Added by PI Blogger, 6 weeks ago

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Earlier this month I was contacted by Ariba’s PR firm indicating that they wanted to schedule an interview between myself and a senior executive from the company. The purpose for the interview was to discuss Ariba’s latest contract win in the Healthcare sector. For those of you who may not already be aware, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey will be, and I quote “leveraging Ariba’s on-demand Procure-to-Pay offering to drive savings, efficiencies and competitive advantage.” (Note: here is a link to the actual press release; http://www.ariba.com/company/news.cfm?pressid=2672).

The timing of their call was interesting in that I had just read an article which had appeared in the August 9th issue of Supply Chain Digest proclaiming that the halcyon days of the pre-internet “bubble crash” had returned for supply chain software providers. Citing “strong” increases in stock values, and a spate of new contract signings, I could not help but wonder if this latest press release from Ariba would be lost in the celebratory noise of the “happy days are here again” atmosphere implied by the article’s author. In an earlier posting I had referred to the growing cynicism of procurement professionals who, being inundated with press releases and announcements of exciting breakthroughs, have for the most part discounted “brand-centric” promotion as a reliable indicator of a vendor’s ability to deliver results.