Marine eProcurement system adds new features to expand functions and enhance management reporting.
iMarine Software announced today the release of SeaProcurement (SeaProc) Version 2.2, expanding the next generation in marine eProcurement systems to include contract management, global parts iMarket Place and advanced management dashboard reporting.
“Version 2.0 of SeaProc was launched last summer to a very receptive market,” said Issa Odeh, CEO iMarine Software. “The market was telling us that marine eProcurement systems were not only hard to use but expensive, so our goal has been to add features, maintain usability, but keep pricing at a point where any sized fleet buyer or vendor can benefit from eProcurement. We feel we have accomplished these goals with this latest version 2.2.”
SeaProc is a cloud-based system delivered in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. Both buyer and vendor can access the system using a simple internet browser. There is no software to install or support on the user’s computer or network. Key features in SeaProc include RFQ, public RFQ, PO and invoice generation and tracking; complete buyer and vendor modules, with fleet management system integration; freight forwarder/agent communications integration; a standalone-purchasing system for buyers who do not have an in-house purchasing system and proprietary aimBoost technology for a fast, exceptional user experience.
“Version 2.2 includes new modules for contract management and negotiations, global parts searches, and a new iMarket Place,” Odeh said. “For contract management, our customers tell us that it is difficult to control contracted parts ordering, particularly when items need to be expedited to meet a vessel. SeaProc places a ‘firewall’ around contracted items so that buyers can order parts quickly but from the correct vendor and avoid a maverick purchase. And SeaProc makes it easy to create contracts on the fly, from a simple RFQ, tracking and logging the negotiations.”
“The global parts search capability provides a buyer a very quick way to search for specific items using criteria such as description, part number, brand, certification, location, port and more, or any combination. The resulting items can then be selected for inclusion in an RFQ. It’s very fast, saving time for the buyer and also allows a SeaProc vendor the ability to expand their market to fleets they may not already serve.”
“iMarket Place,” Odeh continued, “is a new module where our vendor community can upload their catalog into SeaProc, applying standard pricing and terms, or including special pricing and terms for key buyers. The vendor then has the option to apply rules to these key customers so that SeaProc can autofill RFQs and reply automatically. For a vendor with several sales agents responding to dozens of RFQs each day, iMarket Place is going to reduce sales processing costs tremendously. Combined with contracted buyer pricing, SeaProc puts real-world time back into both buyer’s and vendor’s day-to-day activities, allowing them to be more productive.”
“And because our customers tell us to keep it simple and make it easy to use, we have implemented a user configurable management dashboard to quickly view important items,” Odeh continued. “SeaProc now provides a graphical, personal home page to show a user which RFQs are pending, which ones are expired, which POs need reminders, and many other parameters that help a user work through their backlog quickly and efficiently. Version 2.2 is our best SeaProc yet and we owe it to the excellent feedback we get from both our buyers and vendors.”
