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ORBIS ONLINE SELECTED AS REVERSE AUCTION SERVICES
PROVIDER FOR GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
GSA awards five-year contracts for online
reverse auction services
for obtaining best pricing and streamlining government procurement.
San Antonio, Texas -August 12, 2002 - Orbis Online (Orbis) announced
today that it has been selected as a contractor by the General Services
Administration (GSA) - Contract Number GS07T02BGD0008 - to conduct online
reverse auctions. The goal is to achieve the best competitive pricing
and help automate the way government agencies purchase products and
services. Orbis will facilitate self-service (desktop) and full-service
(hosted) auction events. In a hosted auction, Orbis conducts the auction
event. In a desktop auction, Orbis assists the buyer agency by providing
the technology and support necessary to conduct events on their own.
"This contract vehicle makes it easy for government agencies to
conduct online reverse auctions with Orbis. It cuts through the administrative
burdens previously required to secure an auction vendor and gets straight
to securing best pricing and saving money," said Dr. James Strader,
CEO of Orbis Online.
Orbis will team with the GSA in marketing and promoting the benefits
of online reverse auctioning. GSA is committed to helping government
agencies save money by dedicating resources to promote this contract
to make them aware of the efficiencies and cost savings resulting from
reverse auctioning.
Transition to E-Commerce
The GSA's award of this contract facilitates government agencies' transition
to e-commerce. Online reverse auctioning conforms to all government
procurement regulations and is a vast improvement over the sealed-bid
process because it increases competition and creates market transparency
by allowing vendors to submit multiple bids in real-time. Vendors' identities
are concealed during the auction event, but their bids are not. Once
the reverse auction event is completed, the agency may evaluate the
bids, weigh the other variables to be considered, and then make the
procurement. This simple, efficient online process reduces prices, streamlines
negotiations, and benefits both the buyer and supplier.
Meeting Procurement Goals
"Like all our customers, federal procurement officials have one
principal goal," explained Dr. Strader, "to get the appropriate
product or service at the best price at the right time. Orbis has the
experience and expertise to deliver reverse auctioning services of the
highest quality to assist the federal government and other agencies
in conserving their procurement dollars, which ultimately benefits every
citizen," Dr. Strader said. "Orbis Online enhances the value
of this reverse auction contract with its ability to source suppliers
in accordance with federal agency goals to increase small and minority-owned
business utilization. Orbis Online is eager to help government agencies
fulfill aggressive goals to work with minority, woman-owned, or other
historically underutilized businesses. Our goal is for everyone to benefit."
These benefits are not exclusive to the federal government. Certain
state and local governments can participate in GSA-negotiated contracts
and may use this agreement to procure online reverse auctioning services.
The GSA
The GSA Federal Technology Service provides access to state-of-the-art,
high-quality commercial products and services at volume discount pricing
on a direct-delivery basis. All federal government customers are provided
with the latest technology, lower administrative costs, shorter lead-times,
streamlined ordering processes, and significant opportunities to meet
small-business goals, while promoting compliance with various environmental
and socio-economic laws and regulations-all at favored pricing. To learn
more about reverse auctions and how to access this contract, please
visit the GSA's Website at www.buyers.gov.
About Orbis Online, Inc.
Orbis Online, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, offers patent-pending
dynamic competitive pricing tools that significantly reduce the cost
of products and services versus historical procurement methods. Orbis
transforms the traditional competitive bidding process into more powerful
events that are live, online and worldwide. Orbis' value proposition
is unique. The superior functionality of the solution includes all the
benefits customers can normally experience only by purchasing or developing
custom systems and requires no up-front costs or software installation.
For more information about Orbis Online, Inc., please visit our website
at www.OrbisOnline.com, or call (210) 576-7600. Demonstrations of Orbis
Online's unique auction platforms are available at the website: www.wsdemo.com
or can be facilitated by contacting Orbis Online directly.
Reader Contact Information:
Orbis Online, Inc., 100 NE Loop 410, Suite 605, San Antonio, TX 78216,
Tel: 210-576-7600, Fax: 210-576-0760, www.orbisonline.com, marketing@orbisonline.com.
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