Inger Lundberg nominated for public procurement of the year

When Stegra chose Boden as the site for the world’s first large-scale green steel plant, it became clear that infrastructure needed to develop at the same pace as industry. The municipality then initiated a PPP solution (public–private partnership), where Polar Structure won the procurement to build the railway.

This is one of the few PPP solutions carried out at municipal level in Sweden, and it has already been highlighted as an example other municipalities can take inspiration from. The arrangement means that Polar Structure is responsible for investment and construction, while the municipality retains strategic influence and long-term ownership – with minimal risk for taxpayers.

The project involves six kilometres of railway and ten bridges now being built, with the goal of completion already in 2026. The railway will become a central connection for sustainable transport to and from Boden Industrial Park and will strengthen the region’s industrial development as a whole.

“A team effort”

Inger Lundberg’s nomination is due to her ability to lead a complex procurement. But she is careful to emphasise the teamwork 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 have just as big a share in this nomination as I do.”

She describes the work as both exciting and challenging:

“It has been really exciting to work on this, as it was a completely new way of working towards a collaborative contract. Really fun to be part of it.”

Recognition for Boden

The nomination for “Handslaget” is recognition of both Inger Lundberg’s professionalism and Boden’s work in developing new solutions for community building in the green transition.

The award is presented by the magazine Offentliga Affärer in connection with Mötesplats Offentliga Affärer on 24 September, where the winners in the categories Public Procurement/Procurement Officer of the Year and Innovator of the Year in Public Procurement will be announced.