The Department for Transport Turn to ProcServe for a Smarter Way to Control Spend

14th September 2011, LONDON, UK - ProcServe, a leading provider of eProcurement solutions, announced today that the Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded them with a contract to provide an electronic marketplace for the next four years.

The Department has turned to ProcServe to support its drive for improved control over its spend on goods and services. The Department will also be able to access, through ProcServe, new contracts being negotiated centrally under a Cabinet Office initiative to use collective government buying power to get better value for money from suppliers. A further benefit is that ProcServe's solution automates the procurement process, allowing the Department to issue purchase orders and receive invoices electronically, yielding further efficiency savings.

The electronic marketplace will be delivered through the Department's Shared Services, and will be available to its customers including the Department itself, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driving Standards Agency.

"Our prime objective in appointing ProcServe is to increase the use of eProcurement across the DfT family and help save money. We also want to encourage suppliers to use electronic invoicing which will ensure that we can meet our prompt payment commitments, particularly to SMEs," commented Simon Lydiard, Head of Corporate Procurement at the Department for Transport.

"Realising savings, through an effective, modern approach to procurement, is of paramount importance for everyone in government. We were persuaded to use ProcServe because of both the flexibility of its system, and also the role of the company in supporting wider Government Procurement initiatives. This made them the obvious choice for our Department," he said.

Jim Knox, CEO of ProcServe, added "We are delighted to welcome the Department for Transport, DVLA and the Driving Standards Agency as the newest members of our trading community. Our eProcurement Service provides public sector organisations with a powerful mechanism to support their drive towards delivering their saving targets. Everyone at ProcServe is looking forward to working with DfT's Shared Services to help deliver its goals."

Media Contact:
Cora Byrne, ProcServe
T: +44(0)7889 996 345
E: cora.byrne@procserve.com

Notes to Editors

About the Department for Transport
The Department's aim is transport that works for everyone. This means a transport system which balances the needs of the economy, the environment and society. The Department provides leadership across the transport sector to achieve its objectives, working with regional, local and private sector partners to deliver many of the services. For more information, please visit www.dft.gov.uk/.

About ProcServe
ProcServe offers a cloud-based solution for businesses who wish to buy goods and services from their suppliers electronically, saving time and money. The solution overcomes a major barrier to electronic procurement, namely that buyers and suppliers use a wide range of separate back office systems that receive and process data in different formats. ProcServe's key offer is a ‘Procurement Hub' which enables buyers and suppliers to get connected and transact efficiently.

By connecting to the ProcServe Hub, buyers and suppliers automatically belong to the ProcServe Trading Network which provides the ability to join and share procurement information with similar organisations. ProcServe also provides some of the key marketplaces across the UK public sector including OPEN, xchangewales eTrading, xchangewales eTrading for Schools, Procurement for Housing eMarketplace and the National Police Procurement Hub. For more information, please visit www.procserve.com.