GSA Partners with MicronPC.com and Netfish Technologies To Implement Rosetta Net Business Process Standards

GSA #9639

February 11, 2000

Contact: Eleni Martin (202) 501-1231
eleni.martin@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON - The U.S. General Services Administration, MicronPC.com and Netfish Technologies announce the successful implementation of GSA's first RosettaNet partnership project. Using RosettaNet business process standards, MicronPC.com can now automatically update GSA Advantage�, GSA's online supply catalog and ordering system. MicronPC.com is a provider of computers and applications. Netfish, a provider of XML-based business-to-business e-commerce solutions, provided the technology for this project.

RosettaNet is an independent, non-profit consortium dedicated to developing and implementing concrete, practical electronic commerce solutions so that small and large information technology and electronics companies can conduct e-commerce more efficiently. More than 60 companies, representing $600 billion in annual revenues, currently provide the mandate for RosettaNet's standards development strategy. It is a global organization with membership from information technology suppliers, hardware manufacturers, software publishers, distributors, resellers, system integrators, end-users, technology providers, financial institutions, and shippers.

Launched in June 1998, RosettaNet is currently in the pilot phase of implementing its business process standards. The driving force behind RosettaNet is to achieve a standardized global, networked buyer-driven supply chain. RosettaNet members and their solution partners are in the process of testing one or more "Partner Interface Processes" or PIPs to electronically make price changes, introduce new products or update catalogs.

The use of RosettaNet standards can help companies improve the efficiency of buying and selling by improving the speed and quality of information exchange. This benefits customers by giving them access to the most timely and accurate product information enabling them to make the best informed buying decisions.

In a recent RosettaNet poll, members indicated a high level of commitment to the use of standards. "GSA has fulfilled the readiness conditions and is working to support RosettaNet's PIPs in a production mode during the next phase of implementation," said G. Martin Wagner, GSA's Associate Administrator of Governmentwide Policy and RosettaNet Executive Board Member for the Federal Government. "We are especially proud of the momentum RosettaNet has achieved as we work toward the next step - the implementation of production processes with multiple trading partners using PIP standards."

RosettaNet members planning to implement internal business process alignments with selected PIP standards are Avnet, Cisco Systems, Compaq Computer, Computacenter, Federal Express, Insight, MicroAge, NEC Technologies, Netscape, Solecton, Tech Dta, and UPS. Trading partners that have reported readiness and are also exchanging PIPs in pilot production mode include Intel with Arrow Electronics, Hewlett-Packard with SAP, 3Com with CompUSA, and Ingram Micro with CompUSA.

"Reaching this milestone in such a short period of time reflects the high level of commitment by this industry's leaders to RosettaNet. We are all very excited about moving onto the next step of the implementation phase," said Paul Dlugosch, member of the RosettaNet Executive Board and Micron's Corporate Marketing Director.

To learn more about RosettaNet, visit their webpage at http://www.rosettanet.org. For additional information, contact Terri Hobson at (202) 501-3869.