It was with great interest that I read the article "Purchasing power" (Caterer, 27 July, page 52). First, let me applaud you for recognising the increasing importance of e-procurement in the industry and the benefits it can provide to businesses.

While I believe the author addressed the importance of e-procurement admirably, I feel he omitted a key part of deriving the total benefit - which is the ability for the supply chain, buyers and sellers alike, to be connected with each other in order to maximise the ultimate service that is provided to the customer.

The current buzz phrase is "purchase to pay", which allows both buyers and sellers to gain significant benefit through electronic trading. My organisation provides this service to some of the major players in the sector and to more than 150 suppliers .

Our clients claim that as much as 3% of cost saving is possible through this model.

Tony O'Shaughnessy
Chief executive officer, ABS, Witney, Oxfordshire

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