Internet editorial

Citation

Brian Sloan, P. (2000), "Internet editorial", Facilities, Vol. 18 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2000.06918cag.001

Internet editorial

Electronic procurement (e-procurement), as part of e-commerce, enables organisations to arrange their procurement requirements over the Internet and is set to change the way facilities managers conduct business throughout the entire supply chain. Electronic procurement offers the potential to reduce procurement cycles and free up staff to undertake value-added services by automating repetitive tasks. The bottom line is that e-procurement also has the potential to reduce the costs of procurement and thereby increase profit margins.

Electronic commerce and the procurement process http://www.ec.fed.gov/IIBT98/index.htm

A US Federal Electronic Commerce Program Office Website, which contains a Powerpoint presentation on the impact of electronic procurement on the public procurement process.

SUPPLYPOINT - electronic procurement using virtual supply chains - an overview http:/www.electronicmarkets.org/netacademy/publications.nsf/all_pk/1079

This electronic paper in The International Journal of Electronic Commerce and Business Media deals with the SUPPLYPOINT project (a European Union sponsored project (ESPRIT 27007)). The project addresses the issues of pan-European electronic trade links for business-to-business and business-to-public body electronic commerce. It is anticipated that this will be achieved by using virtual supply chains and covering a life cycle from contract identification to completion, including virtual supply chain management and electronic payments. It is expected to provide a one-stop shopping service for companies to purchase goods and services from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) co-operating in virtual and dynamic supply chains. Links are provided to the full text of the paper (Adobe Acrobat format).

The seven Cs of e-procurement http://www.ecomworld.com/html/procure/050199.html

An electronic article by Steve Hornyack and Todd Ostrander (Clarus Corporation). The authors are of the opinion that each of the "seven Cs" of catalogue management offer distinct advantages for the purchasing of certain types of goods and services. They anticipate the different attributes will help a company streamline a comprehensive procure-to-pay solution. In isolation each method solves specific needs of specific users but never provides the total solution. However, in varying combinations, they state that these methods of catalogue management can meet all of a company's operational purchasing needs. An interesting read for those anticipating electronic catalogues as part of their procurement strategy.

(SIMAP) transforming European procurement for the Information Age http://simap.eu.int/EN/pub/src/Btunnel1.shtml

This site is aimed at suppliers and procurement professionals and contains information about procurement markets, background information on rules and procedures. It consists of a search engine which can link to SIMAP resources on the procurement process.

ELPRO project factsheet http://www2.echo.lu/telematics/admin/elpro.html

This Website contains details of the ELPRO project (Electronic Public Procurement System for Europe), which is a Telematics Applications project funded by the European Commission. The objective of the project is to build and demonstrate regional procurement, on a number of sites (including a virtual procurement region). ELPRO provides an information partnership and business information network targeted at SMEs using the complete range of free and paid-for Telematics services, including fax-on-demand services, multimedia mail, Internet and X.400 based services to illustrate the means of establishing SME support networks on any Telematics environment in Europe. ELPRO will provide a unique integrated service which will enable procuring entities to generate optimal Telematics support services for local SMEs at the same time as capturing the efficiency benefits of electronic procurement for themselves.

Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) http://www.eu-contracts.co.uk

The Tenders Electronic Daily Website is a database containing all European calls for tender published in the official journal supplements of the European Communities. It is the one-stop official source for timely information on public procurement opportunities from the European Union, the European Economic Area and beyond. TED is produced by EUR-OP (Office for Official Publications of the EU). Before using the system, it is necessary to register and obtain a username and password. This is the ideal site to visit for companies wishing to tender for services, etc. throughout the European Community.

If you have information on any Internet sites which you think may be of interest to the readers of Facilities, please pass details to Brian Sloan by e-mail at: B.Sloan@napier.ac.uk

Professor Brian SloanNapier University, Edinburgh, ScotlandE-mail: B.Sloan@napier.ac.uk