Rice University Purchases SciQuest's Eprocurement System

CARY, N.C., May 20, 2008 - SciQuest, Inc., the global leader in helping academic, healthcare and research-centric organizations realize the potential of strategic procurement, today announced that Rice University has selected SciQuest's eprocurement solutions to support its online purchasing program. Rice is a prestigious, private research university located in Houston, Texas.

SciQuest's eprocurement technology automates purchases made by all users and addresses the unique needs of researchers who often make individual purchases of complex materials. SciQuest also provides a fast shopping experience and dedicated marketplace of scientific suppliers that can be critical for researchers.

"In looking for a new procurement system, we wanted technology that was simple enough for everyone on campus to use and complex enough to address the unique challenges of the research environment," said Brian Soika, director of procurement at Rice University.

SciQuest's system is designed to help Rice streamline and electronically route orders from users for approval. Rice also plans to use the system to consolidate the University's purchasing power and negotiate more favorable contracts, and to provide more detailed information about University spending.

Rice's eprocurement system will include SciQuest's Spend Director^TM module - a supplier enablement, catalog management and shopping platform. The company's Order Manager and Requisition Manager modules will handle back-end operations through a single integration point with suppliers. The system will be integrated with the University's SunGard Higher Education Banner Finance solution.

"It surprises many when they learn that leading organizations are using eprocurement not only to save money and make the faculty and staffs' lives easier, but also to create a more expedient and effective research environment," said Stephen Wiehe, president and CEO of SciQuest. "Time and money are crucial for successful research. We believe Rice University's experience will demonstrate yet again that eprocurement technology saves both when it's designed with the needs of all users, including researchers, in mind."

About SciQuest
SciQuest is the global leader in helping academic, healthcare and research-centric organizations realize the potential of strategic procurement. The company's specialized knowledge, on-demand software, and service-first approach empower more than 100 of the best-known academic, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, research hospitals, and ambulatory surgical organizations to manage spend, drive ROI, and advance their critical missions.

SciQuest's strategic procurement solutions are strengthened by a deep understanding of the higher education and research environments combined with a broad supplier network for everything from lab equipment to office supplies to services. The company's intuitive, online shopping experience and diverse supplier offerings are proven to increase user and contract adoption. Through software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment, organizations can quickly implement the right eprocurement solution, whether it's a robust shopping platform for existing eprocurement tools or to fully enable all aspects of purchasing from sourcing to settlement.

For more information about SciQuest, please visit www.sciquest.com or call 877-710-0413 in the U.S. or +44 1794 341182 in Europe.

SciQuest is a registered trademark of SciQuest, Inc. Other trademarks contained herein remain the property of their respective owners.

North Carolina Media Relations: Savvy Marketing Group for SciQuest
Grace Ueng 919-319-8538
grace@savvymarketinggroup.com

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