Sweden Pays Millions for Gyms in Deportation Centres - Only One Bidder

STOCKHOLM - Sweden's Migration Agency has signed a multimillion-kronor deal for new gym equipment in its locked detention centres, where foreign nationals - including convicted criminals awaiting deportation - are held before being removed from the country.

The contract covers exercise machines, weights and other equipment, plus servicing and repairs. It is valued at 3.5 million kronor, but can rise to 6.5 million. Only one company bid for it.

The details come from a public tender the agency ran earlier this year. The result was published in the EU's official procurement journal on August 20.

The equipment is going to the agency's detention centres in Gävle, Märsta, Flen, Mölndal, Ljungbyhed and Åstorp. The deal also covers any new centres opened during the contract period, including a planned facility in Boden in the far north.

The centres hold foreigners deprived of their liberty under Sweden's Aliens Act. Many are rejected asylum seekers, others are criminals ordered deported where the authorities judge there is a risk they will disappear. The facilities are locked and staffed around the clock.

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Bikes, Weight Machines and Free Weights

According to the tender documents, the deal includes exercise bikes, upper- and lower-body strength machines, free weights, resistance bands and other gym gear. Servicing, repairs and spare parts for both existing and new equipment are also part of the package.

The agency stresses in the documents that being able to train matters a great deal to those locked up. "For many detainees, the gym is an important place," it writes.

What the published award decision does not say is how much new equipment is actually needed, what machines are already in place, or how the costs are split between the centres.

Up to 6.5 Million Kronor

When the tender opened, it was valued at three million kronor excluding VAT. In the final award decision, the estimate was raised to 3.5 million. The framework agreement has a hard ceiling of 6.5 million kronor - the total the agency can spend on purchases and services under the deal.

It is not a one-off order for the full amount, but a contract that allows rolling purchases along with maintenance and repairs. The final bill for taxpayers depends on how much the agency ends up ordering.

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Only One Bidder

Although the tender was open to any supplier, just one bid came in - from MF Motion Fitness AB, based in Norrköping, which was awarded the contract.

Lowest price was supposed to be the deciding criterion. But with a single bidder, there was never any real price competition. The company was named winner on June 24 and the contract was signed on July 7, 2026.

The deal is a framework agreement without renewed competition, meaning the agency can keep ordering from the same supplier without a new tender for each purchase.

Gyms for Future Centres Too

The contract is not limited to the six existing centres. The agency has built in room for new facilities during the contract period, with Boden singled out as a likely new site, and the supplier must be able to deliver anywhere in Sweden.

That means the deal can be used both to top up existing gyms and to kit out brand-new detention centres with training facilities.

The Migration Agency has not specified how much of the 3.5 million kronor is earmarked for new purchases versus upkeep of existing equipment. The tender is listed under publication number 577029-2026 in the EU's official procurement database.