Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2024-10-23
Buyer: Direktoratet for forvaltning og økonomistyring (DFØ)
Country: NO
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 48000000 | 48510000 | 72000000 | 72200000 | 72210000: Software programming services
Estimated value: 4500000 NOK
Award criteria: price, quality

Technical requirements: The objective of the procurement is to enter into a contract for chatbots. DFØ needs a virtual assistant who can help end-users of our services with questions and challenges regarding our services and self-service systems. DFØ does not want a manual chat system without artificial intelligence.
The objective of the procurement is to enter into a contract for chatbots. DFØ needs a virtual assistant who can help end-users of our services with questions and challenges regarding our services and self-service systems.
Price 

Under this criteria:
1. Establishment cost
2. Delivery
3. Implementation Costs

Documentation requirement: Complete annex 2 Price Form, c.f. the Public Procurement Standard Terms and Conditions (SSA- L Annex 6).
1. Design, user friendliness and whole (maximum deduction NOK 2,597,222)
2. Technical requirements (maximum deduction NOK 5,805,556)
3. Functional requirements (maximum deduction NOK 4,430,556)

Documentation requirement: Completed Annex 1 the Contracting Authority ́s requirement specifications, cf. SSA-L Annex 2.

The requirements and criteria complied with the procurement regulations § 7-9 shall aim at reducing the procurement ́s total climate footprint or environmental impact, cf. the procurement regulations § 7-9 (1). The main rule in the procurement regulations § 7-9 (2) is that the contracting authority shall emphasise climate and environmental considerations with a minimum of thirty percent. Exceptions from the obligation to set environmental requirements or criteria exist if the procurement has, in its nature, a climate footprint and an environmental impact that is immaterial and this is justified in the procurement documents, cf. the procurement regulations § 7-9 (5).   
 
The contracting authority would like covered by chatbots is primarily a service procurement, where artificial intelligence should help respond to requests over the internet. The work does not include travel activities and no use of paper or other consumables. A direct climate footprint as a result of the procurement is therefore expected to be of a modest character.  
 
However, if sub-supplier chains take into consideration, we can see that possible climate footprint and environmental impact may arise for the operation of the data centres connected to the digital chatbot systems. The tenderer ́s influence over this energy consumption and the possible environmental impact is, however, very limited and aimlessly for the contracting authority to emphasise or set requirements in the requirement specifications of the above in this procurement.  
 
Based on this, the procurement of a chatbot is, in its nature, considered to have immaterial climate footprint and environmental impact, and therefore falls under the exception rule in PPR § 7-9 (5).
The contract will be valid for 2 years, with an option for 1+1 year extension.


Winner: Sem & Stenersen Prokom AS
Number of bids: 7