Orbis Online to Provide Reverse Auction Services in Strategic Alliance With SAIC

Business Wire, Oct 1, 2002

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2002

SAIC and Orbis Online Team to Help Private and Public Sectors

Achieve True Market Pricing for Procured Goods and Services

Orbis Online (Orbis) announced today that it has entered into a strategic alliance with SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation), a high-technology research and engineering company based in San Diego, Calif.

Orbis will provide online reverse auctioning services in association with SAIC for commercial and government clients.

Reverse auctions achieve true market pricing for purchased goods and services by creating a dynamic, competitive bidding environment. Orbis Online's products and services have lowered costs and increased value for both private and public procurement organizations. Customers of Orbis Online have reduced their total costs of acquired goods and services by an average of 22% using the Orbis Online technology platform. Savings are produced both from lower prices due to the dynamic pricing environment, and the automated, standardized approach to procurement that the auction process creates.

Orbis Online can provide either self-service or hosted auctions. Customers can conduct self-service auctions on a desktop computer, with Orbis providing technology and support services. In a hosted auction, Orbis Online conducts the auction for the buyer.

Team Approach is Model for Future

This strategic alliance with Orbis Online provides SAIC with technology tools that can enhance the impressive product suite SAIC offers its customers. The Orbis Online/SAIC team currently has proposals being reviewed by several state and local governments for conducting reverse auctions; more such contracts are likely in the future.

"Orbis' alliance with SAIC provides a valuable capability to SAIC's customers," said Dr. James Strader, CEO of Orbis Online. "While many organizations have adopted e-procurement systems for tracking and record-keeping," he explained, "online reverse auctioning is the way these organizations will save money on actual purchases. The ability of sellers to bid competitively in real-time reveals an accurate market price. In our customers' experience, use of the Orbis platform has resulted in a 22 percent reduction in costs of goods and services."

Online Reverse Auctioning Reveals True Market Pricing

Online reverse auctions increase competition and create market transparency by allowing vendors to submit multiple bids in real-time. Typically, sellers' identities are concealed during the auction event, but their bids are not. Once the reverse auction event is completed, the buyer may evaluate the bids, then award business to one or more suppliers. Through the use of such technology platforms, buyers can easily standardize superior procurement practices and processes through their entire organization.

Access to the Internet is all that is needed to use Orbis' Web-based reverse auctioning platform. Use of Java, XML and other platform-independent technologies allows the full functionality of Orbis' platform to be "virtually" embedded into any Web site, anywhere in the world. With a few lines of code delivered by Orbis, the platform can be quickly and fully integrated and branded to the look and feel of the Web site, while Orbis' servers perform calculations and store data.

About SAIC

SAIC is the nation's largest employee-owned research and engineering company, providing information technology, systems integration and eSolutions to commercial and government customers. SAIC engineers and scientists work to solve complex technical problems in national and homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care and transportation. With annual revenues of $6.1 billion, SAIC and its subsidiaries, including Telcordia Technologies, have more than 40,000 employees at offices in more than 150 cities worldwide. More information about SAIC can be found on the Internet at www.saic.com.

About Orbis Online Inc.

Orbis Online Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, offers patent-pending dynamic competitive pricing tools that significantly reduce the cost of products and services versus historical procurement methods. Orbis transforms the traditional competitive bidding process into more powerful events that are live, online and worldwide. Orbis' value proposition is unique. The superior functionality of the solution includes all the benefits customers can normally experience only by purchasing or developing custom systems and requires no up-front costs or software installation.

For more information about Orbis Online Inc., please visit our Web site at www.OrbisOnline.com, or call 210/576-7600. Demonstrations of Orbis Online's unique auction platforms are available at the Web site: www.wsdemo.com, or can be facilitated by contacting Orbis Online directly.

Reader Contact Information

Orbis Online Inc., 100 NE Loop 410, Suite 500, San Antonio, TX 78216, Tel: 210/576-7600, Fax: 210/576-0760, www.orbisonline.com, marketing@orbisonline.com.