A.T. Kearney, the management
consulting subsidiary of EDS
(NYSE: EDS), and i2 Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ITWO), the leading
provider of marketplace solutions, announced a global strategic
partnership to deliver technology-enabled Strategic Sourcing, supplier
management, procurement and content solutions for companies, e-marketplaces and
all industry verticals worldwide.
The partnership’s combined service and product offering, which will be named
2Source, combines A.T. Kearney’s Strategic Sourcing and procurement
transformation expertise with i2’s supplier relationship management
solutions for strategic sourcing and procurement.
As part of the agreement, EDS becomes a preferred supplier
of integration services for i2’s supplier relationship management product suite.
All of A.T. Kearney’s approximately 500 sourcing consultants will be able to
deliver technology-enabled Strategic Sourcing services powered by i2’s supplier
relationship management solutions.
2Source will also offer plug and play sourcing, category management services,
auctioning, supply market solutions and RFQ/RFP solutions via the i2 TradeMatrix
Network. i2’s customers will be able to leverage 2Source sourcing expertise
and solutions to reduce the cost of goods and services. The combined offering
also will include the creation of private label services that will be offered to
e-marketplaces and enterprise customers.
“The convergence of
Internet-based technologies with procurement and supply chain management can
create significant new value when coupled with optimized Strategic Sourcing
solutions,” said Dietmar Ostermann, CEO of A. T. Kearney. “2Source will help
deliver value rapidly by assembling the integrated solutions that enterprises
need to optimize their supplier relationships.”