Expert calls Stockholm’s Cosmic procurement assessment “strange”

An expert has questioned how Stockholm and Gotland’s regions assessed bids for a 2.4 billion kronor electronic health records contract, SVT reports. The system, Cosmic, is due to be introduced by 2029 and will affect 2.5 million residents.

The evaluation gave companies larger price deductions the more requirements they met. Cambio received the maximum deductions in 33 of 44 cases. In six cases, 45 million kronor was deducted each time, amounting to more than a quarter of a billion kronor. Systematic received no deductions in 33 cases.

Håkan Nordgren, a paediatrician with extensive experience in IT procurement and health-record system development, said he was surprised that Systematic received no deductions in so many cases. He has worked for several companies, including both Cambio and Systematic.

A confidential section of the evaluation obtained by SVT shows Systematic’s bid was repeatedly judged not to meet an acceptable standard. Its system, the most widely used in Denmark, was rejected in several important medical areas. Nordgren said this did not match his view of the system.

Gertrud Ocklin, a unit head at the regional administration office, declined an interview. In an email to SVT, she said quality was given substantial weight and that Systematic’s descriptions of how it would meet requirements had shortcomings. Cambio, she said, provided complete, clear and tailored descriptions with no more than minor deficiencies.

Ocklin also said legal reviews had approved the procurement and found no indication that Cambio received disproportionately large price deductions. But Nordgren said the courts had not assessed the substance of the evaluation. Jonatan Wahlberg, a judge at the Stockholm Administrative Court, confirmed to SVT that the court reviews whether the contracting authority acted formally correctly, rather than carrying out a new evaluation.

The contract runs until November 2037, with an option to extend.