tilaajana

Tilaajana is a Finnish term referring to the person or organization that places an order for goods or services. It denotes the buyer or customer in a procurement or ordering process. The form tilaajana is used to indicate the role of being the customer as opposed to the supplier, toimittaja.

In procurement, tilaaja defines requirements, prepares procurement documents, issues tenders, evaluates bids, and selects a supplier. After awarding a contract, the tilaaja is responsible for overseeing performance, receiving deliveries, and paying invoices. The term is used in both private contracts and public procurement; in the public sector, the tilaaja may be a municipality, government agency, or another contracting entity (hankintayksikkö).

In service subscriptions or software licenses, tilaaja refers to the entity that pays for the service and who is responsible for the contractual relationship with the service provider. The actual end users may be different and are sometimes described as users or recipients of the service.

Differences and related terms: tilaaja contrasts with toimittaja (supplier). In Finnish law, the tilaaja has duties such as ensuring fair competition, transparent procurement processes, and compliance with applicable procurement legislation (for example in the public sector).

Etymology: derived from the verb tilata, to order. Tilaajana is the essive form indicating the role of “as a purchaser.”