FreeMarkets Latest to Land Gov't Auction Deal

By Nick Wakeman, Staff Writer

MAY 8 - Auction fever continues to spread in the federal government. FreeMarkets Inc. of Pittsburgh, which has conducted auctions for state and local governments and commercial customers for several years, landed its first Department of Defense customer.

The Naval Supply Systems Command has signed a deal to gain access to FreeMarkets' eMarketplace to buy goods and services.

"The Navy is a leader among federal agencies in adopting best-of-breed, private-sector solutions for purchasing," said Dave McCormick, vice president for public-sector business at FreeMarkets.

The agreement with the Navy is the second that FreeMarkets has signed with the federal government. In April, FreeMarkets snagged a deal with the U.S. Postal Service. FreeMarkets also has an alliance with American Management Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va.

FreeMarkets has been conducting online auctions since 1995, and company officials said more tha
n $5.4 billion in goods and services have been sold through its process. FreeMarkets estimates that its custome
rs have saved $1 billion by using the auction process.


"We look forward to working with Navy officials to deliver the same savings and efficiencies that we de
liver to our customers in the private sector through our combination of industry-leading technology and market-
making services," McCormick said.