University of Pennsylvania Taps SciQuest for Supplier Promotion Solution

Purchasing Services department enhances Oracle e-procurement system with supplier promotion module

Research Triangle Park, N.C. Ñ March 5, 2003 Ñ SciQuest Inc. has said that the University of Pennsylvania, one of the Top 10 research universities in the United States, has signed an agreement for SciQuest to develop a supplier promotion module to enhance its existing Oracle e-procurement system. The announcement was made at the SciQuest Next Level Conference, a five-day gathering of people in higher education and the procurement industry held in Tempe, Ariz.

Under the terms of the agreement SciQuest said it would build, host and maintain a supplier promotion module for the University of Pennsylvania's Business Enterprise Network (BEN) Buys Purchasing system, which is built on the Oracle iProcurement platform. According to the provider, the module will enable the University's contract suppliers to manage and publish content highlighting new products and sales promotions to users of the campus-wide e-procurement application.

ÒSciQuest understands that suppliers need focused marketing opportunities in support of e-procurement for higher education,Ó said Ralph Maier, associate director of purchasing for the University of Pennsylvania. ÒTheir focus on improving the buying experience for end users while allowing procurement professionals to influence purchasing decisions is a great fit for the University of Pennsylvania's goal of creating a first-class procurement organization while providing administrative excellent in support of the University's research mission.Ó

SciQuest has supported the University of Pennsylvania with additional e-procurement content enrichment services to cleanse, normalize and format product information for several of the University's key scientific suppliers. The supplier promotion module will be used across commodity groups to encourage supplier loyalty and increase on-contract spending among departmental buyers.

ÓWe are excited that a recognized leader in the higher education procurement industry has acknowledged SciQuest's expertise in supplier enablement and the potential of our solutions to complement their existing Oracle procurement systems,Ó said Dorrian Porter, vice president and general manager of HigherMarkets, a business unit of SciQuest dedicated to meeting the needs of the higher education market. ÒWe look forward to helping the University of Pennsylvania drive the maximum return on investment from their e-procurement initiative.Ó

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