Germany government selects Eviden as partner for Kaufhaus des Bundes renewal

The German government has selected Eviden as its transformation partner to modernize the Kaufhaus des Bundes – the country’s electronic procurement platform which is used by over 480 federal authorities and government institutions.

Launched around the turn of the centrury, Kaufhaus des Bundes is Germany’s central platform for the procurement of services and products – from office supplies and vehicles to hiring IT services and consultants.

By using the platform, public sector buyers enjoy a number of benefits, including efficiency (through bundling of purchasing), quality (through standard frameworks), and transparency (a more streamlined and transparent process).

With the aim to further enhance the value of Kaufhaus des Bundes, the Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (which is accountable for the Kaufhaus des Bundes) has launched the ‘Kaufhaus des Bundes – Next Generation’ program. Key goals are to “advance the digitization of the public sector’s ordering process”, “meet all requirements for a modern and user-friendly platform”, and “establish a future-proof foundation”.

In collaboration with Eviden, which has been appointed as the lead consulting and technology partner, the program will work towards replacing the existing system with a new, state-of-the-art procurement platform. The new solution will fully digitize the procurement process and workflows, significantly improving the existing system on multiple relevant levels, stated Frank Schmitz from the Procurement Office.

Implementation timeline

The implementation will take place in three phases. Phase 1 will see the of the initial system with the most important core functionalities. This system will be tested in pilots, with learnings then injected into an updated blueprint. Phase 2 will focus on expanding the system with the deployment of all functionalities agreed upon in the design phase.

Phase 3 is the full roll-out of the new system – this is expected to occur at the end of 2025. After this phase, the program team will provide for a period of intensive support to ensure a smooth transition across all users.

Commenting on the project, Boris Hecker, Managing Director of Eviden in Germany, said: “With the new procurement solution for the Kaufhaus des Bundes we can significantly advance the digitization process in public administration. Our long-standing experience in implementing IT projects for the public sector is the foundation for a future-proof and sustainable procurement platform that meets the specific requirements of the authorities.”

On the project, Eviden (which is part of Atos) is working closely together with Veenion, a provider of e-procurement software. Veenion’s platform will form the technological foundation for the new Kaufhaus des Bundes platform.