Sininen Polku helps VR procurement stay on track

The Finnish rail operator VR Group had an acute need for temporary help with procurement and monitoring. This was at a time when the company’s internal resources were stretched thin due to agreed staff leaves and vacancies formed by career moves. Several public procurements with significance to the transportation business were about to commence, and extra hands were also needed to handle routine IT purchases.  

Sininen Polku was chosen for its broad procurement competence and experience in the application of public procurement law. In addition, the Sininen Polku expert who worked with VR has a knack for getting on board demanding projects as part of the client organization, and for viewing procurement from the perspectives of both the business and procurement organization. These merits made Sininen Polku a natural choice.  

“We agreed together that initially, the main focus would be on two business-critical procurements and their top-notch delivery. As these procurements progressed, the main focus shifted to areas like IT specialist tendering. At other times, I helped VR’s IT staff in various procurements, all the way from tender strategy, planning and delivery to contract negotiations,” says Sininen Polku Programme Director Johanna Knekt.  

Knekt served as an important support person for VR, and when the situation calmed down, VR staff gradually took responsibility for the work themselves.  

“Johanna joined us at a challenging time, but she took charge of the situation brilliantly and quickly won the trust of both the procurement team and internal clients. What’s more, Johanna was a perfect fit with our organization, was liked as a colleague, and did her bit to improve openness and promote a mutual exchange of ideas in the team. Collaboration with Sininen Polku was flexible and worked well all round,” VR Chief Procurement Officer Janne Katainen says.