Plenty of Web products allow buyers and sellers to find each other by price alone. But the typical request for quote (RFQ) from a large organization is far more complex, involving elements such as volume discounts, multi-level pricing, multiple bidding rounds and divided orders among several suppliers. That's not to mention "performance" elements such as shipping capability and reliability.

Last year software veteran Avner Schneur created Emptoris Inc. around a Web engine that, in his words, "allows corporations to put proposals out for bid online the way they do in the real world."

Today Schneur's Burlington company received a huge boost when Internet Capital Group (ICGE), the Pennsylvania holding company for business-to-business e-commerce firms, paid $20 million for an undisclosed piece of the company.

The investment is significant not just for its cash value. ICG has more than 60 companies in its network, divided between "market makers" (firms that build Internet marketplaces for buyers and sellers in a range of industries) and companies that provide them with software and e-commerce infrastructure.

That means Emptoris instantly has a supply of customers eager to buy its product, as well as access to strategic and operational support.

Rick Bunker, managing director and chief technology officer for ICG, who will join Emptoris' board, said, "The Emptoris solution represents a key technology enabler for complex B2B transaction environments. We believe that this solution, coupled with its management team, business model and ability to execute, makes the company an essential addition to ICG's network."

"It's a very significant deal for us," Schneur said. "We see a great fit with our capabilities and ICG's vast resources."

Schneur said Emptoris would be announcing several new customer deals in the next couple of weeks. Among the companies already using Emptoris technology to develop their B2B websites: a firm bringing together moving companies and businesses seeking to relocate; a site for buyers and sellers of industrial equipment; and a company developing five vertical marketplaces, including in fabrics and chemicals.

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In each case, the sites will use Emptoris' ePASS system, for which the firm has requested a patent. The core of the system is an engine that can digest a host of buyer and seller requirements (multi-year contracts, volume pricing, bidding on portions of a contract, etc.).

In addition, the system can be customized to analyze business rules such as shipment terms, quality of delivery and performance history. Buyers and shippers can create "what if" scenarios to help cinch complex deals tailored to specific needs.

In Bunker's words, "Emptoris' (system) can create significant value for our market makers by enabling high dollar buying to be transacted in their net markets while significantly improving the efficiency of e-procurement processes for end users."

An Israeli native with a master's from the Israel Institute for Technology, Schneur has worked for technology companies around Boston since 1986.

He was chief technical officer for Astea International, a developer of customer interaction software, helping to lead the firm to a successful IPO in 1995. He then moved on to run operations for Vectis Corp., a seller of online medical records to physicians, until the firm's acquisition last year.

Schneur acknowledges that Emptoris is working in a "very hot market." Among the competitors: Ariba.com, which bought a company called Trading Dynamics that had developed an RFQ engine; and VerticalNet, which recently acquired a firm with a similar technology.

In that atmosphere, having a partner such as ICG will be nothing less than essential.