the time pressure, the result has been very good. I am proud to have been a part of it.
PPP as a Future Model
The PPP solution has made it possible to deliver the infrastructure of the future in real time. With Polar Structure as an investor and long-term partner, Boden has found a solution that combines speed, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability – and that can become a model for similar projects in Sweden.
The nomination for “Handslaget” highlights both Inger Lundberg’s professionalism and the collaboration that made the project possible – work that has created important conditions for the green social transition.
The award is presented by the magazine Offentliga Affärer in connection with Mötesplats Offentliga Affärer on September 24, where the winners in the categories Public Procurement/Procurement Officer of the Year and Innovator of the Year in Public Procurement are presented.
