“Our thoughts about a Task Force were truly realized when we had an important case a few years ago involving the sale of a large data center site to Meta. Here, there was a need to get some things quickly processed through the system to prepare the site,” explains Allan Leiberg, Environmental and Secretariat Manager in Technical & Environmental Affairs at Esbjerg Municipality.

“In handling that case, we agreed that it was a good idea to establish an effective steering group. Since then, we have further developed the idea, so now we establish a tailored Task Force for the cases where there is a need.”

As a rule, this applies to cases that require an independent environmental approval and local plan or are otherwise particularly complex. In these cases, a Task Force is assembled with the employees and competencies relevant to this specific case. Practically, it is typically an employee in Land Development under Technical & Environmental Affairs who is appointed project manager and responsible for gathering relevant material as well as calling in resources and meeting participants in the Task Force.

“We have moved away from everyone meeting all the time, so now participants meet as needed. And the unique aspect of the Task Force work is to gather all relevant competencies in the same meeting so we can get as many answers and decisions on the table immediately,” elaborates Allan Leiberg.

He himself has many years of experience in the shipping industry and energy sector before joining Esbjerg Municipality in 2022. This gives him a better understanding of the conditions and culture in the private business sector.

“I also believe that here in the municipality we have gained a stronger understanding of these projects in the initial phase and a better sense of the business development they undergo,” reflects Allan Leiberg.

The municipal manager also points out that the more effective Task Force approach also places higher demands the other way – on the interested investors.

“One of the advantages of our setup is that we can run some parallel processes, whereas previously it was done very linearly. It is a risk we take because one track can be delayed while we have progressed far with the others,” points out Allan Leiberg.

“Therefore, we also place demands on the client and the client’s advisors. Sometimes we experience that it is actually us who push to move forward. Here our stance is clear: Now we allocate resources to a fast-moving train – so you also need to be ready!”

It is thus a central part of the idea behind the Task Force to meet customers on their own turf. Both in pace, thinking, and approach – for example, when a project requires tight deadlines.

“We make a schedule and calculate backwards – so the client can also see when they themselves must deliver what. It creates good respect that we meet them that way instead of just saying: ‘We’ll look into it’.

With that approach, we also match the language they are used to in other contexts. There is clarity and expectation on both sides of the table,” emphasizes Uffe Lundgaard.

“When we meet someone for the first time, we always tell them that our foremost task is to make it easy for you to invest in Esbjerg. We help with all the local conditions – and if you find something difficult and overwhelming, just get in touch with us,” says Mikal Kirk Simonsen.