I was given an opportunity to view a demo of Browz recently by Brett Armstrong, Vice President, Marketing. Lately, Browz has been on the receiving end of several awards and media mentions. They are featured in the July 10, 2015 edition of CIOReview, where Elaine Beitler, Browz CEO is on the cover, and they are recognized for making the “Twenty Most Promising Procurement Solution Providers in 2015” list. In addition, Browz was awarded the Top 50 Providers to Watch designation by Spend Matters and has been named the Winner of the 2015 Spring Awards for Best App Design, by Best Mobile App Awards.
Browz’s offerings allow companies to prequalify, assess, and monitor compliance based on particular requirements determined by the client company. Browz stresses that what they offer is fully configurable and its solutions are tailored based on the specific needs of the business, as opposed to being generic, “off the shelf” solutions.
Clients often come to Browz after a negative event has triggered interest in the solution, such as a serious accident or death, which could have been avoided if a diligent qualification process had been in place.
For client companies, there is heavy focus on indirect spend contractors, such as MRO, who are coming on to the worksite. Basically, the client company provides Browz with a list of contractors and suppliers to be joined to the solution. The end result allows clients to log into the platform, which shows where every member of the supply chain stands in relation to the specific compliance requirements. Brett used the example of a contractor stopping at the guardhouse of a worksite and before entering the guard can easily determine if the person is compliant based on pre-determined requirements.
What is interesting to note is that Browz entered the market by being introduced to businesses by internal safety departments. Now Browz is meeting with five or six various department heads, involved with functions such as legal, finance, operations, supply chain, and procurement and helps bridge gaps between these departments to cover all necessary requirements.
Browz, a SaaS business, has four core solutions: Sure Qualify, Sure Workforce, Sure Audit, and Ready Source. It is fully scalable and can integrate will all ERP systems.
I was particularly interested in the Sure Qualify solution/product, which assesses suppliers based on the level of risk they present in the areas of CSR/Sustainability, Quality Systems, Financial, Diversity, Legal, Business Continuity, Insurance, Health, and Safety. Most of the data used is supplier/contractor self-reported. Third-party content is used for verification and Experian is used for financial health. Experian was selected as the provider for credit/health information because of its comprehensive coverage of small businesses. Other third party content used originates from the EPA, Quality of Insurance Carriers ratings, and debarment searches. To can view the product suite in more detail here.
