Johanna Lähde

Public procurement procedures are regulated to promote the efficient use of public funds in high-quality, sustainable and innovative procurement. Tendering procedures need to be open and transparent to allow as many enterprises as possible to participate equally in the procedures. These are, in a nutshell, the reasons why I became interested in public procurement more than 20 years ago.

I joined our Castrén & Snellman team in 2014. Before that, I worked for many years in law drafting in the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and as a judge in the Market Court. I also have practical experience in arranging tendering processes for contracting authorities.

I advise both enterprises and contracting authorities on questions related to procurement procedures during tender processes and on procurement appeals in the Market Court. I believe our clients particularly benefit from my experience when they need to find a solution that follows the procedural rules as those rules are applied in the legal praxis.

The world is changing; likewise the needs in the field of public procurement. I gladly discuss with clients how the procurement rules should be applied when facing new challenges and opportunities. It is vital to find the best alternative to support clients’ variable businesses and needs.

I also enjoy discussing procurement issues on a more general level. I regularly lecture, blog and tweet about topical procurement matters. I have also co-authored a textbook on the publication of procurement notices.

Building upon my strong and diverse experience in state administration I also regularly advise our clients on legal issues that relate to general public administration, such as the publicity of documents, state aid regulation and administrative legislation.