Staples Chooses A.T. Kearney for High-Velocity Sourcing

A.T. Kearney, the global management consulting subsidiary of EDS, announced a contract with Staples Inc., the $11 billion pioneer of the office supplies superstore industry, to provide strategic supply management consulting and services, including the use of A.T. Kearney's eBreviate eSourcing technology.

The contract provides Staples access to A.T. Kearney's category experience and to the eBreviate suite of eSourcing products, which enable companies to reduce the time, costs and inefficiencies of the sourcing and supplier management process. A.T. Kearney is the market leader in sourcing and supply management. Its eBreviate technology provides a broad sourcing product suite, including supplier auction capabilities.

"We have used eBreviate supplier auctions and electronic survey tools to accelerate supplier communications and negotiation, reducing our costs and hassle," said Jack Newman, vice president of strategic sourcing at Staples. "Working with A.T. Kearney and eBreviate will allow Staples to drive supply chain efficiencies while meeting our company-wide cost-savings goals."

Staples selected A.T. Kearney after a three-month pilot using the eBreviate technology to negotiate purchases in categories as diverse as printed catalogs and wire kits. Through the eSourcing process, Staples identified savings in half the time that normally would have been required. Ultimately, Staples expects that eBreviate technology will be used daily by the company's purchasing professionals.

"A.T. Kearney's ability to deliver unmatched strategic sourcing capabilities and category expertise and best-in-breed eSourcing technology sets us apart in the marketplace," said Tom Slaight, founder of eBreviate and an A.T. Kearney vice president. "Our powerful portfolio of procurement technologies, staffed by dedicated category and technology specialists working side by side with our consulting team, enables us to deliver more value, more quickly to clients like Staples."