eProcurement Scotland (ePS), an eProcurement service for the Scottish public sector to buy goods and services online, has handled transactions worth of £2.7 billion (approx. €3.11 billion) in 2008 compared to £1.7 billion (approx. €1.96 billion) in 2007; a mere rise of 45%.

Finance Secretary John Swinney stated: "eProcurement Scotland is one of the most comprehensive and successful eGovernment initiatives in the world". Over 100 public bodies have implemented ePS and most recently the Scottish Parliament joined the service. I want see even more organisations get the benefits of buying goods and services through ePS."

"ePS Scotland provides an effective and efficient way of improving procurement while saving taxpayers money, all the more crucial as we face increasing spending pressures. It also saves businesses time by speeding up order to delivery times and is a more sustainable way of doing business."

Public sector procurement in Scotland is worth approx. £8 billion (approx. €9.22 billion) a year. When public sector business is conducted online, that favors business growth and saves public money. There are over 100 public bodies currently using ePS and 70 000 suppliers have already been registered.

Background Information:

eProcurement Scotland (ePS), a fully hosted and managed eProcurement service for the Scottish public sector, was set up in 2002 and includes central government, local government, further and higher education as well as the National Health System (NHS). It furthermore provides a range of services comprising eSourcing (eTendering and auctions) and transactional purchase to pay solutions. There are no general joining or service management charges for suppliers, nor any transaction fees.

Further information:

• Official press release -  Website of the Scottish Government 
• Official website of eProcurement Scotland