Saab signs three year electronic procurement contract with IBX

Stockholm, December 17, 2009 – The defence and security company Saab has signed a three-year contract with IBX, the leading provider of services and solutions for efficient purchasing. The contract includes use of IBX solutions and services for electronic procurement and sourcing.

The contract extends the existing business relationship between Saab and IBX that started in 2003. Saab initiated an ambitious program to centralize the procurement function and processes to increase the efficiency of indirect purchasing. Operational purchasing was automated by using IBX eProcurement.

“In six years we have gone from a completely decentralized procurement function to a centralized one. This process has reduced the number of suppliers considerably and also decreased the average price for indirect goods by leveraging on our existing frame agreements”, said Fredrik Axelson, Director Corporate Procurement at Saab. “We now aim to grow the content and increase the use even further.”

The centralization has resulted in savings across the organization. When the process started Saab had around 1400 printers on different contracts from a number of suppliers. To reduce both cost and administration Saab wanted to lease all printers from one supplier and pay per page. This step alone has resulted in savings of EUR 1.6 million on printer costs.

“Saab has succeeded in making great changes to the procurement function since 2003 and we are very proud that the relationship around purchasing development will continue for another three years, said Per Finnhammar, Head of Sales Sweden at IBX. “Our focus forward is to even further increase the business benefits for Saab through efficient purchasing.”

The new contract contains IBX eProcurement solution together with IBX Content Services, IBX Search Engine, IBX Business intelligence and Connectivity. The new contract is extended to also include IBX eSourcing together with Service Desk Source. All software is delivered as SaaS (Software as a Service) for maximum scalability and rapid deployment.

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 expertise, 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. www.ibxgroup.com

About Saab

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions ranging from military defence to civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents and constantly develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers´ changing needs.

For more information, please contact:
Fredrik Axelson, Director Corporate Procurement, Saab, phone: +46 73 418 11 38, e-mail: fredrik.axelson@saabgroup.com
Per Finnhammar, Head of Sales Sweden, IBX Group AB, phone: +46 8 5030 4277, e-mail: per.finnhammar@ibx.se
Eva Svensson, Marketing Communication Manager, IBX, phone: +46 8 5030 4242, e-mail: eva.svensson@ibxgroup.com