The eB2B Auction application is a multi-language system facilitating the organisation of the whole tender process, beginning with the initial request for tenders, through to the selection of suppliers, assessment of initial offers, electronic bidding, optional final offline negotiations after which the negotiated agreement can be uploaded in to the system  with a reminder to periodically review it's contents.

In the B2B sector, electronic auctions allow savings to be achieved quickly whilst simultaneously maintaining high quality and transparency of the selection process in keeping with the terms and conditions set out by the organiser.  Common practice as well as our experience show that the final prices offered during the electronic auction are lower than those submitted in the traditional form (even several times lower). This is achieved thanks to both the full competition and time pressure that participants of the e-auction are under, especially in the final stages. The auction process is always open and enables online price checking as well as the ability to check bidder's place in the proceedings.

The standard negotiation approach requires:

• Many meetings with the same supplier
• A significantly drawn out tender process
• The participation of a large number of human resources
• Physical data storage

The eB2B Auction application allows all eB2B clients to store any and all documents pertaining to tender proceedings in one place alongside e-mail correspondence. Clients decide whether or not to use the system to issue tender notices, gather initial offers or to initiate an electronic auction as well as any combination of mentioned stages. The system also allows decisions to be made by a e-tender committee, keep all attachments confidential if needed and has the ability to bid in various currencies. Client benefits are as follows:

• Cost reductions;
• The elimination of potentially unethical practices;
• Reduction in the cost and time required in order finalise proceedings;
• Full control over the auction process and access to all information at any time.

Description of the “eB2B Auction” platform's functionality:
The organiser is able to log in to the platform upon receiving an automatically generated e-mail from the auction system. The client logs in to the system, completes the required static data pertaining to their own firm and individuals involved. Next, they invite suppliers to participate in future proceedings. Upon issuing the invitation, the organiser can begin creating requests for bids  for the tender or auction straight away by stipulating their needs. The organiser chooses the boundary time for each stage of the process, has the option to choose the institutions which are to make up the virtual tender committee, defines the products subject to tender as well as their parameters, describes the requirements as well as the terms and conditions of the tender process. The auction settings are a critical factor in the process which need to be checked (either “Yes” or “No) thereby influencing, for example, the type of auction (e.g. English or French).

Additionally, should a tender commission be selected, the organiser selects the way in which decisions are made by the commission with respect to qualifying the bidder for the next stage in the process as well as selecting the winner during the auction process.

The multi-currency option allows foreign counterparts to submit bids in their domestic currency. The selection of available currencies is established by the organiser.

The organiser has the option to upload their own terms and conditions on to the platform which must be accepted by counterparts wishing to participate in the process. Sensitive information or large files can be downloaded from the eB2B server which also be encrypted if required. Disk space is made available to our clients as per the subscription contract, who are granted the required permissions in order to upload and download data  to/from the FTP server, e.g. product specifications, facility plans, technical date, images etc. Any number of attachments may be added to the application including e-mails, so that documents can be collected in one place.

The system automatically issues invitations to potential bidders in order to request their participation in the proceedings at the time specified by the organiser. The invitation may be an information request (RFI), price request (RFP/RFQ) , request for an initial offer or auction. The bidder downloads all of the required information from the system and places a bid/submits a reply by entering data in to the application as per the specification provided by the organiser. The organiser of the auction commission downloads all of the data submitted by the bidders at any given point in time and proceeds to analyse them. It is possible to exclude bidders who failed to meet formal requirements.

The final auction is carried out in real time. The organiser follows the process on a chart, selecting the view they are interested in. The organiser can also chat with bidders using the auction live-chat functionality. Once proceedings have been concluded, the organiser of the system (depending on the nature of the proceedings) informs the participants of the winning offer, which is chosen as a  result of a uniform conversion of tenders received. A report regarding proceedings is available in .xls format  upon completion. The organiser has the ability to save the final negotiations with the winning bidder in the eB2B Auction system as well as to attach a scanned image of the negotiated contract.

Optional involvement of our consultants in our clients' tender process:

• Outsourcing – Dedicated package for Clients requesting that eB2B fully manage the whole tender process. Our consultants carry out all of the relevant tasks including bidder selection and choice of winning bidder, whilst simultaneously cooperating fully with the client at each stage. We recommend this variant for clients in process of gaining experience or those who carry out complex auctions. This is an ideal solution where our premium segment client wishes to remain anonymous until the auction is completed. We accompany our client throughout all the stages of the tender proceedings within the outsourcing model. We prepare all of the documentation including the terms and conditions. We add accepted suppliers to the system as well as users.  We upload documents pertaining to the auction, ensure that all parties are suitably trained and work with our client throughout the whole process until such time as a winning bidder is chosen. Additionally, we can audit internal processes regarding supplier certification as well as the segregation of roles for SOX compliance purposes. We also offer pricing audit services for selected product groups;
• Standard - Option dedicated to package and subscription clients. The role of eB2B in the auction is limited to the selection of suppliers in cooperation with the client and the setup of these suppliers in the “eB2B Auction” system as well as training provision (we do not participate in the auction process itself). This is the most common form of cooperation with our clients. As part of this package, we offer our clients a full set of standard documents necessary for carrying out the tender process which can be edited for the client's purposes. We ensure the appropriate level of training for the organiser as well as step by step training for bidders which we make available via the auction platform. We offer our knowledge and experience as per the pre-established cooperation criteria;
• Application - This option applies to subscription clients. eB2B provides only the application and the client carries out all the required tasks independently. The “step by step” training is uploaded to the system. From both the perspective of the organiser and bidders, the role of eB2B sp. z  o. o. is limited to ensuring a functioning platform according to the provisions included in the SLA (service level agreement) as well as access to the relevant archived data. The subscription variant includes the migration of supplier static data, the setup of the client's procurement department structure in the application, training at the client's offices as well as full technical support with the option to modify/develop the solution as per the client's requirements free of charge (contract monitoring and SAP interface)

Login to the eB2B Auction register your firm and order a test by filling out this form.