In early October, Accenture, the number 2 global provider of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services announced the acquisition of Procurian, the number 3 provider. This deal positions Accenture to challenge IBM, the world leader in outsourcing services and could have significant implications for clients who rely on these supply chain management services. The Accenture announcement closely follows the announcement of SciQuest’s US $43M purchase of CombineNet, an industry leader in strategic sourcing optimization software.
– Chuck Miller, CPSM, MCIPS