SDCExec.com |

Cary, NC — April 16, 2008 — SciQuest, Inc., a strategic procurement provider for academic, healthcare and research-centric organizations, this week announced the availability of Supplies Manager. Developed to give organizations the ability to manage their procurement processes and inventory of internal supplies in one system, Supplies Manager is the latest development to originate from SciQuest's customer-centric development process.

"SciQuest's development process ensures that our solutions address the most pressing business challenges our customers face," said Jamie Duke, chief operating office at SciQuest. "Supplies Manager was developed to tackle an important area for savings and efficiency — understanding current inventory levels allows companies to strategically manage their resources and make prudent purchases."

Duke explained that solutions like Supplies Manager result from the customer-centric development process SciQuest uses to create all of its products and services — an approach based on customer focus groups that provide developers with access to users and a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face. SciQuest's focus groups involve procurement leaders from research-centric organizations, including those in higher education, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. This approach extends throughout the company's entire development process from product conception and pilot programs to marketing and implementation.

"Focus group participants guide our development efforts for a simple reason," added Duke. "Their insight enables SciQuest to take full advantage of the agility and flexibility we enjoy as a pure-play software-as-a-service provider, and results in solutions that are relevant and useful. At SciQuest, customer service begins with a development process that gives customers a voice in the creation of the solutions built to help them further their organization's mission."

Saving Time, Money by Integrating Procurement and Stockrooms

With Supplies Manager, SciQuest said it is addressing one of the key challenges faced by users in research-centric environments: The need to integrate e-procurement systems with inventory management and internal supply centers, including storerooms, supply closets and lab freezers, to quickly locate in-stock supplies for faster acquisition. At research organizations, problems with lack of visibility into inventory levels and duplicate purchases of items already in stock are common.

"A major benefit of the new SciQuest Supplies Manager module is that Yale administrators spend far less time managing and tracking the delivery of stock from supplier to end-user," said John Mayes, associate vice president and chief procurement officer at Yale University. "With SciQuest's Supplies Manager, our researchers and clinicians can quickly see what is in stock on-site and quickly order the materials they need from internal sources or decide to purchase them from outside suppliers — all in one application. With these capabilities, the University saves money and our customers save valuable time by quickly locating and using those supplies that are already available on-site."

Some of the benefits procurement departments and users said they have experienced with Supplies Manager include:

• Supplies Manager integrates existing inventory and e-procurement systems in one solution. Users who login to shop for the materials they need and compare the vendors that offer them can instantaneously see which items are already in stock and order them internally.
• Supplies Manager notifies stockroom managers as to what and how much to order for supplies replenishment when inventory reaches predetermined levels.
• Supplies Manager enables stockroom personnel to create pick lists as well as packing slips, and buyers can check the status of their orders online. Supplies Manager also integrates with self-service stockrooms and kiosks. Biometric systems and login identifications can be used to ensure security.
• Supplies Manager includes dashboards that provide visibility to critical performance information, allowing stockroom personnel to work more efficiently and strategically.