IBX to Operate Norway’s National Public Sector e-business Platform

(AllPayNews) - Difi, the Norwegian Agency for public sector management and eGovernment, has signed a four-year agreement for IBX to operate its e-business platform called Ehandel.no. Through this project, public sector entities and their providers can track spend and purchase goods in a more secure, user-friendly and cost-effective manner. The four-year contract includes the opportunity to renew it again for another four years and the anticipated value of an eight year contract is NOK 150–300 million.

During 2009, some 80 public sector entities in Norway, including local governments, county councils and government departments, will use the service. The total procurement spend for 2009 through the platform will exceed 3 billion NOK. By 2013, the trade volume through the IBX solution should reach NOK 16 billion.

Through Ehandel.no, Norwegian public sector enterprises and their suppliers gain access to e-commerce services and guidance on how to cut costs through efficient and secure purchasing.

"Norway is already far ahead when it comes to electronic public procurement and with this initiative all public service entities will have the opportunity to simplify and improve the efficiency of their procurement processes. The new solution consists of one simple system and is adapted for use by even the smallest local governments," says Herman Røvde, CEO of IBX Norge.

IBX will provide a number of new functions to Difi that will provide significant benefits for both smaller local government and central government departments. For example, the development of an electronic payment solution that is user-friendly and tailored to the needs of the public sector. In addition, existing and potential suppliers to the public sector will have a unique opportunity to market their products and services on Ehandel.no. The solution also allows users to make one-off purchases and agreements that can be agreed directly, to ensure fast turn-around time. This is something that Norwegian suppliers have requested for many years.

The solution ensures full control and traceability for all procurement carried out through IBX/Ehandel.no.

A number of public reports also show an often significant potential for savings worth billions of NOK when solutions are put into full-scale use.

In order to encourage more public sector entities to take advantage of Ehandel.no, the Norwegian Ministry of Government Administration and Reform has granted an additional NOK 19 million in the 2010 state budget to further strengthen the initiative moving forward.

About Ehandel.no
Ehandel.no is the most important initiative from Difi to make it easier to use electronic business services. Public sector entities are offered cost-effective and easy access to comprehensive electronic procurement tools and services as well as guidance on how these can become effective tools for better, simpler and more secure procurement processes. All public sector entities and their suppliers can use Ehandel.no. All you need to get started is internet access and an up-to-date web browser. The most common accounting systems in the public sector have procurement solutions that can be easily integrated with IBX/Ehandel.no to provide procurement data to these accounting systems.

About IBX
As a pioneer in the field of e-purchasing, IBX delivers measurable impact to client’s bottom lines through its comprehensive Efficient Purchasing framework. IBX serves blue chip corporations globally through proven purchasing experience, with a high value supplier network and best of breed e-sourcing and e-procurement technology. The company enables its customers to generate sustainable cost savings through better spend visibility, increased spend under management and contract compliance. IBX offices are located in Stockholm (HQ), Antwerp, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Milan, Oxford, Oslo and Paris. For more information visit: www.ibxgroup.com

For more information, please contact:
Mark Masterson, IBX UK Country Manager, Phone: +44 (0) 1865 339 350, e-mail: mark.masterson@ibx.co.uk

Lara Genser, Account Manager, GolinHarris, Phone:: +44 (0) 207 067 0613, email: lgenser@golinharris.com