Back to Archived News

Cartus Awarded Patent for Innovative Online Bidding Platform

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Danbury, CT -- Already well known for its award-winning customer service and innovation, this month Cartus Corporation -- the leading provider of global relocation services -- received yet another endorsement of its industry-leading position as a global relocation services provider: U.S. Patent No. 8,131,598 for its Acadia eProcurement online bidding platform.

"We are extremely proud to have received a patent for our Acadia eProcurement platform, which has already saved our clients millions of dollars and is available exclusively to our worldwide client base," said Kevin Kelleher, president of Cartus. "The Acadia eProcurement platform dramatically improves customer service, has changed industry practice with its innovative bidding model and, as a result, enables Cartus to match the best quality service provider with the best price across wide geographic boundaries, to fulfill our clients' needs."

The Acadia eProcurement platform is unique to the global relocation industry. Suppliers submit online bids for specific segments of the business they want to be considered for. International freight forwarders, for example, submit their confidential bids on individual city-to-city pairs, e.g., New York to London.

Cartus' innovative system, initially developed for international household goods shipments but now also used for domestic moves and for matching transferees with the most cost-effective temporary housing, has resulted in documented savings since 2009 of nearly $70 million across Cartus' global client base.

Companies transferring employees either domestically or globally benefit from the Acadia eProcurement platform in a number of ways, including:

The most competitive pricing: Leveraging Cartus' volume and position in the marketplace, online bidding provides clients with the broadest possible spectrum of competitive bids, using the key criteria they desire.
Speed: The platform eliminates one large step: suppliers do not need to involve transferees before being awarded the business. This means that rush moves can be handled more easily.
Final bids adjust to individual move: For domestic moves, bidders can refine their pricing with both aggregate bidding (lower move costs in certain locations and power lanes to move equipment out of an area) or transactional bidding to take advantage of their own efficiencies (e.g., complete a shipment for a driver with an empty or partially loaded truck).
Total cost solution: All suppliers must agree to the same terms and conditions as stipulated by Cartus' Supply Chain Management group. This eliminates costs and confusion around items that might otherwise be billed separately, such as ancillary services. Committed transit times and host country housing availability are considered when selecting the freight forwarder to evaluate the impact of interim housing costs and shipping time frames. The result is a more predictable outcome with lower costs.
Incentive for excellence: Because quality and price impact bidders' chances of winning future business, the system encourages use of top-performing individuals for Cartus work.

Cartus' network of suppliers tailor their services to a client's critical-to-quality criteria -- such as meeting tight time frames, competitive pricing, consistently outstanding service quality levels, on-time delivery, and short notice requests.

About Cartus

Cartus provides trusted guidance to organizations of all types and sizes who require global relocation solutions. Serving over 70% of the Fortune 50 and providing service to more than 165 countries, we apply our more than half century of experience to help our clients with their mobility, outsourcing, consulting, and language and intercultural training needs. Cartus is part of Realogy Corporation -- a global provider of real estate and relocation services. To find out how our greater experience, reach, and hands-on guidance can help your company, visit www.cartus.com and www.pitchengine.com/cartus; read our blog at www.cartusblog.com; or click www.realogy.com for more information.

Back to Archived News