Forrester Report places Tejari in 8th spot in the world among global eSourcing vendors

Dubai, UAE, 11 January 2009: Tejari, the leading online B2B marketplace for emerging markets, has been ranked as the eighth largest electronic sourcing platform in the world, in a Forrester research report entitled "Holistic View: The ePurchasing Software Market".

According to the report, eSourcing products are the second-most sought after in the electronic purchasing family, with the global market reaching US$ 878 million in 2008 and expected to top US$ 1 Billion in 2009. Forrester's independent report findings are based on interviews with more than 100 vendor companies globally. The prestigious report is a continuation of independent technology and research firm's "ePurchasing market" series.

Commenting on this achievement, Omar Hijazi, CEO of Tejari, said: "In 2009, saving money will be making money. Cost-efficiency will be a top priority for businesses as many will focus on procurement and spend management methods to drive down costs. Our electronic sourcing platform has helped companies in the region save up to 12% of their annual spend; this function is key to Tejari's success over the past few years.  Seeing an Arab technology firm ranked globally is powerful achievement and we look forward to further expanding our business alongside the growth of the industry in the years to come."

In 2008. Tejari achieved a 31% increase globally in the number of companies who joined the Tejari marketplace, bringing the total membership up to 200,000 businesses.  Moreover, Tejari experienced strong growth in trading volumes, with total transactions topping US$ 7.5billion globally since its inception in 2000.

Tejari's eSourcing application enables members to create and track detailed RFQ, RFI and RFP packages. Once these documents are sent to suppliers, responses can be tracked, quotations can be compared and business can be awarded. As a result businesses no longer spend days analyzing the data and decisions made are more

Informed.  Members can additionally use the eSourcing application to create eAuctions or reverse auctions to invite suppliers on Tejari's global marketplace to bid in a competitive environment.

The key benefits derived through electronic sourcing include simplification and standardisation of the tender process, the ability to track compliance to procurement policy and to gain price advantage with the creation of a competitive environment to tender all expense contracts. Overall, buyers are provided with the tools to make better business decisions and suppliers with the means to expand their market coverage.

In separate report, research firm Aberdeen Group finds that procurement has earned its place at the corporate management table for CEOs and CFOs and is no longer viewed as a back office function. The report cited that 97% of Best-In-Class companies have adopted electronic sourcing solutions and have realized significant performance advantages over those that have not yet automated any part of their sourcing process including 16% incremental higher rates of identified savings and 30% less revenue leakage.

Tejari's online marketplace has already proved successful for many companies operating in a variety of industries across 15 countries including National Bank of Dubai, HSBC Pakistan and Emirates Bank in the financial sector; Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Royal Jordanian in the aviation sector; Leo Burnett in the media sector; Omantel and Zain Jordan in the telecommunications sector; Dubai Health Authority in the healthcare sector and Kharafi International in the construction sector; amongst others. In the government sector, apart from Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality, Tejari has also helped the Roads and Transport Authority source contracts worth US$ 1.5 billion.

Tejari, the leading online B2B marketplace for emerging markets is a perfect example of the innovative spirit of Dubai. The company, launched by the government of Dubai, is one of the most successful units of Dubai World, a holding company that is responsible for much of the emirate's phenomenal economic growth. The online trading portal helps facilitate trade between companies and geographies through the largest buyer network in the Middle East, thereby ensuring that more and more business in the UAE and emerging markets are becoming "e-ready".

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About Tejari
Tejari is one of the leading B2B online marketplaces in the emerging markets. Tejari enables buyers and sellers to transact and share information about a variety of goods and services via a secured Internet environment.  Tejari provides a single point of contact for an open and growing community of buyers and suppliers, permitting spot-purchasing and on-line auctions that enable participants' real-time access to new markets and greater cost savings.  Visit Tejari at http://www.tejari.com

For further information, please contact:

Tejari                                                  
Howaida Rabee                                     
Senior Manager,
Promotion & Communications  
Tel: +971 4 391 3777                             
E-mail: Howaida.Rabee@tejari.com  

Hill and Knowlton
Arpana Bhandari
Junior Account Executive
Tel: +971 4 3344930
Email:arpana.bhandari@hillandknowlton.com

© Press Release 2009