Office supply retailer Staples.com said that its StaplesLink.com e-commerce site for contract
customers will now be available through nine new partners, all providers of
corporate procurement solutions and B2B e-marketplaces.
E-procurement providers that will offer StaplesLink.com include: Ariba Inc.,
Commerce One Inc, Intellisys Electronic Commerce Inc., Oracle Corp., Netscape
Communications, RightWorks Corp., Requisite Technology Inc., TPN Register LLC
and Concur
Technologies Inc.
B2B systems integrator webMethods is providing an interface
that uses Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) to enable StaplesLink.com to
integrate with Web purchasing portals without manual processing or custom
re-engineering of legacy, proprietary or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
systems. StaplesLink.com said it can connect to any trading network or
function independently as a trading partner.
“Office supplies are one of the first categories companies consider when
looking for ways to streamline purchasing,” said Anne-Marie Keane, vice
president for business-to-business e-commerce at Staples.com.
“We’ve made
StaplesLink.com a simple and cost-effective way for companies to purchase
office supplies through the online purchasing medium of their choice.”
StaplesLink.com contract customers receive customized catalogs that let
employees
place orders that are approved by a designated manager, while purchasing
agents can use the site to evaluate detailed reports of office supply
expenses.
The site also provides customers access to real-time, live
inventory availability, company-specific contract pricing, delivery lead
times and shipping status by line item.