Pioneer in egovernment and digitisation

Burgmannshof Batenhorst. Rheda-Wiedenbrück is one of the pioneers in North Rhine-Westphalia in the field of electronic tendering: software for e-tendering was already introduced there in 2006. This led to the development of the iTWO e-Vergabe public platform.

The city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück is one of the pioneers in North Rhine-Westphalia in the field of electronic tendering: software for e-tendering was already introduced there in 2006. This IT solution developed into the modern public procurement platform iTWO e-Vergabe public, which is now particularly in use throughout the state of Berlin and Bavaria.

In the meantime, other electronic awarding platforms have become established in the Gütersloh district as well as in the entire federal state. Nevertheless, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, the second largest town in the district, will continue to use RIB iTWO e-Vergabe public. "The programme is very progressive", explains Martina Dietrich, who has been with the central awarding office of the municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2006. "The RIB solution continues to develop consistently. All adaptations to legal requirements are always carried out promptly and quickly. In addition, we appreciate the friendly, personal and highly competent consulting provided by the software company and the always reliable and fast service and support, both for us as the central awarding office and for our bidding companies," she continues.

Martina Dietrich and her colleague Marina Wiens, who joined the group a year later, are frequently invited to the meetings in the district as well as in the country and are given insights into the IT systems used there. However, the RIB solution does not remain the favourite in Rheda-Wiedenbrück for technological reasons alone, but, as both employees emphasise, also convinces with a very well maintained manual, clear videos for users and the opportunity to exchange information with colleagues throughout Germany at regular intervals at user meetings and, in addition, to learn about new approaches in lectures and working groups. "Whenever necessary, we receive help very quickly from RIB," reports Wiens. "This is a clear argument in favour of RIB for our municipality," she adds.

The proportion of digitally submitted offers by the bidding companies has risen significantly in recent years: While it was still 1.7 percent in 2016, the central awarding office in Rheda-Wiedenbrück already recorded a very good rate of 12 percent in 2017. After the first proceedings this year, Dietrich and Wiens expect an even greater upheaval in 2019 because more and more companies, including small and medium-sized companies from the civil engineering sector, tend to submit their offers electronically. This consistently increasing acceptance among bidders is not only due to the comprehensive support that the companies receive from the municipal central awarding office. The gradual accompaniment of bidders through the procedure, so that everything is more transparent for the companies, is a factor that favours this increased acceptance of bidders. However, the employees of the central awarding office see this as being mainly due to the new legal requirements. "In recent years, numerous obstacles have been removed," reports Dietrich. "Many procedures, such as the digital signature or the sheath sheet, were not universally accepted by the companies. Of course, also the fact that the submission of offers, including acceptance and rejection notifications, has been made mandatory in all EU-wide procedures in October 2018, has played its part. If the bidding companies do not prepare themselves now for the electronic submission of offers, which in the medium term will also become mandatory at national level, they will be left behind at some point. The companies are of course aware of this," she adds.

The team at the central awarding office in Rheda-Wiedenbrück is confident that in the near future it will probably be able to abandon offers in paper form completely.

Restaurant Fuchshöhle (fox cave). The electronic awarding has also been accepted by the bidders: The central awarding office in Rheda-Wiedenbrück already recorded a very good rate of digitally submitted offers of 12 percent in 2017. All photos: City of Rheda-Wiedenbrück.