Press Release 25 October 2006

IBX expands in the construction industry – initiates e-Sourcing agreement with NCC

NCC, the European construction company, has signed a five-year agreement with IBX, Europe’s leading provider of services and solutions for efficient purchasing. The agreement, which contain IBX e-sourcing solutions including training and implementation, is part of NCC’s efforts to increase the efficiency of its global strategic sourcing process. Through the partnership, IBX strengthens its position as the number one provider of purchasing solutions specially designed to suit the needs of the construction industry.

NCC is looking to increase the efficiency of its strategic sourcing process through IBX’s on-demand solutions. By adopting e-sourcing, NCC expects to achieve savings in the form of lower purchase prices, less administration and more efficient sourcing processes. The partnership includes NCC’s purchasing company, NCC Purchasing Group AB, which is responsible for the company’s cross Nordic purchasing strategies.

“We are looking to further improve our sourcing process and we expect IBX’s solutions to render significant cost-savings in the long run. Effective purchasing is becoming an increasingly important factor in order to lower overall construction costs, and is thus a highly prioritized issue within NCC”, says Jan Svensson, CEO of NCC Purchasing Group.

The new agreement confirms the increasing demand for efficient purchasing in construction. IBX has developed solutions and e-sourcing tool designed to meet the needs of the construction industry.

“We are very pleased that two of the major construction companies in Europe now have chosen IBX as their partner for efficient purchasing. This proves that our services and solutions specially aimed to support the construction sector are in high demand and that our overall strategy, to be the number one in construction purchasing in Europe, is realistic”, says Hans Ahlinder, CEO of IBX Group.

Focus on strategic sourcing

The partnership will centre on supporting NCC’s strategic sourcing process, including the basis for practical e-sourcing such as managing categories, planning tenders, performing internal enquiries, producing requests for information and quotes, practising reverse auctions and producing analysis with the aim of choosing suppliers and signing contracts.

“We believe IBX’s solutions will make all our global purchasing initiatives safer and simpler, ensuring efficient use of our decided strategic sourcing process, thus reducing administration and increasing quality for buyers as well as suppliers. The user-friendliness and tailor-made solutions as well as IBX deep know-how in purchasing were critical factors in our decision to go with IBX”, says Jan Svensson.

IBX will assist NCC throughout the entire implementation process. The goal is for the purchasing staff at NCC to master the new system as quickly as possible in order for the company to be able to manage its e-sourcing process independently.

“We will support NCC by providing tools specifically designed to suit the needs for putting their strategic sourcing process into practice. We will provide support in the implementation of the tools for as long as we are needed”, says Pontus Björnsson, Country Manager, IBX Sweden.

For more information, please contact:
Pontus Björnsson, Country Manager, IBX Sweden,
Tel. +46 70 181 42 04, e-mail: pontus.bjornsson@ibx.se
Peter Lageson, Marketing Director IBX Group
Tel. +46 70 37 55 105, e-mail: peter.lageson@ibx.se
Hans Ahlinder, CEO IBX Group
Tel. +46 70 513 65 79, e-mail: hans.ahlinder@ibx.se
Jan Svensson, CEO NCC Purchasing Group
Tel. +46 8 5855 1903, e-mail: jan.s.svensson@ncc.se

About IBX Group
IBX is Europe's leading provider of services and solutions for efficient purchasing. IBX supports large and medium sized organizations in transforming their sourcing, procurement and payment functions, enabling them to quickly capture spend and deliver measurable savings. IBX services and solutions include IBX Strategy, IBX Source, IBX Procure, IBX Pay and IBX Supplier Network. IBX customers are, among others, Lufthansa, Ericsson, Deutsche Post World Net, Volvo Group, Novo Nordisk, Skanska, SEB, Norwegian State and Arla Foods. www.ibxeurope.com

About NCC
NCC is one of the leading construction and property development companies in the Nordic region. NCC had in 2005 sales of SEK 50 billion, with 21,000 employees. For more information visit www.ncc.se.