Procurement company Beacon Purchasing has launched an e-procurement system with purchasing consultancy Acquire Services Limited (ASL).
BeaconOnline is based on ASL’s successful epsys system which supports the complete procurement process from online order placement to full electronic invoice reconciliation.
Chris Durant, Director of Beacon, said, “E-procurement is still relatively new in the independent hotel sector and the introduction of a tried and tested online buying system demonstrates Beacon’s commitment to remain at the forefront of the hospitality procurement market.
“With BeaconOnline, we’ll continue to deliver and maintain a highly effective and competitive commercial purchasing solution for members, backed up by exceptional levels of customer service”.
Its first major client is Aristel Hotels, a group of seven hotels and two restaurants in London, the South East and the North West, which helped pilot the new system at its Best Western Frensham Pond Hotel in Surrey and will roll out the technology to all its other hotels in March, as part of a three-year deal with Beacon.
Adrian Barsby, Deputy Managing Director for Aristel said, “We’ve been pleased to work with Beacon as its first customer for this innovative new service. Across the group we spend over £2m a year on a variety of products and services. Real time information is absolutely key to the business in helping manage costs as effectively as possible, and this system helps us achieve the maximum benefits of purchasing on this scale. BeaconOnline is linked to our finance system and will help us improve control and compliance to centrally negotiated deals – we certainly expect to see savings and improved productivity as a result.”
Durant confirmed Beacon is actively in discussion with a number of other hotel operators and expects to have BeaconOnline operating in over 30 businesses by the end of 2010.