ConnXus.com and Procurian Collaborate on Supplier Contracting Opportunities

MASON, Ohio and PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConnXus.com, a revolutionary online supplier diversity service, and Procurian, the leading provider of comprehensive procurement solutions, have teamed up to provide corporate contracting opportunities worth millions of dollars for minority- and woman-owned businesses.

Procurian helps Fortune 1000 companies optimize their spending on outside goods and services which includes identifying and contracting with new suppliers. To address their clients' growing commitment to engaging diversity suppliers, Procurian posts select contract bidding opportunities on ConnXus.com for the online service's performance-rated diverse supplier members. The two companies estimate that approximately two to three opportunities are posted weekly on ConnXus.com, ranging in value from $100,000 to $2 million apiece. The opportunities span more than one hundred spend categories, including legal, facilities, information technology, corporate and professional services (accounting, consulting, training, etc.), capital equipment, and manufacturing services.

"This collaboration represents an unprecedented opportunity for minority- and woman-owned businesses to compete for significant contracts that can help their businesses grow, creating more jobs, which this country desperately needs," said Rod Robinson, ConnXus.com founder and CEO. "Corporations want to hire more diverse suppliers, and now, with ConnXus.com they have a more effective way to connect with them."

"Our partnership with ConnXus.com is an example of our ongoing investment in the specialized procurement infrastructure that we have built to help companies optimize their spending in a way that supports both their strategic business goals and financial performance," said Tia Jiles, supplier diversity lead for Procurian.   "As leading enterprises continue to weave diversity into the fabric of their businesses and brands, innovations such as ConnXus help us accelerate strategic realization of supplier diversity while continuing to drive improved supplier performance and savings."  

Launched in 2010, ConnXus makes it easy and affordable for corporations to locate, evaluate and engage performance-rated small, minority- or woman-owned businesses. By aggregating real corporate purchasing demands in one location, diverse businesses have easy access to actual corporate contracting opportunities and corporations can easily expand their supplier base and meet supplier diversity objectives. In the past year, more than $100 million in contract opportunities have been posted for the community's 1,000+ supplier members. Basic membership is free, with additional premium services available.

About ConnXus

ConnXus.com is an online service that revolutionizes supplier diversity by making it easy and affordable for corporations to locate, evaluate and engage performance-rated small, minority- or woman-owned businesses. It matches buyers with diverse suppliers in more than 100 product or service categories. Buyers can conduct searches for suppliers or post contract opportunities for suppliers to submit bids. Suppliers request performance ratings from prior customers, and just like many consumer-focused websites, more and better ratings translate into better search results. ConnXus also provides turnkey solutions for corporate procurement organizations: supplier diversity program assessment, design and implementation; comprehensive diverse supplier validation, classification and reporting; training; supplier outreach and qualification; and custom bid preparation. ConnXus also offers branded customized supplier diversity portals for corporations, chambers of commerce and other associations.

The ConnXus logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=16105

About Procurian, Inc.

Procurian – formerly known as ICG Commerce – is the leading specialist in comprehensive procurement solutions. Forward-thinking business leaders partner with Procurian to transform procurement and drive sustainable changes to their cost structures. Global industry leaders, including Kimberly-Clark, Hertz, Symantec, Timken and Whirlpool, have chosen Procurian to accelerate this transformation. Procurian's built-out Specialized Procurement Infrastructure™ integrates with businesses to optimize spending and deliver real savings that equal a margin point or more. Procurian is an ICG ICGE company. For more information, visit www.procurian.com.

The Procurian, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=12383