InformationWeek

EDS CoNext plans to launch 12 E-markets, or Leveraged Sourcing Networks, worldwide during the next three years. These E-markets will be based more on geographic location than on specific industries. EBreviate will provide software and services that enable "E-sourcing," the process of determining the market value of goods and services a company wants to procure, identifying potential suppliers, and negotiating contracts, all over the Internet, says Sarah Pfaff, eBreviate's co-founder and its VP of sales and marketing and business development.

The eBreviate services are available three ways: as a full-service offering in which customers pay per auction and CoNext brings in an auction manager to train buyers and suppliers to put together an auction strategy and run the auction; as a do-it-yourself offering in which eBreviate offers training, hosts the procurement software, and provides technical support; and as a recurring service in which buyers use the E-marketplace model to save on products they buy regularly.

Sprint Corp. used the eBreviate services a year ago when the online auction technology was offered by A.T. Kearney Inc., another EDS subsidiary. "We saw about a 5% decrease in prices from our suppliers' original request for proposals," says Brian Watson, Sprint's director of strategic sourcing.

EDS Canada Inc. used eBreviate's auction capabilities in March to create a short list of suppliers who could meet the company's needs for temporary technical talent. Patricia Moser, director of purchasing, says eBreviate put the suppliers on a level playing field. "They had to clearly define their pricing and make quick bidding decisions," she says.