ICG Commerce Enhances its Enabled Sourcing Solution by Expanding E-Sourcing Technology
Leading Procurement Service Provider Combines Technology with Expertise to Deliver Comprehensive Strategic Sourcing Services
PHILADELPHIA - Monday, October 22, 2001 - ICG Commerce, Inc., a leading comprehensive Procurement Service Provider,
announced today the launch of its e-sourcing platform, RealSourceSM, an expansion of its Enabled Sourcing solution
that accelerates the sourcing of direct and strategic goods and services. RealSource automates and optimizes the
entire sourcing process from spend categorization and analysis to supplier qualification, negotiation, selection and
management. ICG Commerce has licensed the use of ePASSTM from Emptoris, Inc., a leading developer of Web-based
collaborative strategic sourcing solutions, to complete its RealSource platform. ePASS is a comprehensive sourcing platform
that supports the end-to-end strategic sourcing activities of multi-tier buyer/supplier networks.
"Additional functionality such as the collaboration, supplier negotiation and decision support capabilities of Emptoris'
ePASS, combined with our existing sourcing and category expertise and online auction capabilities, enable us to deliver
unmatched Enabled Sourcing services to our customers," said David Clary, vice president of Enabled Sourcing for ICG
Commerce. "Whether they use the platform themselves or engage our sourcing experts to facilitate the process,
RealSource allows them to achieve maximum hard-dollar savings."
RealSource is the engine behind ICG Commerce's Enabled Sourcing solution, which provides customers a variety of
flexible options in meeting their specific sourcing needs. For customers with extensive internal sourcing capabilities,
ICG Commerce offers SelfSourceSM - whereby customers receive access to the hosted RealSource platform along with
activation services including implementation, training and pre-developed content including supplier lists and category
specific RFX templates. For companies looking for sourcing assistance, FlexSourceSM provides a range of sourcing
As an integral part of ICG Commerce's Enabled Sourcing services, RealSource facilitates the sourcing of direct and
strategic goods. Once the strategic sourcing process is completed and supplier agreements are established, ICG
Commerce offers customers the unique ability to place electronic orders against these contracts through its proprietary
RealExchangeSM.
"What sets our Enabled Sourcing solution apart is the fact that we offer our customers the natural link from e-Sourcing
to e-Procurement," said David Clary. "While our enhanced Enabled Sourcing solution provides companies with access
to the latest tools, processes and services for more effective strategic sourcing, our ability to help companies transact
these purchases ensures these savings actually hit the bottom-line and are sustained over time."
RealSource Key Features
ICG Commerce's RealSource provides the following functionality to professional buyers:
RFx development. Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Quotation (RFQ) capabilities from ePASS allow
RealSource users to create templates in order to standardize RFx's across their company. Buyers have the ability to
leverage either real-time reverse auctions or sealed bids to generate the optimal sourcing solution.
Supplier management. Detailed supplier profiles can be maintained by professional buyers, allowing for rapid
quotations and proposals by those qualified to fulfill the buyers' needs.
Sourcing Content. ICG Commerce provides access to category specific RFX templates and supplier lists to further
streamline and improve the supplier selection process.
Implementation & User Training. Experts provide SelfSource customers with implementation assistance and in-depth
training in order to accelerate return on investment
Customized supplier bidding. ePASS' flexible bidding features enable suppliers using RealSource to submit multiple
pricing and item options within a single proposal, including price discounts for various purchase volume breaks or
alternative and complementary products.
Optimization-based decision support. Via ePASS' industry-leading decision support engine, RealSource can
simultaneously evaluate multiple sourcing variables, objectives, and constraints that have been pre-defined by the
buying organization. The advanced decision support allows buyers to evaluate price and non-price factors across
multiple tiers of the supply chain, allowing those buyers to make objective decisions on total cost, and not just price.
Reporting and analysis tools. RealSource also provides reporting and analysis tools which buyers can leverage to
enhance the efficiency of their sourcing process. The reporting functionality provides insight into market information
through the tracked negotiation results. This information can help provide best practices and successful online
strategies for future sourcing efforts.
About ICG Commerce, Inc.
ICG Commerce is the leading procurement services provider for Global 2000 companies. Leveraging its wealth of
supply chain management, purchasing and strategic sourcing expertise across multiple industry groups, ICG Commerce
delivers comprehensive, tailored services for indirect, direct and total procurement management. The company is
uniquely positioned to help companies streamline all of their procurement decisions and processes and to effect
substantial savings and efficiencies on unit, transaction and operational costs. ICG Commerce services include
Managed e-Procurement (RealExchange, Spot Buys, Custom Catalogs), Enabled Sourcing (SelfSource (SM),
FlexSource (SM), RapidSource (SM)), and Procurement Outsourcing. ICG Commerce is based in Jenkintown, PA. Its
home page address is www.icgcommerce.com.
*** Important Notice related to ICG Commerce ***
ICG Commerce is not in any way associated with ICG Communications. Further, while Internet Capital Group
(NASDAQ: ICGE) is a holder of ICG Commerce stock and ICG Commerce is a member of the Internet Capital Group
partner network, ICG Commerce and Internet Capital Group (sometimes referred to as ICG) are separate and distinct
operating companies.
About Emptoris
Emptoris is a leading provider of collaborative strategic sourcing solutions that support the end-to-end sourcing
activities of multi-tier buyer/supplier networks. By implementing ePASS™ (Electronic Procurement Application for
Strategic Sourcing), enterprises can streamline the strategic sourcing process, determine the optimal allocation of
business among suppliers, and forge tighter buyer/supplier networks. Through a functionally rich sourcing and
communications platform, ePASS facilitates efficient buyer/buyer, buyer/supplier, and supplier/supplier collaboration.
Key benefits include lower costs, shorter sourcing cycles, and improved sourcing productivity. Emptoris, a privately
held company, is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.
ICG Commerce
877-935-ICGC [4242]
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