Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

EGS Announces Mobile eProcurement Solution for Public Sector, Following Partnership with Mobilization Specialist, Pervasic

Better Management Insight and Greater Control Over Budget Spending for Public Sector Field-based Workers, Such as Works Management, Housing Maintenance, and Social Care

EGS Ltd, the UK’s largest and fastest growing ecommerce Exchange for the public sector and its suppliers, today announced an industry partnership with job deployment and mobilization specialist, Pervasic, to deliver a Mobile eProcurement solution specifically for the UK public sector. The solution will enable public sector customers, as well as Housing Associations, to extend the operational and financial benefits of eProcurement to mobile or field-based workers, such as Works Management, Housing Maintenance, and Social Care staff, enabling organisations to gain better management insight and harness greater control over their budget spending.

The solution will combine Pervasic’s MobileOne® Platform for job or case deployment and mobilization of field workers with EGS’ widely used electronic trading exchanges, such as its IDeA:marketplace for local government. eProcurement automates and reduces the costs and timescales associated with the procurement-to-pay lifecycle. The services save considerable time and cost for both buying organisations and suppliers alike. The Pervasic partnership will extend these benefits to public sector staff who are field-based or mobile workers, enabling them to order services, goods and materials and replenish stock from key suppliers in real time through the EGS Exchange.

“There are much higher instances of off contract spending in departments with field-based staff,” said Ian Busby, Chief Executive Officer of EGS Ltd. “On average, some of the larger local authorities can have in excess of fifty percent off contract spend in this area, and the purchase-to-pay costs can be significantly higher than other departments, which is why we are seeing so much interest in Mobile eProcurement. Local Authorities in particular have seen tremendous financial savings, efficiencies and control as a result of deploying eProcurement. In departments with field-based staff, it can be difficult to know who is spending what and where. Our customers want the same level of management insight in these areas to control spending, manage stock and control stock leakage, which is why our partnership with Pervasic will be a strategic part of our ongoing service improvement and delivery.”

John Salter, Chief Executive Officer of Pervasic added, “We have an in-depth understanding of mobile data technology and a practical appreciation for the unique challenges facing a mobilized workforce. We have a strong public sector background through our existing customer base, as well as the work we are doing for numerous Housing Associations throughout the country – all delivered through our handheld devices. Real time stock ordering and stock replenishment is an ongoing issue facing staff in the field. Pervasic’s MobileOne Platform is run as a managed service, which means it will be easy for us to do the integration with EGS just once, enabling all of our respective customers and suppliers to be readily integrated immediately and connected for free. By partnering with EGS, we will be able to deliver a robust Mobile eProcurement solution, as well as even greater return on investment to our customers.”

Pervasic enables real time information, enabling mobile workers to progress and close down a job when completed and view jobs up to a week in advance. Unlike many mobilisation options, a major distinction is the ability Pervasic provides in linking to multiple back end systems, thus allowing integration of existing and future applications. The solution consists of a familiar and intuitive handheld PDA, which links field workers wirelessly to an organisation’s multiple back end systems, ensuring real time scheduling of appointments and secure recording, transfer of data, and will provide real time eProcurement through the EGS Exchange.

Demand for automated end-to-end pay to purchase processes has sky rocketed in recent years as public sector bodies focus on e-government efficiency targets. With £100 billion of e procureable spend in the UK public sector every year, transactions in EGS’ electronic trading exchanges have now surpassed 250,000 purchases per year, whilst its market share of the UK public sector now exceeds fifty percent, making it the most successful public sector eProcurement Exchange in Europe. The combined efficiencies of business process cost savings and eProcurement cost savings delivered by EGS have the potential to save the public purse over £1 billion per annum. With one million online catalog items, the largest available in the market, EGS Exchanges have the potential to reduce the unit price of goods and services by as much as 30 per cent. The Mobile eProcurement solution will enhances these savings even further.

EGS and Pervasic are currently in discussion with a number of Local Authorities and Housing
Associations across the UK for delivery of the solution.

About Pervasic Ltd

Pervasic Ltd is the UK leader in advanced mobile data solutions for both the private and public sector. The company’s MobileOne platform-based solutions deliver the market’s most technically advanced products and service offerings, enabling organisations to dramatically improve productivity and control for mobile workers, and significantly enhance overall business efficiencies. Pervasic’s customer base includes major blue chip organisations, ranging from some of the world’s largest manufacturers to global transport ticketing specialists, vehicle telematics experts and specialist security services. The company operates primarily in the Break & Fix, Distribution and Logistics, Construction, and Housing Management markets, as well as working with numerous UK Local Authorities. Privately held, Pervasic is supported by established private equity institutions with majority investment from Frontiers Capital.

www.pervasic.com

About EGS Ltd

Founded in 2000, EGS Ltd is the UK’s leading supplier of ecommerce Exchanges for the public sector. The company’s Shared Service ecommerce solutions are used by over 150 public sector buying organisations. EGS operates a series of inter-locking regional and sector focused e Commerce exchanges, providing services designed to automate and reduce the costs and timescales associated with the procurement to pay lifecycle. The services save considerable time and cost for both buying organisations and suppliers alike. EGS is the biggest and fastest growing ecommerce Exchange for the UK public sector with more than 50% market share, making it the market leader in its field, and the most successful Exchange of its kind in Europe. With the largest Shared Services customer base, EGS has 150 public buying organisations linking with 30,000 of their chosen supplies and the main contracts from Public Purchasing Consortia. Electronic purchasing is taking off. EGS has seen a 500% growth in the use of its services in past two years alone, and expects the trend to continue.

For further info, contact:

Monique Chambers
Tel: 0207 871 2781
Email: Monique@devonshiremarketimg.com