Finland’s Pirkanmaa wellbeing services county to terminate Tempore contract — YLE News

In Finland, the Pirkanmaa wellbeing services county (Pirha) will terminate its agreement with staffing company Tempore by the end of February and relinquish its stake in its parent company Numera. Through Tempore, the region recruited workers for temporary needs, primarily nurses.

As YLE News reports, the decision is linked to updated public procurement rules. Previously, Pirha could purchase temporary staffing services from Tempore without a tender. Tempore is a subsidiary of Numera.

Requirements for owners

The new procurement law provides that a contracting authority must own at least 10% of an in-house company in order to continue purchasing its services without competition. Pirha’s stake in Numera is only 0.04%.

In addition to Pirha, Numera is owned by nearly 300 municipalities, municipal companies, and wellbeing services counties. Other public entities that hold stakes in in-house companies have faced a similar problem.

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Pirha’s procurement director, Anniina Tirronen, called Tempore an affordable and high-quality service. According to her, the region has not yet assessed how much this decision will increase personnel leasing costs, but an increase is likely. This year, Pirha estimates the volume of temporary staffing purchases from Tempore at approximately €5 million.

Search for alternatives

After the agreement ends, Pirha plans to make more active use of its own reserve staff and purchase services from other staffing companies. In 2023, the region held a broad tender for staffing services and may increase purchases from companies that won the selection.

Tempore CEO Jaana Jantola said the company is preparing to continue offering services, including for short-term and urgent replacements in social and healthcare services. According to her, Tempore can also participate in future tenders on equal terms with other staffing companies.

Pirha also plans to relinquish its stakes in some other in-house companies. At the same time, the region intends to use the services of six such companies without competition during the transition period provided for by law. If there is a compelling reason, the law allows agreements with in-house companies to continue until the summer of 2030.