Buy!

Citation

(1999), "Buy!", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948cab.013

Buy!

Buy!

The Boeing Company, the world's largest aerospace company, has selected Oracle Strategic Procurement as the software solution to enable a fully-automated Internet-based system for all general procurement. As part of the agreement, Oracle Consulting, Oracle Education, and Oracle Support are providing Boeing with a full range of support services designed to get the system up and running quickly. Boeing Shared Services Group, which buys all goods and services that do not become part of a Boeing product, will roll out the new system company-wide, replacing a variety of disparate systems with a single efficient backbone solution. The system is expected to significantly reduce the cost of general procurement at Boeing. Oracle Strategic Procurement is an integrated suite of products that incorporates TPN Register Buyer Services, content management and electronic marketplace services from TPN Register LLC. The Oracle system will handle the complete general procurement life cycle for Boeing, including procurement analysis, ordering, contracting, administration and payment. Boeing employees will use a Web browser to enter and automatically route requisitions in the system, as well as to track and access information on a real-time basis. By replacing individual procurement transactions with a single automated system company-wide, Boeing procurement professionals can better analyse supplier performance and procurement opportunities, as well as create and maintain key supplier relationships. Boeing also expects to significantly improve data collection and reporting, speed the purchasing process, and better leverage its contracts for more economical purchasing. To deploy Oracle Strategic Procurement, the only software required for each of the system's users is a Web browser. This computing model enables significant cost and time savings in a large-scale, distributed installation. Additionally, Boeing will benefit from the tight integration between the Oracle Strategic Procurement components and the Oracle database already installed at the company. (TPN Register LLC is a leading provider of Internet-based electronic catalogue solutions for indirect or MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) purchases and is a joint venture owned by GE Information Services and Thomas Publishing.)