Karlstad municipality has procured seven companies that participate in a unique development project to increase healthcare's understanding of cognitive impairment. The procurement is the first in collaboration with DigitalWell Arena's demand accelerator. "The fact that so many qualified companies want to participate is a sign that we are in the right place," says Lina Svensberg, project manager for the demand accelerator.
In the demand accelerator, DigitalWell Arena, in collaboration with Vinnova and Karlstad municipality, wants to find new forms to create conditions for innovation within the framework of the law on public procurement. Karlstad's procurement is the first where several companies are hired to develop together with the municipality a digital solution that does not yet exist on the market.
Currently, around 150,000 people in Sweden have a dementia disease, if you add other forms of cognitive impairment, the number is much higher. In order to provide individualized care and care, care needs to increase understanding of what it is like to live with cognitive impairment.
Broad mix of skills
Seven companies have submitted tenders to participate in the development work: Condesign, Minnity, Remedicore, Sticky Beat, Virotea, dimh and Koncepting. The companies have sent in a video where they describe an imagined solution concept. All companies have now been offered a development contract which, in the first stage, involves compensation of SEK 25,000, with the possibility of extension.
Lina Svensberg, project manager for DigitalWell Arena's demand accelerator, is very positive about the great interest. She believes that the companies' various competences in, for example, Virtual Reality, gamification and digital training ensure a valuable mix of input, which can ultimately contribute to a better solution.
- There are strong innovative companies that have applied, which means great possibilities that the development work will result in an innovative and commercially successful solution. It is also gratifying that the companies have shown such an interest in co-creating and participating in a completely new type of procurement process, says Lina Svensberg.
Lina Svensberg is happy about the great interest in participating in Karlstad Municipality's procurement, which is the first in collaboration with DigitalWell Arena's demand accelerator.
The companies will now be able to meet representatives from Karlstad municipality's care and social care unit to develop their proposed solutions in collaboration. An assessment is then made of the companies and their possibilities to take the solution further, before a number of companies are selected to continue the development work in the next phase.
- Even though the proposed solutions are still at concept level, it triggers insights into needs and opportunities. Regardless of who gets the final assignment, all companies contribute to developing the process with valuable knowledge and insights, says Lina Svensberg.
Should facilitate distribution to more customers
A requirement for the procurements that may be relevant for the demand accelerator is that a potential solution must be financially sustainable. This means that the companies participating in the procurement not only develop a solution that is relevant to the first ordering customer, but that is also scalable and can be spread to more customers. The rights for the services and products that are created belong to the developing companies.
Despite the fact that the development process is at an early stage, several municipalities have already shown interest in the procurement, and the service(s) that will be the result of the development work.
- It strengthens the thesis that there is a large market potential if the companies manage to form a good solution. The fact that the companies do not only develop a solution based on the needs of Karlstad municipality, but can also be in dialogue with other potential customers, also provides the opportunity for a different type of input, says Lina Svensberg.
