Norwegian ERP technology beats global giants in major public procurement

Aider and Xledger win the contract for a new shared financial management solution for 18 universities and university colleges.

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Xledger Runar

With Norwegian Xledger as its ERP core, Aider has won the contract for a new shared financial management solution for 18 universities and university colleges. Competing against the very largest global ERP players, Aider's solution with Xledger was rated best on all three main criteria: quality, price and risk.


18


universities and university colleges

10 years


agreement for up to ten years

3 of 3


best on all three main criteria: quality, price and risk

"We have spent more than 20 years building an ERP platform that can challenge the biggest players. Now we are beating them in one of Norway's most demanding ERP competitions. This is a breakthrough for Norwegian ERP technology and for the competitiveness we have built together with partners like Aider," says Ove Jørgen Carlsen, CEO of Xledger Norway and Denmark.


Sikt has carried out an extensive procurement process for a shared, cloud-based financial management solution for 18 universities and university colleges. The contract is Aider's largest ever. Aider led the tender process, with Xledger as an active technology partner and with sub-deliveries from the procurement solution Vieri and the project management tool ONwork.


Andreas Vik, CEO of Aider
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"We came in as the challenger and won because we could combine a strong ERP platform from Xledger with our expertise and specialised solutions that meet the sector's needs. That shows the strength of the overall delivery. Now we have to show that we can live up to expectations," says Andreas Vik, CEO of Aider.

Among other things, the evaluation included system demonstrations, extensive user testing and assessments of the suppliers' expertise and ability to deliver.


Technology and partnerships made the difference


Xledger is the ERP core of the new solution, with functionality for accounting, automation and financial management. Together with ONwork for project management and Vieri for procurement, Xledger is part of a complete platform put together by Aider. Aider's own AI platform Commons ties the solutions together and enables efficient data flow, automation and greater use of AI.


A complete platform put together by Aider


Aider


Responsible for the overall delivery and implementation


Commons


Aider's own AI platform ties the solutions together


ONwork


Project management

Xledger


The ERP core

Vieri


Procurement

Aider is responsible for the overall delivery and implementation. The company combines financial expertise, technology and specialised partners to meet the sector's extensive needs.


Sikt's evaluation particularly highlights accounting and automation, as well as the overall solution's ability to handle advanced project accounting. Aider was also rated best on expertise and implementation plan, and came out on top in the user testing.


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"It was a thorough process with many strong bidders. Aider gave us the offer that, overall, best matched the sector's needs, and we look forward to getting started," says Kjersti Kahn, Project Manager at Sikt.


A breakthrough on home turf


The Sikt agreement marks a breakthrough for Aider and Xledger in the competition for large public-sector ERP contracts.


The win shows that Norwegian ERP technology and delivery expertise can prevail against the world's largest ERP players in the race for major government contracts. It opens up new opportunities for Aider and Xledger going forward.


"As government financial management moves to the cloud, questions of ownership, infrastructure and control become increasingly important. The Sikt agreement shows that Norwegian technology – and Norwegian financial expertise – can compete for the largest and most demanding assignments," says Ove Jørgen Carlsen, CEO of Xledger Norway and Denmark.


The new financial management solution is scheduled to be fully implemented by summer 2028.


Facts
The Sikt procurement
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Scope
A shared cloud-based financial management solution for 18 universities and university colleges. Agreement for up to ten years.
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The result
Aider was rated best on the three main criteria of quality (60%), price (20%) and risk (20%). The competitors included several large consultancies and several of the world's largest ERP companies.
Quality 60%Price 20%Risk 20%
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Key strengths
Accounting and automation, project accounting, and Aider's expertise and implementation approach. Aider also came out best overall in user testing and reference assessments.
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Implementation
Pilot phase followed by rollout, with planned completion in summer 2028.
Source: Sikt's award letter and announcement of the procurement.

 

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