The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has announced it is set to open 17 new reception centres.
In a press release issued on Friday, Migri said it has accepted tenders from firms to operate the centres in several areas of Finland and that they will open as soon as possible.
Most reception system clients have fled to Finland from Ukraine, Migri noted.
A second tendering phase is now complete to open reception centre operations in nine areas, including Western, Central and Eastern Uusimaa; Vantaa, Kerava, Southwestern Finland, Ostrobothnia, Kymenlaakso, Satakunta, Central and Southern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Åland.
Migri said 15 suppliers submitted tenders to run the centres and that a decision was made to restrict the number of categories with which a single supplier can win — "meaning that a company was able to become the selected supplier in two categories at the most."
300 beds each
Migri's reception unit director, Elina Nurmi, said the goal of that strategy was to ensure supplier diversity and to get "as high quality of suppliers as possible without compromising cost-effectiveness."
"Making the market as broad and thriving as possible will help us enhance the cost-effectiveness of reception activities through competition and will ensure a better preparedness and availability of capacity in case of large-scale influxes of migrants," Nurmi said in the release.
The procurement's value is around 250 million euros for the 2022–2027 period, according to Migri, which added that the final sum will depend on factors such as the number of clients in the centres and how long they remain open.
Each reception centre that was put out to tender is to have 300 beds, and the contracts are valid until further notice.
Migri is responsible for directing, planning and supervising reception system operations. The agency said it oversees "107 reception centres, their secondary branches and service points for clients in private accommodation, as well as 10 reception units for minors."
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