Somerset County Council moves to electronic trading
Somerset County Council (SCC) is pleased to announce that it has recently entered into a partnership with with e-Procurement Specialists @UK PLC. This partnership will provide Somerset with an e-Marketplace and allow SCC to trade electronically with suppliers of all sizes.
What is e-Procurement?
In simple terms, e-Procurement means ordering and paying for goods and services electronically; mainly using the internet. This is becoming increasingly popular with public and private sector organisations.
Why is Somerset County Council moving to e-Procurement?
The Government is encouraging councils, healthcare trusts, educational facilities and other public bodies to take advantage of new technology and save money by trading with suppliers electronically. These savings are achieved by cutting paperwork, reducing errors and paying invoices on time. It also allows organisations to consolidate their purchasing power thus achieving better relationships with preferred suppliers.
Who is @UK PLC?
@UK PLC is a company that works with Public Sector Organisations, e.g. Local Authorities, Schools, Hospitals, etc, and with suppliers across the country to enable electronic trading. Suppliers registered with @UK PLC can receive orders from organisations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, are able to send electronic invoices, and receive prompt, accurate electronic payments. To view their website please click here.
What are the Benefits of setting up an @UK PLC e-commerce site and trading electronically with SCC?
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Be visible to council employees purchasing goods and services
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speed up responses to quotes
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save on administrative costs of receiving orders and mailing invoices
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receive timely payments
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reduce billing queries and improve order tracking
However, the marketplace is not only being created to provide SCC with benefits. Suppliers joining the e-Marketplace will benefit from being added to the Somerset Marketplace (actual name to be agreed) where they can search for products and trade electronically with each other. Once a supplier has an @UK PLC website set up, a list of all the buying organisations on the @UK marketplace can be viewed through their website. These include around 700 schools, 70 councils and hospitals. This will provide great opportunities for suppliers to create new business by introducing their business and offerings to these buying organisations.
What is happening next?
SCC are working with @UK PLC to make sure all of our systems are in place to make the move to e-Procurement as simple as possible. We are also talking to staff in our Directorates to establish who our major suppliers are. The first phase of the project will be to get our top 500 suppliers (by volume of invoices) on the marketplace by the end of 2007. We will be writing to suppliers in the top 500 during August 2007 inviting them to join the @UK PLC marketplace.
Other suppliers will be eligible to register with @UK PLC early in 2008. Please keep an eye on the local press and keep returning to this internet page as further information on how to register will follow over the coming months.
Suppliers do not, at this stage, have to register with @UK PLC to continue trading with SCC. However, it is our intention to move to complete electronic trading by October 2009.
For Further information about the SCC e-Procurement Project please contact:
Peter Price, Senior Procurement Officer - PPrice@somerset.gov.uk or telephone 01823 358109
Information on UNSPSC Coding Conventions
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