Moscow. 4 September. Growth in competitive procurement volumes and increased number of market participants call for the development of the existing procurement system. Currently, there are a few e-trading providers working in the electricity industry. The system of information support to competitive trading, "TZS Elektra", has been operational since 2001. Another e-trading platform, "B2B-energo", went live in 2002. The number of system members, as well as the quantity of bids and offers has been growing steadily ever since. Today, the B2B Energo System has over 600 registered members, with the value of bids/offers in excess of RUB270 million.

The current competitive procurement system at subsidiaries and dependent companies (SDCs) of RAO "UES of Russia" is considered to be one of the best in Russia, and has been awarded the Prize of Honour by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

According to RAO "UES of Russia", in the near future, energy companies will procure most goods and services through the e-trading system. The use of electronic trading technologies will help minimize the effect of the human factor while making the market more fair and transparent. It will boost competition on the procurement market, help optimize prices and reduce the procurement costs and the time needed to obtain the necessary products, goods or services.