The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture has published a notice in the Public Procurement Register seeking a market researcher for a proposed procurement.

"The ministry wishes to commission a training course and online toolbox to help development specialists in local authorities and county development organizations to manage the process of local and regional development planning, including the identification of development needs and the setting of longer-term development targets, as well as to assist in the preparation and updating of the development plan of a municipality or city and the development strategy of a county," the notice states.

According to the specifications, the training and toolbox to be provided should be able to identify local and regional development needs and set longer-term development objectives, with a particular focus on the development of local public services.

According to the ministry's explanation, the Operational Program for Cohesion Policy Funds for the period 2021-2017 states that if actors at the local level are not highly capable of development, this will hinder the successful implementation of reforms and support and policy measures.

The last development program for local government development specialists was held in 2019-2020 on behalf of the Ministry of Regional Development, focusing on sustainable and innovative planning for regional development. As staff members have changed and society evolved, the ministry believes new training is needed.

The training program that has now been planned will bring together specialists from local authorities and county development organizations, which the ministry believes will provide a good opportunity to find common ground in regional development planning.

"There is currently a lack of centralized and easy-to-find guidelines to steer the development planning process and provide clear advice on what steps need to be taken as well as what to pay attention to. The forthcoming toolbox and training should provide guidance on development planning," the ministry said.

The training and online toolbox should, among other things, provide guidance on how to plan the workflow for municipal and regional development planning, including recommendations on where to start, how to involve residents, partners and the public, how to map the existing situation and how to consider the interconnections and interactions between different sectors.

The toolbox to be developed is also expected to include key information related to these issues, practical guidance and references to sources. It is also expected that the training will foster a space of values and culture among professionals from municipalities and county development organizations and create the conditions for good cooperation.

Through the project, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture plans to commission the training for at least three groups of 20 people and possibly more. Each group will receive 32 academic hours of training.

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