Moscow. 25 November 2003. The Ministry of Anti-Monopoly Policy and Support of Entrepreneurship of the Russian Federation has praised the procurement practices of RAO "UES of Russia" based on telecommunications and Internet-technologies, specifically the e-commerce platform "B2B-energo " and the information system to support tenders and auctions "tzs.elektra.ru".

The Protocol of the joint conference of RAO "UES of Russia" and Russia's Anti-Monopoly Ministry "On the functioning and use of information and analysis and trading system "Market for products, services and technologies for the electricity industry" (B2B-energo), recently signed by the Deputy Minister of Russia's Anti-Monopoly Ministry Andrey Kashevarov states that the technologies employed in the B2B-energo system enhance the information content and transparency of the market while ensuring development of competition and implementation of new forms of procurement tendering (auctions). The system also helps cut the costs of organizing the process and reduce the time needed to procure the necessary goods and services.

The conference participants recommended using buyer's auctions for competitive procurement of standardized goods and services as being the most effective.

Previously, the positive performance of B2B-energo was lauded by the management of RAO "UES of Russia", the Central Tendering Commission of RAO "UES of Russia", the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

Today, over 900 organizations are registered users of B2B-energo. These include over 70 regional energos and AO-power plants, which allocate an aggregate of RUB100 billion in funds for maintenance, support and rehabilitation of the principal production assets annually.

Since B2B-energo went live in October 2002, RUB720 million worth of goods and services have been procured through the system. Over the last two months the volume of sales through B2B-energo grew almost twofold.

Transition to e-commerce platform will help cut procurement costs by 50% and bring down the prices of goods and services by 5-30%.