"Most of our sales come from public tenders."
Tender Manager Reima Haukilehto feels completely confident letting Mercell monitor the market for him. He is always notified when the public sector requests Berners’ services.
Berner receives sales leads and tenders from Mercell
Berner Oy is a family-owned company employing approximately 850 people in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Baltics. They manage several well-known brands and serve private consumers, businesses, and public sector customers.
Tender Manager Reima Haukilehto explains that the public sector is Berner’s largest and most important customer segment for healthcare and laboratory equipment.
"The vast majority of our sales come through public tenders and procurement agreements," says Haukilehto, who works in the tendering team. To find opportunities, Berner Medlab uses Mercell’s Tender Discovery.
"Previously, we had to search for tenders ourselves from various sources, which took up a lot of working hours. With Mercell, we receive all relevant information directly, so there's no need to spend time on other platforms. We also get opportunities for smaller sales without tenders through Mercell."
Haukilehto refers to the information sent via email from Mercell, which matches Berner’s tender search agent. When a tender matches Berner’s products, it automatically lands in his inbox.
Mercell helps both companies and public buyers
Having been on both sides of the procurement process, Reima Haukilehto is well aware of the nuances within the public sector.
A lack of resources in procurement departments can sometimes affect the quality of tenders. Haukilehto mentions that he has received tenders where it was necessary to contact the contracting authority to double-check details, for example, due to errors in the description.
"The bidding process can be prolonged due to complexity. That’s why early dialogue before the tender is important, so we are prepared and don’t have to reuse five-year-old tender materials due to time constraints."
"Mercell is a great tool for finding contact information for public customers. Especially when our CRM system is not up to date. You can check who to contact if you need more information."
Reima Haukilehto also highly appreciates Mercell’s services for public institutions, as they help contracting authorities find the right suppliers:
"If a contracting authority has used the wrong CPV code in the tender, Mercell often helps correct it. This makes the tender visible to us, allowing us to submit a bid. No one else has a similar setup," says Haukilehto.
If you are looking for cost savings, as a smaller business, you can reduce stress by conveniently receiving leads via email. I recommend Mercell Tender Discovery to everyone involved in public sector sales.
Proactive Sales and Strong Partnerships
This year, the multinational company Berner Oy celebrates its 140th anniversary. Haukilehto explains that the company, which continues to grow internationally, places great emphasis on responsibility and strong partnerships.
"For us, the idea of partnership means not just selling something, but also considering how we can improve things together with our customers."
Haukilehto recommended that his department’s product managers use Mercell’s Tender Discovery as a proactive tool for planning sales meetings.
"I believe sales dialogues can be initiated by monitoring public records on upcoming procurements and tasks as soon as they are budgeted. Not everyone has access to this information, but you can get it from Mercell."
Overall, Reima Haukilehto considers Tender Discovery a valuable tool for both small and large companies.