Upon the instruction of marineprovider, US based Consultancy firm Fastwater has conducted a market survey on the existing and expected use of e-procurement systems. The survey polled more than 150 ship operating and owning companies and was conducted with personnel in senior and middle management positions. A main concern was financial stability of e-Procurement vendors. One of the respondents said his company would only adopt e-procurement when they can be sure that the e-procurement vendor will be there for the long term.

One of the main question marks amongst respondents was whether e-Procurement will actually save money. According to the survey, professional buyers are clearly focused on the primary objective of finding the best products and services for the best prices. "This study reflects a growing awareness by the industry that e-procurement has considerable value," says Collin Lewis, CEO of marineprovider ASA.

"With their eyes on the bottom line, they also want to find ways to reduce the process costs associated with purchasing. This is where e-procurement will be of the ultimate benefit - e-procurement has the ability to streamline the entire process", says Collin Lewis.