Church of Norway selects Forte Digital as a strategic partner

Press release:

Forte Digital enters into a strategic partnership with the Norwegian Church, ranked and prioritized as number one out of 14 different suppliers.

Over the past few years, the Norwegian Church has intensified its efforts in digitalization. One of the concrete measures has been the implementation of digital pre-voting during the recent church elections. This effort continues now with a new four-year framework agreement valued at 320 million Norwegian Kroner.

The tendering process has allowed for collaboration among various companies, enabling the participation of several consulting firms in the bidding process. As a result, seven consulting firms and constellations have now secured contracts with the Norwegian Church. Forte Digital, in partnership with blinQ, is one of these companies.

– We have worked closely with the church over the past year and look forward to further strengthening the collaboration in the coming years. It's exciting to see the church truly investing in digitalization as a strategic initiative, and we're thrilled to be a part of this work going forward," said Eivind Thorsrud Willard, CCO at Forte Digital.

Ranked as number one

Forte Digital was ranked and prioritized as number one out of 14 different suppliers. As a strategic partner with the church, Forte Digital will work on several ambitious digitalization projects. Magnus Hvalvik, Director of Digitalization at the Church Council, looks forward to continued collaboration with Forte Digital.

– Forte Digital delivered a strong proposal with solid technical expertise and a good understanding of the mission and goals. The Church's digitalization vision is an 'accessible church,' and we look forward to further collaboration with Forte Digital to create a more accessible church, said Hvalvik.

Focus on product and interdisciplinary collaboration

In the upcoming years, several initiatives are in focus, including the membership register, websites, the event portal skjerikirken.no, planning tools for local churches, and a common employee register.

The objective of the procurement is to secure access to strategic digitalization expertise as well as capacity for the church's product teams. In recent years, the church has established several new common solutions and product teams and is in the midst of important work to further develop, renew, and coordinate even more solutions.

– The way the Norwegian Church operates aligns well with our delivery model, with a particular focus on product-oriented development in interdisciplinary teams. Shifting focus from delivery areas to product areas is a crucial principle for interdisciplinary organization. It ensures speed and adaptability, resulting in a product- and needs-oriented structure. Here, the church demonstrates that they are at the forefront of the digital realm," stated Willard.