The public sector is the largest employer in Finland. Approximately 25% of the work force is employed either by the cities, municipalities or the state. Finland has, for several years, been one of the least corrupt countries in the Transparency International's surveys. The public sector has been rated highly in many competitiveness assessments made by the Institute of Management Development and the World Economic Forum.
The Finnish public sector controls various fields: the public health care system, education, national security, the national road network, railways and various other fields. The school system, which has topped the PISA survey for many years running, is regarded highly in the world.
Finnish national security, police, fire department and the defensive forces, require various goods and services in order to stay functional. Equipment replacement and procurement of these organizations are among the biggest items of expenditure. Maintenance of buildings and transportation equipment take another large portion. Many of these supportive functions are outsourced to and provided by private companies.
In Finland, state enterprises function in the markets as companies which are in charge of their own financial situation. These state enterprises include for example:
• Finavia produces air field and flying safety services
• National Board of Forestry controls about 12 million hectares of forest and water areas
• Senate Properties produce premises for public administration's customers
• Destia produces ground and water traffic routes and takes care of their maintenance
• Posti offers post services in Finland and is nowadays also expanding to logistics and electronical communications.
Outsourcing has become more important as public organizations focus increasingly on their core activities, thus creating opportunities for private companies to become involved in the public sector.
Public sector contracts are made through open-bidding processes as required by EU regulations, offering an opportunity for any company within the European Union to tender an offer. InnoConnections can help you find business opportunities in the public sector and follow up on interesting tenders on your field.