PublicBuy.Net signs agreement with Texas, Maine and Idaho to provide
Internet-based procurement services.
Procurement system to assist thousands of state and municipal employees
looking to reorganize the
purchasing and bidding process via the Internet.
Baltimore, MD - March 14, 2001 - The Texas General Services
Commission, Maine Division of Purchases and Idaho Division of Purchasing
have signed contracts for SYCOM, Inc. to provide Internet-based procurement
services through its PublicBuy.Net product. All three states selected
the Bid and Response Module (BaSEC™), which manages the bidding
process online, and the Electronic Catalog Module (eCatalog), a customized
Internet shopping service based on public agencies’ existing vendor
contracts.
Each state anticipates up to several thousand state or
local employees with Internet access to use the PublicBuy.Net products.
For each state contract, SYSCOM loads the appropriate vendor contracts
and product categories into the state’s customized eCatalog. This
enables procurement officers across the state to access information
about existing products and vendors. Users can search PublicBuy.Net’s
catalog for a particular item and sort the results by price. The catalog
accommodates dollar limits, restrictions, and other purchase authorities
established by the user agency.
In addition, registered vendors in each state will be eligible
to access the BaSEC™ system in order to bid on various projects.
PublicBuy.Net, a powerful e-catalog and e-procurement system powered
by application service provider, SYSCOM, automates the competitive bidding
process and contract administration in the public purchasing sector
at the state and local levels. The secure, Internet-based system streamlines
the procurement process and significantly decreases the cost of doing
business for agencies and vendors. The eCatalog product allows government
groups to better track vendor performance and access statewide purchasing
reports. This online environment also enables local and small government
agencies to negotiate more competitive prices.
The BaSEC™ component electronically issues solicitations
from governmental purchasing departments directly to vendors. The vendors
are able to immediately submit a bid to fill the order. In addition,
the system dramatically reduces the time between the placement of an
order and the product shipment and enables vendors to send secure information
electronically regarding the exact shipping and delivery dates.
"PublicBuy.Net was designed by public procurement
professionals to accommodate the needs of state and local governments,"
said Tom Maskell, vice president of SYSCOM. "Other procurement
systems on the market have been adapted from the private sector and
have built-in limitations for public procurement. We have designed an
online system that requires only a computer and Internet browser, rather
than a hefty state-wide investment in costly or outdated software,”
said Maskell.
A Powerful Procurement Tool for States
PublicBuy.Net has two distinct functions in the public
procurement process: it provides a bid and response function and it
acts as a catalog for on-line procurement. PublicBuy.Net automates the
requisitioning and procurement processes to increase efficiency and
effectiveness. It can eliminate up to 40 percent of the direct labor
involved in the procurement process – for both buyers and vendors.
PublicBuy.Net provides secure Socket Layer Technology that eliminates
the classical areas of opportunity for procurement fraud and fosters
public confidence in the integrity of the public procurement process.
In addition, local and state agencies receive the benefit of SYSCOM’s
full support and training for buyers, vendors and system administrators.
PublicBuy.Net is a completely Internet-based procurement
system. The only requirement for buyers or vendors to use the system
is an Internet-enabled PC with Pentium or higher processor Windows 95
or higher or Windows NT operating system; and Netscape 4.51 or higher
Web browser.
State Update
Texas, Maine and Idaho are in various phases of implementing
the BASEC and eCatalog products and training state employees and vendors
on how to use the Internet procurement tool in an accurate and efficient
manner.
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Maine selected PublicBuy.Net
because the product facilitates the sharing of information between
procurement officers and allows people to operate from a position
of knowledge while quickly accessing the data and information
necessary to make wise decisions.
"We selected PublicBuy.Net because of the product’s
solid understanding of the ‘government backoffice.’
Unlike other products, PublicBuy.Net was designed to meet the
needs of government procurement offices, and not just some B2B
solution later adapted to meet the needs of a government agency,”
said Richard Thompson, director of purchases for the Maine Division
of Purchases. "PublicBuy.Net was affordable and the product
had the ability to help us request items and access information
in an accurate, efficient and cost-competitive manner.”
Maine anticipates up to 1,000 state or municipal
employees with Internet access to use the PublicBuy.Net products.
More than 100 vendor contracts and x,xxx product categories will
be included in the state’s eCatalog and more than 600 registered
vendors will be eligible to access the BaSEC™ system in
order to bid on various projects. The rollout of the BaSEC™
product to Maine’s state level executive branches is nearly
complete and the pilot program for the eCatalog product is scheduled
to begin April 1.
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SYSCOM began implementation of the PublicBuy.Net
service for the state of Texas in early 2000. Currently, SYSCOM
is managing and coordinating several projects including the development
of a training curriculum and schedule for both vendors and government
personnel.
"The state of Texas decided to select PublicBuy.Net
because of the accessibility and consistency that the system could
offer both the state employees and vendors,” said Jamie
Spiegel, program director of the Texas Division of Central Procurement
Services. "With three different financial systems used by
250 state and local agencies, we needed a product that could integrate
with each system. PublicBuy.Net has helped put us all on the same
page in terms of the buying process and has helped to significantly
bring down our purchasing costs,” said Spiegel.
Texas anticipates up to 5,000 state and local employees
with Internet access to use the PublicBuy.Net products when the
system is fully implemented. More than 1,700 vendor contracts
and 170,000 product categories will be included in the state’s
eCatalog and more than 1,200 registered vendors will be eligible
to access the BaSEC™ system in order to bid on various projects.
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The Idaho State Division of Purchasing,
which recently selected PublicBuy.Net, chose the product due to
it’s cost-effective benefits that help to manage vendor
bidding and catalog orders.
" Our state and local agencies wanted an enterprise-wide
solution that everyone could access and easily use,” said
Jan Cox, administrator of the Idaho State Division of Purchasing.
"PublicBuy.Net will be available to all political Idaho subdivisions
including cities, counties and other governmental entities. We
reviewed several dozen options, but no one offered the same type
of comprehensive package and support as PublicBuy.Net,”
said Cox.
Idaho anticipates up to 1,500 state or local employees
with Internet access to use the PublicBuy.Net products. More than
65 vendor contracts and 5,000 product categories will be included
in the state’s eCatalog and more than 8,000 registered vendors
will be eligible to access the BaSEC™ system in order to
bid on various projects. |
About SYSCOM
SYSCOM is a leading provider of end-to-end information
technology services, offering innovative systems integration, development
and consulting; workflow and content management; and e-business transformation
solutions for customers worldwide. With broad, multi-platform and application
expertise, SYSCOM provides enterprise-wide solutions for a variety of
public and private sector clients including those in financial and insurance
services, manufacturing, telecommunications and government human services.
For more information visit www.syscom.com or call (800) 779-7266.
Contact: Heather Woolford Tom Maskell
heatherw@gkv.com tmaskell@syscom.com
Gray, Kirk/VanSant SYSCOM, Inc.
(410) 234-2434 (410) 539-3737, x 1005
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