Requirements Engineering in the Market Dialogue Phase of Public Procurement: A Case Study of an Innovation Partnership for Medical Technology

Context and Motivation: In 2016, the European Union introduced ‘innovation partnerships’ to facilitate innovative development of the EU through public procurement. Requirements engineering is one of the main challenges in the public procurement of innovative products. Nevertheless, there is little empirical research on public procurement, particularly managing requirements in the pre-tender dialogue phase between potential suppliers and problem owners. Question/Problem: This paper investigates the market dialogue phase of an innovation partnership project in Norway. We aim to understand critical factors of the dialogue phase that clarify and focus needs and requirements. This leads to the research question: How can we clarify and focus needs and requirements for a new solution in the market dialogue phase? Principal Ideas/Results: We have conducted a case study at a major Norwegian hospital. The objective of this innovation partnership is to make the emergency room in a Norwegian hospital more efficient. The case study illustrates how requirements have been developed by the joint effort of the procurement team, the active engagement of potential suppliers, and the learning and mutual trust between them. By discussing the vision and getting feedback on opportunities and limitations in existing and projected technologies, the procurement team has refined their ambition and focused on the core of the innovation. Contribution: This paper contributes to the literature on requirement engineering in public procurement by describing how requirements are focused during the dialogue phase of an innovation partnership facilitated by a cross-functional procurement team with sufficient competencies, resources, and trust.