Press Release

OASIS Guides Development of Global Electronic Procurement Standardization

Boston, MA, USA; 28 April 2003 — The OASIS interoperability consortium today announced that it is providing a forum for government agencies, organizations and companies to guide the coordinated development of global e-procurement standards. The OASIS Electronic Procurement Standardization (EPS) Technical Committee will work to analyze requirements for electronic procurement processes, identify gaps, and recommend new standards as needed.

"Our first priority will be to develop a comprehensive framework for electronic procurement standards, relating existing specifications to those in development. It is vital that we reach consensus on how these standards fit together," noted Terri Tracey of the Institute for Supply Management, chair of the OASIS EPS Technical Committee. "Once we establish our framework and priorities, we will create technical committees within OASIS to advance the necessary standards and implementation processes."

To facilitate the adoption of its work, the OASIS EPS Technical Committee has secured broad global representation from the entire supply chain. Participants include the Institute for Supply Management, Information Society Standardization System of the European Standards Committee (CEN/ISSS), US National Institute for Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), US National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), RosettaNet, SeeBeyond, and others.

"Input from government and industry on the direction of the OASIS EPS activity is essential to ensure credible, effective, and neutral specifications," said Patrick Gannon, OASIS president and CEO. "OASIS is pleased to provide a common ground where e-procurement stakeholders of every type can collaborate amongst themselves and with related efforts, such as the OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL) and the OASIS e-Government Technical Committees."

"CEN/ISSS will participate to ensure the maximum synergies between the emerging global consensus and regional requirements in Europe," said John Ketchell, CEN/ISSS director. "CEN/ISSS plans to start an e-procurement project to complement European legislative initiatives to develop and harmonize public e-procurement across EU member states by analyzing standards requirements. Our results will be contributed to the OASIS EPS Technical Committee."

About OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org)

OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for Web services, security, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces. Founded in 1993, OASIS has more than 2,000 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries.

Additional information:

OASIS EPS Technical Committee http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=eps

Cover Pages Technology Report: Electronic Procurement Standardization http://xml.coverpages.org/eps.html

Press contact:

Carol Geyer OASIS Director of Communications carol.geyer@oasis-open.org +1.941.284.0403