Denmark takes it all - How Denmark built a winning national UN procurement strategy

Government procurement in the EU annually calls for approximately 2 trillion euros, equivalent to some 17% of the EU’s gross domestic product. Public procurement is big business!

Regarding procurement success stories, Denmark attracts much jealousy from other countries. But what strategies do Denmark follow that others don't?

Denmark is the 39th largest export economy globally, but to the UN, Denmark is the 8th largest supplier.

Denmark has made public procurement their thing

In 2019, Danish companies exported $630 million (The total procurement budget at the UN is $20 billion).

Rumors from insiders of the UN system say that according to this successful strategy, Denmark, on average, earns 7 DKR back on each spend DKR to the UN.

With a population of only 5,9 million people, it is a remarkable achievement that Denmark, year after year, continues to be one of the most successful countries in providing the UN with services and goods. 

In this article, I share some insights from what I have seen working in the UN for many years. I have listed three reasons I believe Denmark's strategy stands out.