We have helped our client recruit a Systems Developer specialising in the modernisation of internal platforms. The consultant works with technologies such as GKE/Rancher, Kong and Envoy, and is responsible for implementation, troubleshooting and ensuring stable operations.

We have helped our client recruit a Microsoft Dynamics solution architect.

Upgraded People closes the first quarter of 2023 having contracted three new customers in the multi-million class. As an independent broker, Upgraded will deliver IT consultants to Region Skåne, Växjö Municipality and Lund University. The agreements run over four years and amount to a total value of almost 3 billion SEK.

– It feels fantastic to have received this great trust from the customers and we will make sure to meet their expectations with absolute perfection. We are of course very proud that it is Upgraded that gets to take on these assignments, says Linda Sundlöf, COO at Upgraded.

Upgraded People is a consulting broker and provides consultants specialized in, but not exclusively for, the entire IT area. Upgraded’s role is to deliver IT consultants as an independent broker who match the needs of the customers and at the same time ensure that the high level of competence that is sought is met over time.

– For us at Upgraded, this is a historic quarter given the high values ​​of the agreements and the fact that we are able to start collaborations with these fine prestigious customers. We are aiming for, and will most likely go from a million- to a billion-dollar company in 2023, which of course feels incredibly exciting and big. A clear milestone for most companies, says Linda Sundlöf.

The agreement with Region Skåne is the largest deal since Upgraded started in 2010 and a clear acknowledgement of the strong development the company has made in recent years. Linda Sundlöf believes that the success is largely due to Upgraded’s clear and open relationship with both customers, colleagues and consultants, which creates trust with fast-paced and flexible collaboration.

– It is important not to forget that business happens between people. We create trust in the people we meet by being open and honest with what we can deliver and at the same time being responsive to what the customer is asking for, says Linda Sundlöf.

After rain comes sunshine, and that also applies to the IT market. But how should we prepare for the sun?

The recession has contributed to the closure of several projects, which means that many consultants are now without assignments. This in turn leads to clients becoming more specific in their requests and often requiring experience in niche methods and very high seniority requirements.

A consequence of reduced assignments and more available consultants is that younger talent suffers, as senior consultants are more sought after. We hear several examples of large consulting companies that have junior consultants available where they will or have already had to lay off most of them to cope with the increased costs. I am concerned that the opportunities for less experienced consultants to enter the market will be very difficult. Our forward-looking IT industry risks losing the new generation of IT consultants.

The market will eventually turn around, but how long it will take is anyone’s guess. The day it does, new projects will be created again and demand for IT skills will increase. The problem is that we will then be left without growth in skills. Together, we – customers, IT suppliers and consultancy intermediaries – must push for more junior consultants to be commissioned even during times like these, so that we do not risk being left with a large skills gap when the market turns around and the sun shines again.

After 13 fast-paced and successful years in Sweden, it is time for Upgraded People to expand once again and now for the first time take the step outside Sweden’s borders. First up is Denmark, where we will open an office in Copenhagen this fall. 

Our journey started in 2010 and we have since grown at a rapid pace. Today we have offices in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Jönköping and Linköping from where we place consultants for assignments throughout the country – from Luleå in the North to Malmö in the South.

Now it is time to take the next step and establish ourselves on the international playing field, which is an incredible milestone for us as a company. The step across the strait and the establishment in Denmark has already started stealthily. From our office in Malmö, we have placed consultancy assignments in the Copenhagen area during Q2 and this autumn we will open the first Danish office in the heart of Copenhagen.

– We have seen an enormous increase when it comes to networks and establishment in southern Sweden after we entered into agreements with, among others, Region Skåne and Lund University. This has meant that we have invested further in southern Sweden and are now moving on to the Danish side, says Linda Sundlöf, COO at Upgraded People.

With over ten years in the industry in Sweden, we now have the foundation and experience we believe will be required to enter the Danish market. We know that there are many differences between the Swedish and Danish IT consulting markets, and especially when it comes to subconsultants and freelancers. This is something we look forward to getting to know even more and which we are curious about and ready to be a part of. We have an exciting time ahead of us. 

– We are happy and proud to be able to take this step. Something that is of course a clear acknowledgement of and an effect of our strong growth in recent years, says Linda Sundlöf.

Upgraded People is starting the third quarter strong with a four-year framework agreement with the Swedish Energy Agency. The agreement covers the provision of IT consultants to the agency and is worth SEK 80 million.

We’re doing it again. With four strong years behind us where we have provided consultants in IT and information management to the Swedish Energy Agency, we win the procurement and have now signed a framework agreement for another four years. The agreement is valid from August and gives us a strong start in the autumn.

To receive continued trust from such a prestigious customer is both fun and important for us. We can really take the collaboration to a new level with this stability and long-term perspective because we already know the customer well, says Linda Sundlöf, COO at Upgraded People.  

Every day we strive to deliver accurate expertise. The fact that the Swedish Energy Agency chooses to extend its contract with us is proof that what we do is appreciated and rewarding for our customers.

– We have had a great collaboration for four years and I thought it was very nice that we get to continue working together, says Michelle Larsson, responsible consultant in the collaboration with the client.

The Energy Agency, which is a leader in the transition to a sustainable energy system, has recently released its short-term forecast in which they describe Sweden’s energy supply and energy use. Among other things, we can read that the use of fossil fuels will increase in 2024 as an effect of the upcoming reduced reduction obligation. In an attempt to reduce the use of fossil energy in industry, they will invest in replacing it with hydrogen. Electricity use is also expected to increase, especially in industry and transport, as a result of new establishments with large electricity needs. Many investments are therefore expected in the energy sector in the future and we look forward to providing the authority with the extra expertise needed to implement these.