ProcServe and Procurement for Housing Launch a Dedicated eProcurement Solution for Social Housing Providers

Custom built eProcurement marketplace will help the social housing sector gain visibility and control over spending, enabling more strategic and cost-effective purchasing decisions.

7th APRIL 2010, LONDON, UK - ProcServe, a leading provider of eCommerce solutions, today announced its partnership with Procurement for Housing (PfH) and the launch of a dedicated eMarketplace and Purchase-to-Pay solution for the social housing sector.

The PfH Procurement Marketplace will be a first for the social housing sector. The Marketplace and electronic trading portal is immediately available for all PfH Members to access all of the consortium's framework agreements.

The solution provided by ProcServe, will help streamline and deliver effective procurement services for social housing providers across the UK. It will specifically help social housing organisations to reduce the price paid for goods and services by providing them with easy access to pre-loaded collaborative contracts, provide simple connectivity to suppliers and deliver eInvoicing capabilities. The solution will help these housing providers to streamline their procurement process, enable the accurate tracking of spend and deliver efficiency savings.

Paul Kennedy, Chief Executive of Procurement for Housing managing contractor, CEL Group, said "PfH has decided to team up with ProcServe so that Members can benefit from the value-for-money afforded by PfH framework agreements coupled with the easy, intuitive and efficient ordering solution provided by ProcServe. We know that there has been a growing demand for a service like this from our Members and we firmly believe that in ProcServe we have found the right partner to deliver it."

Veera Johnson, Chief Executive of ProcServe said "This is an exciting partnership that will create a truly collaborative electronic marketplace for the social housing sector and its suppliers, and deliver the direct efficiencies of the frameworks as well as the process efficiencies of eProcurement. Ultimately, we hope this partnership will enable social housing providers to reinvest more resources in front-line services and improve neighbourhoods."

The Procurement for Housing eMarketplace will be available in 2010. For more information about the service, please contact PfH on 0845 864 5260 or by email to info@procurementforhousing.co.uk.

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

Notes to Editors

About Procurement for Housing
As the only national procurement organisation dedicated to the needs of the social housing sector, PfH is an essential business tool for social landlords. The consortium generates substantial savings by harnessing the collective purchasing power of housing organisations. By reducing procurement costs, organisations can reinvest resources in front-line services and vibrant neighbourhoods. The National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing back PfH, and their joint performance improvement subsidiary, HouseMark, monitors and assures the quality of its work. For more information, please visit www.procurementforhousing.co.uk

About ProcServe
ProcServe provides fast, flexible and secure electronic marketplaces and trading connectivity solutions. ProcServe's hosted, custom-branded solutions provide customers with the unique ability to leverage a software-as-a-service solution and maintain their own uniquely branded and configured marketplace. Customers enjoy a faster solution set up, lower cost of maintenance, and a secure environment. ProcServe is part of the Oracle PartnerNetwork. ProcServe also delivers Zanzibar, OPEN and xchangewales marketplaces on behalf of the UK Public Sector. For more information, please visit www.procserve.com.