ANTIKVARIE ELLER BESTÄLLARE? Den kommunala antikvariens roll i upphandling av antikvarisk konsult

Abstract

This thesis examines the municipal antiquarian’s role in the public procurement of antiquarian consultants. In the 1980’s the new Swedish Plan and Building Act emphasized the municipal responsibility over the management of local built heritage and provided provisions for the safeguarding of heritage values in city planning. This has, amongst other things, led to the evolution of a professional role for antiquarians working in a municipal capacity. In a parallel development, the procurement of consultants has become common practice in Swedish public administration, inspired by neo–liberal ideals of new public management. The cultural heritage field being no exception, antiquarian consulting is now a growing professional field for Swedish antiquarians, often providing services for cities or municipalities that already has an antiquarian on staff. The aim with this study is to examine the responsibilities put on the municipal antiquarian in the procurement process, and whether the traditional antiquarian role is equipped for the administrative work surrounding public procurement. The latter as a means to understand if the antiquarian’s competence as a purchaser can impact the management of local built heritage. This has been done mainly through a survey directed at Swedish municipal antiquarians with questions regarding their role in the public procurement of antiquarian consultants, and qualitative interviews conducted with antiquarians and antiquarian consultants elaborating some of the themes established in the survey. The study shows that the public procurement of antiquarian consultants varies greatly depending on municipality, as does the municipal antiquarian’s involvement. There is however a tendency noticed amongst the participants that the result-oriented work style practiced by consultants is affecting the general antiquarian role towards more rational methods of investigation. The thesis’ concluding discussion poses the question whether the Swedish educational programs in built heritage should include the issue of public procurement in the curriculum, since the phenomenon concerns a steadily growing number of antiquarians.