2006
Boosting public sector buying power - PA Consulting Group welcomes first customers to Zanzibar, Government’s new eProcurement and marketplace service
-
15 February 2006
PA Consulting Group, the leading management, systems and technology consulting firm that is responsible for delivering the Zanzibar Managed Service, announced today that the first public sector customers are now using Zanzibar.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the first public sector organisations to subscribe to the service, which is the new public sector eProcurement and marketplace system.
The system and managed service is available for any public sector organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to subscribe to, including central government departments and their agencies, local authorities, schools, health trusts and hospitals, housing associations, emergency services and public sector charities, subject to EU procurement rules. The system enables public sector buyers and private sector suppliers to be linked up over the Internet and conduct fully electronic procurement transactions.
The Zanzibar Managed Service represents a key enabler in the Government’s efficiency and shared services agenda.
The main benefit of the Zanzibar Managed Service will be to provide public sector organisations with a low-cost eProcurement and supplier content management system that will deliver efficiencies through better procurement processes. In addition, the system will hold extensive information about buying throughout the public sector, enabling better value-for-money procurement decisions to be made in future.
Bruce Tindale, Chief Executive Officer, PA Consulting Group, said:
“We are delighted that DWP has subscribed to Zanzibar. The Zanzibar Managed Service is a vital component of the Government's strategy to deliver the procurement efficiency savings identified in Sir Peter Gershon's report ’Releasing Resources to the Front Line’. PA Consulting Group has long had a strong reputation for working with the public sector; our work on the Zanzibar Managed Service further underlines this. Alongside this, we will be launching a new PA subsidiary, PA Shared Services Limited, to deliver the Zanzibar Managed Service."
Veera Johnson, PA's lead consultant on the Zanzibar project and member of PA's Management Group, added:
“The Zanzibar Managed Service represents a major step towards delivering efficiencies across the whole UK public sector. It is an exciting project and a great product, which offers more than just a marketplace. The Zanzibar Managed Service includes an eProcurement hub and a range of management information components that will help public sector organisations make better value-for-money decisions now and in the future. Further, it offers the opportunity for public sector bodies to have easy access to collaborative contracts that offer attractive pricing arrangements. The consortium team, led by PA, is looking forward to realising these benefits for all Zanzibar’s customers and suppliers.”
Hugh Barrett, Chief Executive of OGCbuying.solutions, said:
“The Zanzibar Managed Service revolutionises the way that the public sector does business. It saves both procurement process time and cost for the public sector and suppliers alike. Any one that has Internet access will be able to use this service. It means that buyers can browse catalogues and review electronic quotations quickly and easily at the click of a mouse.”
David Smith, Commercial Director at the Department for Work and Pensions, said:
“I strongly support OGC's initiative in developing an eMarketplace for Government which will be a key enabler to DWP's commercial modernisation. I also see this as a significant development in the spreading of commercial best practice throughout the government procurement community. We are looking forward to working closely with OGCbuying.solutions on this project.”
PA Consulting Group is delivering Zanzibar through its new wholly owned subsidiary, PA Shared Services Limited, in a consortium with Elcom Systems Limited, IMPAQ Business Solutions Ltd and @UK PLC. In addition, Serco will be working in a strategic alliance with the consortium.
For more information visit our Web site <http://www.paconsulting.com/zanzibar> or for enquiries about Zanzibar, e-mail
zanzibar@pasharedservices.com
Ends
For more information, please contact Heather Smith at the PA Consulting Group press office:Tel: 020 7312 4975 (office) or 07710 294 845 (mobile)
Or contact Julie Morgan at the OGCbuying.solutions press office:Tel: 0151 672 2298 (office) or 07776 353 025 (mobile)
Or contact Martin Day at the OGC press office:Tel: 020 7271 1381/1318/1366
For general enquiries about PA please contact:
|
| Heather Smith |
| PA Consulting Group |
| 123 Buckingham Palace Road |
| London |
| SW1W 9SR |
| United Kingdom |
|
|
Tel: +44 20 7312 4975 |
|
E-mail:
heather.smith@paconsulting.com |
|
|
|
Notes to editors
About Zanzibar
Zanzibar offers a comprehensive end-to-end automated procurement process with the flexibility to accommodate future supplier and buyer adoption, no matter what services, tools or processes they already have. The system is based on commercial 'off the shelf' components, and provides a single point of access for buyers and suppliers. It will host common and individual supplier catalogues and 'punch out' via the Web to suppliers that already have procurement-enabled transactional Web sites. The scope of Zanzibar's offering will incorporate:
- purchase-to-pay transactional workflow
- hosted catalogues
- 'punch out' to external suppliers' Web sites
- the ability to integrate with, or interface to, buyers’ and suppliers’ existing finance and eProcurement systems
- a data warehouse
- portal access for subscribing public sector organisations to management information including standard and user defined reports
- eMarketplace Portal, including public information, such as open requests for quotations (RFQs)
- a supplier transaction portal - which will be provided free to suppliers with an Internet connection.
The system is available for public sector bodies to subscribe to, and they will nominate suppliers that they want to trade with on Zanzibar. Suppliers will then be contacted and provided with further information.
Public sector organisations interested in Zanzibar should e-mail zanzibar@pasharedservices.com
Suppliers and Zanzibar
The system has been designed to accommodate the needs of suppliers regardless of size. The system is highly flexible offering services to those suppliers with sophisticated web-based e-shops through to very small suppliers who will be able to provide information on their goods and services using only an Internet connection.
Suppliers will be able to use a fully subsidised supplier portal, which will allow them to manage documents involved in the procurement process with their public sector clients, including, amongst others: quotations, purchase orders, the creation and transmission of e-invoices and advanced shipping notes.
Suppliers interested in Zanzibar should contact their public sector client.
About PA Consulting Group
PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology consulting firm. Operating worldwide in more than 35 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience of 3,000 people, whose skills extend from the initial generation of ideas, insights and solutions all the way through to detailed implementation. This benefits-driven approach is founded on our strength in innovation, our responsiveness to our clients’ needs, and our unyielding focus on delivery. All of our work and support is based on deep sector insight and expertise, and we work across the private and public sectors, with particular strengths in financial services, energy, life sciences and healthcare, government and public services, manufacturing and telecommunications.
www.paconsulting.com <http://www.paconsulting.com/>
About PA Shared Services Limited (PASSL)
PA Shared Services Limited (PASSL) is a wholly owned subsidiary within PA Consulting Group. PASSL is the delivery vehicle for Zanzibar and builds on PA's strong track record in procurement and delivering e-government solutions. PA's experience ranges from developing guidance and offering advice, to managing large-scale procurement, sourcing and eCommerce projects on behalf of clients. As a result, PA has the depth of insight and understanding of procurement in both the public and private sectors. In summary, the services provided by PA range from developing strategies and business cases for eProcurement, through to delivering highly complex eProcurement solutions, including all aspects of systems development, organisational change and programme management.
www.paconsulting.com/zanzibar or e-mail zanzibar@pasharedservices.com
About OGCbuying.solutions
OGCbuying.solutions is an Executive Agency of the Office of Government Commerce in the Treasury. OGCbuying.solutions' role is to deliver value for money gains for central civil government and the wider public sector through their dedicated, professional procurement service.
OGCbuying.solutions provide public sector customers with a full range of products and services designed to encourage effective procurement, achieve measurable cost savings and improve the efficiency of the purchasing function throughout the public sector.
www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk <http://www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/>
About Elcom Systems Limited
Elcom Systems Limited is the UK subsidiary of Elcom International, Inc. (OTCBB: ELCO and AIM: ELC and ELCS), which operates as one of the leading B2B eCommerce service providers offering affordable eProcurement and eMarketplace solutions for buyers, sellers, and commerce communities to conduct business online. PECOS is Elcom's remotely-hosted flagship solution, enabling enterprises of all sizes to achieve the many benefits of B2B eCommerce without the burden of infrastructure investment and ongoing content and system management. Additional information is available at: www.uk.elcom.com <http://www.uk.elcom.com/>
www.elcominternational.com <http://www.elcominternational.com/>
About IMPAQ Business Solutions Ltd
IMPAQ is a UK based company which specialises in providing hosted solutions and associated services that enable buying organisations to accelerate the adoption and enablement of suppliers to any type of eProcurement programme. Further information available at:
www.impaq.co.uk <http://www.impaq.co.uk/>
About @UK PLC
@UK PLC is the National lead organisation for supplier adoption, providing 'e' enablement tools to thousands of businesses selling goods and services to the public sector, private sector and consumers. Further information available at:
www.ukplc.net <http://www.ukplc.net/>
About Serco
Serco is a leading international service company, operating in a diverse range of sectors, including IT services, education, local government, transport, science, health, justice and defence. More information can be found at:
www.serco.com <http://www.serco.com/>
|
