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Catalogue of digital work environment aspects in public procurement

Bjarnason, Elizabeth LU orcid ; Rydenfält, Christofer LU and Persson, Johanna (2026)
Abstract
The purpose of this catalogue is to provide a structured and detailed overview of how digital work environment considerations are expressed in procurement practice. It is intended both as a standalone reference document and as supplementary material to the research publications derived from this study.

Digital systems are a central part of modern health and social care work. The requirements specified during procurement influence not only system functionality, but also the digital work environment of the professionals who will use the systems in their daily work. We use the term digital work environment to refer to how digital technologies influence employees' ability to perform their work effectively, efficiently, safely, and... (More)
The purpose of this catalogue is to provide a structured and detailed overview of how digital work environment considerations are expressed in procurement practice. It is intended both as a standalone reference document and as supplementary material to the research publications derived from this study.

Digital systems are a central part of modern health and social care work. The requirements specified during procurement influence not only system functionality, but also the digital work environment of the professionals who will use the systems in their daily work. We use the term digital work environment to refer to how digital technologies influence employees' ability to perform their work effectively, efficiently, safely, and with appropriate cognitive and organisational support. It encompasses traditional usability concerns as well as broader socio-technical factors such as workflow integration, training, interoperability, safety, and organisational adaptation.

This catalogue presents fifteen digital work environment aspects identified through an analysis of procurement documentation from 20 procurements of larger IT systems within Swedish municipal home health care. The fifteen aspects represent broader dimensions of the digital work environment. For each aspect, we identified one or more recurring themes that describe how the aspect was operationalised through procurement requirements.

For each aspect, the catalogue presents the identified themes, illustrative examples of requirements, and information about the prevalence and extent of the aspect across the analysed procurements. The catalogue can be used as:
•a reference when developing procurement requirements,
•a source of inspiration for strengthening digital work environment considerations in procurement processes,
•a basis for discussion between procuring organisations, suppliers, users, and researchers, and
•a resource for understanding the breadth of aspects that influence the digital work environment.

The catalogue reflects how digital work environment requirements are currently expressed in procurement documentation. It should therefore be viewed as a descriptive overview of existing practice rather than a normative framework prescribing how requirements should be formulated. The focus is on documenting and organising the empirical findings in a form that can support both research and practice.

The fifteen aspects identified in the study are shown in Figure 1 and described in detail in the following sections. An overview of the 20 procurement cases and the document types included in the analysis (Request for Quotation, Requirements specification, and User Evaluation) is provided in Figure 2.

This catalogue is designed as a standalone supplementary resource that provides a detailed account of the digital work environment factors identified in the analysed procurement documentation. To support reuse by practitioners and researchers, the catalogue provides detailed descriptions of the identified aspects, themes, prevalence data, and illustrative requirement examples that could not be reported in full in the associated publications.

Further discussion of the findings, theoretical implications, practical recommendations, methodological limitations, and overall conclusions can be found in the journal and conference publications arising from this research project.
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16 pages
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Man får vad man frågar efter! Stöd för kravställning av digital arbetsmiljö i kommunal vård och omsorg.
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English
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yes
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fa0dd2fd-204b-489e-8697-fa3f087afcee
date added to LUP
2026-08-19 15:01:07
date last changed
2026-09-09 10:12:22
@techreport{fa0dd2fd-204b-489e-8697-fa3f087afcee,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this catalogue is to provide a structured and detailed overview of how digital work environment considerations are expressed in procurement practice. It is intended both as a standalone reference document and as supplementary material to the research publications derived from this study.<br/><br/>Digital systems are a central part of modern health and social care work. The requirements specified during procurement influence not only system functionality, but also the digital work environment of the professionals who will use the systems in their daily work. We use the term digital work environment to refer to how digital technologies influence employees' ability to perform their work effectively, efficiently, safely, and with appropriate cognitive and organisational support. It encompasses traditional usability concerns as well as broader socio-technical factors such as workflow integration, training, interoperability, safety, and organisational adaptation.<br/><br/>This catalogue presents fifteen digital work environment aspects identified through an analysis of procurement documentation from 20 procurements of larger IT systems within Swedish municipal home health care. The fifteen aspects represent broader dimensions of the digital work environment. For each aspect, we identified one or more recurring themes that describe how the aspect was operationalised through procurement requirements.<br/><br/>For each aspect, the catalogue presents the identified themes, illustrative examples of requirements, and information about the prevalence and extent of the aspect across the analysed procurements. The catalogue can be used as:<br/>•a reference when developing procurement requirements,<br/>•a source of inspiration for strengthening digital work environment considerations in procurement processes,<br/>•a basis for discussion between procuring organisations, suppliers, users, and researchers, and<br/>•a resource for understanding the breadth of aspects that influence the digital work environment.<br/><br/>The catalogue reflects how digital work environment requirements are currently expressed in procurement documentation. It should therefore be viewed as a descriptive overview of existing practice rather than a normative framework prescribing how requirements should be formulated. The focus is on documenting and organising the empirical findings in a form that can support both research and practice.<br/><br/>The fifteen aspects identified in the study are shown in Figure 1 and described in detail in the following sections. An overview of the 20 procurement cases and the document types included in the analysis (Request for Quotation, Requirements specification, and User Evaluation) is provided in Figure 2.<br/><br/>This catalogue is designed as a standalone supplementary resource that provides a detailed account of the digital work environment factors identified in the analysed procurement documentation. To support reuse by practitioners and researchers, the catalogue provides detailed descriptions of the identified aspects, themes, prevalence data, and illustrative requirement examples that could not be reported in full in the associated publications. <br/><br/>Further discussion of the findings, theoretical implications, practical recommendations, methodological limitations, and overall conclusions can be found in the journal and conference publications arising from this research project.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Bjarnason, Elizabeth and Rydenfält, Christofer and Persson, Johanna}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  title        = {{Catalogue of  digital work environment aspects in public procurement}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/258471660/Bjarnason_Catalogue_DWE_aspects_260819.pdf}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}